Dear Colleagues, greetings from Neuchâtel, Switzerland!
Please find below and attached my contribution to this important discussion. Merci!
Gisèle Yasmeen (normally in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia).
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important document.
This is a worthwhile initiative, a very nice overview and well presented. I only have the following constructive comments to make.
I think that giving more prominence to the role of urbanization and the role of urban food systems in shaping global trends would be helpful. “In 2015 an estimated 54 per cent of the world’s population resided in urban areas and the urban population is expected to increase to 6.3 billion by 2050, when 66 per cent of the world’s population is projected to be urban (UNDESA 2014).
Regarding section 2.3 on food loss and waste, I think it’s excellent that you are including this but feel as though the language and conceptualization is a bit too aligned with the FLW challenges of the global north. My understanding is that post-harvest losses are the big issue in the Global South and that this can be lessened with investments in infrastructure. Half of grains and at least a third of fresh fruits and vegetables never make their way to market in low and middle-income countries. It would be useful to really emphasize this.
In the box on page 33 (section 1.3), while I agree that all regions have development potential, not only urban areas, I would add that rapid urbanization is a key structuring feature of the future, particularly in Africa and Asia. However, to help stem the tide of rural to urban migration, increasing incomes in rural areas is key.
On p. 34, Box 3, first bullet, I would suggest adding that micro, small and medium enterprises in the agri-food system (including informal microenterprises), have a key role to play in the value chain. Please see my report published by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada earlier this year (Yasmeen et. al. 2018).
On p. 36 at the end of section 3.1.3, it might be worth mentioning that much of the world’s agriculture land is devoted to growing animal feed and sugar. While complex, devoting some of this land to grow suitable, nutritious food for human beings, could go a long way in dealing with food security.
In section 3.1.4 in the box on Public Health Approaches, it would be worth mentioning that access to potable water for the washing of hands and food is the number one way to ensure higher degrees of food safety in the global south.
Finally, there are a host of other smaller issues that might be worth raising in this framework, for example: the role of sustainable packaging to move away from plastic, engaging botanical gardens as fellow travelers in the world of sustainable food systems given their role in the preservation and curation of plant-related knowledge and related education (see references below) and more references on the cost of food / purchasing power. Furthermore, I would caution against using the word “natural” when discussing breeding of domesticated plants and animals as this process has been controlled by humans for thousands of years. What may be useful to raise is the relation between biodiversity within domesticated versus wild species and opportunity share genetic resources for the benefits of human and environmental health.
Finally, the graphic depicted on Annex 1 is difficult to read. Can a simplified version be generated?
Thanks ever so much to a number of you for reaching out to encourage me to comment on this important topic. I hope my comments are helpful and I look forward to learning of what comes out of this process.
Sincerely,
Gisèle Yasmeen
Gisèle Yasmeen, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow, Institute of Asian Research, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
University of British Columbia
Adjunct Professor, School of Environment and Sustainability
Royal Roads University
References
Moreau, T and Yasmeen, G. “Botanical Gardens: Allies in Food Security and Nutrition,” Food Tank, Published June 8, 2018. Available at: https://foodtank.com/news/2018/06/botanical-gardens-food-security-nutri…
UNDESA. 2014. World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision, Highlights. New York.
Yasmeen, G., R. Kunin and Vietnam Silicon Valley, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Agri-Food: A Study of the Philippines, Vietnam and Peru, Vancouver: Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada on behalf of the Global Affairs Canada funded Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Growing Business Partnership. March 23, 2018. Available at: https://apfcanada-msme.ca/research/micro-small-and-medium-enterprises-a…
Yasmeen, G. 2018. “Evolving Foodscapes: Lessons from the Asia-Pacific”, published in Roots: Botanic Gardens Conservation International Education Review Volume 15, Number 2, November 2018, pp 17-19.
Dr. Gisèle Yasmeen