Bangkok – Asia needs to wake up to the enormous challenge to feeding its population of 5 billion people by 2050. Gross annual investments of US$209 billion are required for primary agriculture and downstream services in the developing countries of the world for future food security.

Following the multiple crises of fuel, food and finance over the last 4 years, domestic food prices have increased dramatically and are at present still much higher than before the crisis. For instance the domestic price for rice in Cambodia is 35 percent higher, in the Philippines 31 percent, and in Thailand 62 percent.

“Despite all the progress this region has made over the last three decades, the Asia-Pacific region is still home to the largest number of poor and hungry people in the world: of the 1.02 billion hungry people in the world, 642 million live in this region,” emphasized Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO’s regional chief for Asia and the Pacific.

FAO’s latest estimates are that last year alone an additional 54 million in the Asia-Pacific region have been pushed into chronic malnutrition.

Besides escalating food prices, concerns about climate change and overseas leases or purchases of farmlands in developing countries have dominated headlines.

Investment needs
Lack of investment in agriculture over decades has meant continuing low productivity and stagnand production in many Asian developing countries. Investment in agriculture is a major answer to these problems as food production needs to double in Asian developing countries between now and 2050, in particular in South Asia.

FAO estimates that gross annual investments of US$ 209 billion are needed in primary agriculture and downstream services in developing countries to meet global food needs by 2050.

During the Green Revolution, food production was doubled over a period of 20 years only – based mainly on scientific breakthroughs. Considering the 40 years time span and the ever increasing pace of technological breakthroughs, FAO is convinced that science-based solutions are needed and possible, in particular to respond to new challenges such as climate change.

Investment in agriculture will not only help those who make a living from agriculture, but will also ensure that food remains affordable to the poor and hungry, thereby preventing millions of human tragedies.

Land grab
The recent surge of interest in foreign investment in agricultural land has aroused substantial international concern.

Complex and controversial economic, political, institutional, legal and ethical issues are raised in relation to property rights, rural development, technology and access to land and water.

Foreign direct investment in developing country agriculture could make a contribution to realizing the hunger and poverty goals.

FAO stresses the need for appropriate regulations, and well-informed agricultural and food policies, and is developing relevant guidelines for land governance, or a code to regulate international investments to improve decision making and negotiations. FAO and its partners are currently working together to develop such guidelines.

Partnerships
Asia is experiencing the changing nature of poverty and food insecurity; increasing pressure on the natural resources base; the need to adjust to globalization and coping with external chocks to food and nutrition security; and coping with the impact of climate change.

The evolving socio-economic and political contexts will eventually drive progress in the fight against hunger and poverty, the FAO statement said.

FAO’s recently launched 1BillionHungry project, a global e-communication campaign, underpins the need for broad coalitions and joint efforts. The campaign is available at www.OneBillionHungry.com

More information at:
http://www.1billionhungry.org