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Friday, March 07, 2014

Food sovereignty: a persistent narrative that shapes donor priorities

The persistent narrative in affluent donor countries on the global food crisis starts with identification of the supposed culprit. According to many popular documentary movies and even the Special UN Rapporteur
on the Human Right to Food (a lawyer by training), the source of all evil is the “neo-liberal” global food system that disenfranchises consumers and producers of food in developed and developing countries alike for the sake of corporate profits. The proposed alternative to this evil system is provided by the popular concept of food sovereignty, which would embrace “the right of people to choose their own food system”.

Food sovereignty activists in affluent countries are, however, reluctant to stand back and let governments choose what kind of agricultural policies they think might work best in view of the socio-economic and biophysical constraints their country faces. Instead they reveal a surprisingly missionary zeal to persuade governments in developing countries that there is only one good choice, namely shunning agricultural trade, pursuing agroecological approaches without the use of the modern tools of biotechnology, and focusing on the improvement of informal small-scale farming. In essence, they radically simplify the complex challenge of making agriculture work for development by proposing a dualistic world view that promises a sustainable and equitable world for everyone, if “the right path” is chosen.

From
The great misunderstanding of the global food crisis
Philipp Aerni
www.ourplanet.com
The Pundit's reaction.
"...that promises a sustainable and equitable world for everyone, if “the right path” is chosen". Hmmm. Where have I heard that before...


More at Our Planet / Insights--Africa's Future webpage:

By 2050 the world's population will rise to 9 billion. To satisfy demand, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has predicted that food production will need to increase by 70 per cent. Meanwhile, land and water resources are increasingly being degraded and depleted, which has serious implications for developing countries, and in particular for the African continent. These are huge challenges, but one possible solution is for farmers to combine their expert local knowledge with recent advances in biosciences.
VIEWPOINTS
New short essays looking at the implementation of biosciences for farming in Africa.
The 18 short essays in Insights were commissioned to examine the implementation of biosciences for farming in Africa (www.B4FA.org). The essays are eclectic and personal, sharply focused and intended to inform decision-makers whether relaxing on long-haul flights, or in deepest deliberation with colleagues. They do not advocate a position, rather they argue from experience, and offer an authoritative, independent and peer-reviewed brief. All address the grand challenge facing the best brains and entrepreneurs alike, whether in laboratories, farms, in businesses or partnerships – how will we be able to produce 70 per cent more food sustainably, sufficient to feed a predicted population of 9 billion in 2050.
CONTENTS
Preface
Brian Heap and David Bennett
Can the supply of quality seed match demand?
Dannie Romney, Roger Day, Daniel Karanja and Niels Louwars (Kenya, Netherlands)
Training for the future of food security
Eric Yirenkyi Danquah (Ghana)
Achieving water efficiency with maize
Denis T. Kyetere, Sylvester O. Oikeh and Grace Wachoro (Kenya)
South Africa: an early adopter of GM crops
Jennifer A. Thomson (South Africa)
Genetically modified crops: a moral imperative?
Jürgen Mittelstrass (Germany)
Postscript
Brian Heap and David Bennett
Printed copies can be ordered through Earthprint: http://www.earthprint.com/ 
Hardback edition £20/US$30 (plus packing and postage)
Paperback edition £10/US$15 (plus packing and postage)
To learn more about B4FA, see http://www.b4fa.org
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