FAO Director-General address to IFAD Governing Council: More resources, more innovation and more focus to support world’s farmers
Rome - More investment, more innovation and an unwavering focus on the world’s farmers are the three key requirements to bring about real change, QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said today in opening remarks to the Governing Council meeting of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
“Farmers contribute far more than just the food they produce,” Qu said, pointing to the contributions that they, including Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, foresters and fishers, make in terms of adding to the efficiency, inclusivity, resilience and sustainability of the world’s agrifood systems and their essential role in ensuring the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all.
Specifically, Qu pointed to the need to increase responsible investments in agrifood systems and rural development, to harness the potential of innovation and technology, and to ensure that farmers “remain central to everything we do.”
IFAD, FAO’s sister Rome-based agency along with the World Food Programme (WFP), is holding the 46th Session of its Governing Council at FAO headquarters. The high-level meeting will deliberate on matters ranging from the climate crisis and the role of youth in the agricultural sector to the terms of replenishing the institution’s balance sheet, climate concerns.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, gave an in-person keynote address at IFAD’s Governing Council, followed by a video message from Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados. Both leaders outlined their commitment to bolster food security and rural development in their countries, and beyond.
Tangible collaboration among RBAs
Qu also highlighted the need to tackle global overlapping challenges in coordination, building on the comparative advantages of FAO, IFAD and WFP.
Such collaboration is strongly featured in FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-31, which has a priority area devoted to scaling up investments. FAO’s Investment Centre, which offers technical expertise to attract large-scale investments in food and agriculture at large, has assisted in preparing more than 400 IFAD-funded projects in 160 countries, helping leverage investments of almost $16.5 billion.
The Director-General also pointed to FAO’s new Science and Innovation Strategy, which includes harnessing blockchain technology, automation and the use of artificial intelligence in agrifood systems to deliver value-added to Members and ensure that no one is left behind. FAO is supporting IFAD in developing regional action plans for scaling up Digital Agriculture transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as projects in East Africa, Qu said.
FAO and IFAD have also contributed to the establishment of 12 National Action Plans for strengthening family farming in tangible ways under the umbrella of the UN Decade of Family Farming.
RBA collaboration “is now more important than ever before,” the Director-General said, citing the example of the Sahel Programme, where each agency is contributing with its own comparative advantage.
In closing, the Director-General emphasized that there is still much to be done “with only seven planting seasons left to achieve the 2030 Agenda” and the urgent need to continue to support Members collectively to speed up reaching the Sustainable Development Goal targets.