01 October 2018
FAO's Committee on Agriculture – 26th Session
It is an honour to address you at the opening of this Session of the FAO Committee on Agriculture, COAG.
Let me start by highlighting that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is showing us that we have reached an inflection point in agriculture and food systems.
To achieve sustainable development, we cannot continue relying on high-input and resource-intensive farming systems that operate at a high cost to the environment.
Current farming practices have generated deforestation, water scarcity, soil depletion, and high levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
And in many countries, new areas are still being cleared for agriculture at record rates.
We have to innovate and transform agriculture.
Today, it is fundamental to produce food in a way that preserves the environment and biodiversity.
Business as usual is no longer an option.
We have to implement sustainable practices that provide healthy and nutritious food, ecosystem services and climate-change resilience.
We have, for instance, to reduce the use of pesticides and chemicals, increase crop diversification, and improve land conservation practices, just to name a few measures.
This will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural sectors, which nowadays account for 20 to 30% of the total emissions.
Current food systems have also shown to be inefficient in eradicating hunger in the world, despite the fact that today we produce more than enough food to feed the entire global population.
So to end hunger and feed a growing population, we can no longer focus only on increasing production. We also have to ensure that everyone has access to healthy and nutritious food.
Hundreds of millions of people still do not have the income to buy the food they need, or the means to produce it for themselves.
The latest figures indicate that 821 million people were undernourished in 2017. This was the third consecutive year in which hunger increased in the world.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that an important part of these people are family farmers living in poor rural areas in developing countries.
They need support to improve their livelihoods and build resilience, especially in relation to the impacts of conflicts and climate change.
Ladies and gentlemen,
FAO is acting in many fronts to support countries in promoting this much-needed transformation of agriculture and food systems.
Let me mention two recent major events:
First, last April we organized the Second International Symposium on Agroecology.
During the event, we launched the Scaling Up Agroecology Initiative to support countries moving forward in the implementation of policies and actions to promote agroecology.
Second, last May we organized the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Biodiversity.
FAO now hosts the Biodiversity Mainstreaming Platform. It aims to facilitate the adoption of practices to support the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity across all agricultural sectors.
In this COAG session, we are also presenting you the latest developments of FAO’s work in other important areas.
The livestock sector, for example, requires further attention as it can significantly contribute to the eradication of poverty and all forms of malnutrition, as well as to economic development and climate change mitigation.
You will discuss the establishment of a subcommittee to address livestock.
This issue has been an outstanding matter in COAG that has not yet reached consensus.
For FAO, livestock has always been a key sector, and the establishment of a subcommittee will give it more visibility in order to enhance the technical capacities of member countries.
But I remind you that the establishment of a subcommittee also requires financial availability and sustainability.
In relation to the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, we are providing an overview of the main activities conducted since the last COAG session.
We also propose actions to be undertaken for scaling up the GIAHS programme.
Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to review FAO’s performance in the implementation of the Climate Change Strategy, as well as the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture.
It will be very important to have your guidance on all these issues that I just mentioned.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me also draw your attention to the fact that to expand our work and support countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we will also need additional financial resources.
Let me give you the example of the production and collection of data regarding agriculture.
The lack of high quality and timely agricultural data is a key constraint on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The majority of the 75 poorest countries that are part of the International Development Association (IDA) have not conducted any agricultural annual surveys or censuses over the last 15 years.
This impedes them from elaborating development strategies, making sound policy decisions, or monitoring progress in the agriculture sector.
To tackle this situation, FAO and partners have invested heavily in the development of the Agricultural Integrated Survey Programme (AGRISurvey).
AgriSurvey will allow countries to track progress on at least four SDG targets, such as labour productivity and income of small scale holders (SDG 2.3), agricultural sustainability (SDG 2.4), women’s ownership on agricultural land (SDG 5.a) and food losses (SDG 12.3).
FAO is the custodian agency of 21 SDG indicators, as well as a contributing agency to additional four indicators.
FAO is currently implementing the AGRISurvey in 10 countries, with the support of USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The objective is to extend AGRIsurvey implementation to other 19 countries by 2021, and to 50 countries by 2030 through a joint initiative with the World bank and other partners.
The initiative is called 50 x 2030, and it was launched last week during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
It represents the biggest effort ever made in funding agricultural statistics.
The initiative aims to raise USD 500 million, and we will need commitment and support from partners, donors and countries.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As I said in the beginning, changes are necessary to ensure that our ambition of nourishing people while nurturing the planet becomes a reality.
For that, innovation is a key word.
Innovation can even be old solutions applied to new contexts, or new ideas that can solve old problems.
Next month, on 21-23 November, we will organize a Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers to be held here at FAO Headquarters.
The event will be very important to improve the situation of almost 2.5 billion family farmers around the world that depend heavily on agriculture for their livelihoods.
Innovation is also important to revitalize rural areas and make agriculture more attractive to young people.
If we fail to create opportunities for poor rural people to thrive, especially women and youth, we will also fail to build a safer and more peaceful world, where no one is left behind.
I am also pleased to see that during this COAG session you will discuss some initiatives to tackle food loss and waste and promote the consumption of healthy and nutritious food, such as the Chilean proposal for an International Year of Fruits and Vegetables.
These initiatives are very important to promote the adoption of healthy diets and to tackle the growing levels of overweight and obesity in the world.
To conclude, I wish you all good deliberations and smart decisions that can pave the way for the transformation of agriculture and food systems.
This is key to sustainable development.
Thank you very much
