Ana Paula de la O Campos, facilitator of the discussion |
Dear members of the forum,
Thank you very much for so many contributions! They will be very helpful as we continue to develop the framework for our work on extreme poverty.
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You have highlighted a number of important aspects that we will need to take into account for FAO's work to also reach the poorest of the poor and prevent that more rural people fall deeper in poverty:
- The need to develop more effective strategies and programmes on mitigation and adaptation that are sensitive to the roles of small scale producers and their needs. "Think global but act local", maximizing local resources, knowledge. As a follow up, I would like to ask the members of the forum to discuss on how we could move this forwards more effectively, in ways that are scalable and sustainable, particularly, on how to bring the environmental and social sectors together.
- Strengthening the agriculture and nutrition linkage. Good nutrition is fundamental for productivity, in any sector, but it also fosters better education and higher incomes for younger generations. It is important to look at the effectiveness of our current food systems to foster good nutrition, particularly that of the poor and the poorest. Where agroclimatic conditions allow, year-round vegetable production is a good option for bringing more micronutrients to the table.
- We are not fostering the agriculture sector for poverty reduction enough. Investments in agriculture continue to be below what is needed in order to tap on opportunities that exist in the sector, including organic agriculture (as demand for healthier foods from cities arise) as well as for sustainable production to foster climate change mitigation (CSA, agroecology). Resources are needed to foster and disseminate local technologies, including farmer to farmer exchanges.
- The importance of revitalizing rural areas and making the agricultural sector more attractive to the youth. Using technologies to disseminate information and knowledge (example of YouTube videos) that are more specific to local needs. Creating market linkages while also helping develop territorial markets for more high quality food availability at territorial level.
As a follow up to the discussion, I would like to invite the members to further discuss and express their opinions on the following points:
- I would like to know more about the potential impact of preventing food loss and waste in poverty reduction: do you have any examples?
- Overall, while eradicating extreme poverty will require multisectoral approaches, how could agriculture be better integrated in poverty reduction strategies? Often these strategies have a weak rural focus, while most of the poor live in rural areas. How can the role of agriculture be more focused on poverty reduction and reach the poorest? Any suggestions?
- And the other way around, how can agricultural strategies be more inclusive of the poorest? What mechanisms do we have in the sector to better identify and understand the needs of this population and increase their lack of productive assets? |
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