A shift towards a home grown revolution

Toespraak | 06-09-2010

Toespraak (Engelstalig) van minister Verburg van het ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit tijdens de African Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change in Addis Abeba, Ethiopië, 6 september 2010.

The broad participation of representatives of governments, private sector, civil society and NGO’s from all over Africa, underlines the importance of the issues you are discussing the coming days. We all know the enormous tasks we are facing nowadays with fighting the multiple crises. We all have to face these dilemmas.

As a global society, we cannot accept increasing levels of poverty and hunger. So we need food and water security. At the same time we need energy security. Coupled with the urgent need to find effective policies to stop the loss of biodiversity, this means we are faced with one of the toughest challenges of the new millennium.

However, we are facing an even bigger challenge: how to feed 9 billion people in 2050. This challenge is even more complex when we look at the scarcity of our natural resources. We are consuming four times our planet. So, Ladies and Gentlemen, we can not rest on our laurels, action is urgently needed.

The 17th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in New York gave a clear message: agriculture is a crucial part of the solution. We have neglected agriculture too much in our international policies for sustainable development in the last decade. Agriculture is not only in the heart of sustainable development, but is the key to achieving food security and dealing with climate change, especially in Africa. Our host, Prime Minister Meles, clearly stated this in Copenhagen. For Africa dealing with climate change means investing in development and investing in development means investing in agriculture.

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, investing in agriculture we need indeed. As MrsBrundtland clearly stated: "We must pursue development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs". But, the food insecurity, especially in your region, the daily loss of our forest and biodiversity show that old solutions do not longer fit. "If you do what you did, you get what you got."

CSD 17 stated that agriculture should not be seen as a problem, but as a part of the solution. We need a paradigm shift. A shift towards a more sustainable and resource efficient and more productive and climate smart agriculture. A shift towards a home grown revolution. What do I mean with home grown? We have to make full use of existing knowledge in Africa, the entrepreneurship in Africa and the full potential your region is offering you and the world. We need a revolution in ideas, a revolution in technologies, and a revolution in financial resources.

Ladies and Gentlemen, agriculture, food security and climate change are clearly interlinked. The consequences of climate change will have a profound impact on agriculture. Consequences worldwide will vary widely. With Africa being one of the regions hardest hit. Sub-Saharan Africa is even likely to surpass Asia as the most food insecure region.

Agriculture worldwide is under threat from climate change, resulting in increased incidence of floods and droughts, increased temperatures, different patterns in the occurrence of weeds, pests, and diseases. This will all have a serious negative impact on agricultural productivity, and therewith on food security, especially here in Africa.

The World Development Report 2010 estimated that climate change may increase the number of undernourished people in 2050 by up to 170 million. Also, by 2050 average rice yields will decline by up to 14 percent, wheat yield by 22 percent and maize yields by 5 percent. This while we need a 70 percent increase in agricultural productivity worldwide to feed 9 billion people in 2050!

Ladies and gentlemen, as I mentioned earlier, especially Africa is hit hard by the consequences of climate change, with agriculture being one of the sectors most lagging behind. At least 95 percent of Africa’s farming systems are dependent on rain-fed agriculture. However, severe droughts are now more frequent, often leading to widespread severe food insecurity among rural populations.

Similarly, seasonal floods have led to severe devastations, impacting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Access to, and availability of, quality fresh water resources pose a major developmental challenge. Due to these and other influences, approximately 22 percent of arable land in Africa has been degraded. This severe soil degradation is causing annual productivity losses ranging from 7 percent of pasture land to 25 percent of cropland, and affecting about 485 million small producers or 65 percent of the entire African population.

However, research also indicates that ongoing adaptation methods such as water harvesting and other natural resource conservation programs are successful in boosting the adaptive capacities of farmers. Such programs implemented by both governmental and nongovernmental organizations should therefore be continued and scaled up.

Mr Chairman, we know the problems, we know the answers, what we need now is action. It is down to earth now. We have to strive for green growth in agriculture. Green growth can be achieved through a shift in agricultural practise that takes into account environmental capacity of each different region and water system, climate smart agriculture via greenhouse gas reduction and higher absorbing capacity, as well as energy efficiency and saving. In this way we bring agriculture, food security and climate change together. Ministers at CSD 17 stated that action is needed along five tracks. First and foremost we have to respond by substantially investing more in sustainable agriculture again, especially in Africa.

In many countries the productivity can and should be considerably improved in a sustainable way. This should be done by sharing knowledge, developing sustainable production chains, creating an enabling environment, supporting local and regional markets and by providing more market access for products from developing countries. Last but not least we have to ensure farmers access to financial resources, such as micro credits and safety nets.

Distinguished delegates, agriculture should also be firmly placed on the international climate change agenda. Agriculture is a crucial part of the solution for climate change. In fact agriculture is one third of the solution. The agricultural sector is responsible for 14 percent of the carbon emissions and responsible for at least 20 percent deforestation. So investing in sustainable agriculture is crucial for climate change. We have to invest in both adaptation and mitigation measures.

Furthermore, agricultural soils and peat lands store significant amounts of carbon. Better land management practices and more efficient use of resources, like fertilizers and water, can contribute to a significant increase in agricultural production. At the same time it will safeguard ecosystems and forests which also hold enormous amounts of carbon.

We also have to make a huge work of adaptation strategies with which the agricultural sector will be able to counter the negative effects of climate change. We should combine existing traditional knowledge with new technologies and strategies to help farmers in the field to adapt to the effects of climate change.

Ladies and Gentlemen, adaptation, mitigation, agriculture, land use and deforestation are all elements being discussed in this context. CSD 17 highlighted the need to further develop the combined agriculture, food security and climate change agenda. In response to this, I have taken the initiative to organize an international conference on agriculture, food security and climate change in close cooperation with Ethiopia, New Zealand, Norway, Mexico, Vietnam, the World Bank, and FAO. The conference will take place in The Hague from 31 October to 5 November later this year.

The aim of this Global Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change is to develop a roadmap with concrete actions linking agriculture-related investments, policies, and measures with the transition to climate smart growth. More specifically the conference intends to:

• Identify what needs to happen for agriculture and related land and water management to deliver on increased productivity, reduced emissions, increased sequestration, environmental sustainability, better livelihoods and food security
• Showcase and share knowledge on replicable good practices in climate resilient, low-emissions agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry and watershed management and demonstrate the potential for scaling up
• Use innovative approaches to bring together private and public sector finance for investments in climate smart agricultural systems.

This conference here in Addis Ababa is a crucial meeting which serves as the African pre-Conference for the meeting in The Hague in November. It’s important that Africa discusses the important issues of agriculture, food security and climate change. You can set the scene for the conference in The Hague. I hope you can develop concrete proposals for a roadmap for action for Africa and worldwide. I wish you a very successful and fruitful Conference.

It is down to Earth now, our World hungers for action.

Thank you.