the need for grow
TRANSCRIPT
The Need for GROWSeptember 12, 2011
A SKEWED AND FAILING SYSTEMTHE AGE OF CRISIS
Introduction Power above all determines who eats and
who does not.
In 2009, the number of hungry people passed one billion for the first time (Following the collapse of the Lehman Brothers which caused oil to reach $147 a barrel)
Food Prices The Problem: Food prices are forecast to
increase something in the range of 70% to 90% by 2030 before the effects of climate change.
The Reason: The food system is buckling under intense pressure from climate change, ecological degradation, population growth, rising energy prices, rising demand for meat and dairy products, and competition for land from biofuels, industry, and urbanization.
Glaring Inequalities By 2050 an estimated 7 out of 10 people
will live in Low-Income Food Deficient Countries.
In more than half of industrialized countries 50% or more of the population is overweight.
The amount of food waste by consumers in industrialized countries is possibly as much as 25%
Glaring Inequalities In 2000 half a billion people lived in
countries chronically short of water; by 2050 the number will have risen to more than 4 billion
In 2006, the value of bottled water sales in the United States was around $60 billion
Glaring Inequalities
Glaring Inequalities Estimates suggest that by providing women with the
same level of access to resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20-30%
In developing countries women account for only 10-20% of landowners (more likely to rely on marginal tracts not registered, which are precisely the ones currently identified by governments and investors as “available” for large scale land acquisition.
Glaring Inequalities 4 firms dominate over 50% of the seed
industry 6 firms control 75% of agrochemicals Research agenda of these companies
focuses on their biggest customers—large industrial farms that can afford expensive input bundles—such technologies rarely meet the needs of farmers in developing countries.
Bottom Line
Population in poorer countries is growing faster than agricultural
productivity. Even if the resources are available they
may lack the access to acquire them.
The Resilience Problem Volatile food prices have delivered 2 global
crises in the past 3 years
The countries most vulnerable are countries with large populations living in poverty that depend on international markets for much of their food needs.
The Resilience Problem In 2010, nearly 40% of the corn production in
the United States’ corn production went into engines rather than stomachs.
Between 2005 and 2009, donors covered only about 70% of emergency assistance requested in UN appeals.
In 2010, that number dropped to 63%
The Resilience Problem In-kind food aid can provide a lifeline when
food is available, but often the food there is simply too expensive.
It would be more efficient to provide cash or vouchers, and will not undermine the livelihood of local producers and traders, as in-kind food aid often does.
In-kind food aid really only serves to suit the vested interests in donor countries
The Resilience Problem The US is the world’s biggest food aid donor
(1/2 of the world’s food aid) but our programs deliver more to the pockets of agribusinesses than mouths.
Untying food aid allows humanitarian agencies to tailor their response to the specific situation: where appropriate, purchasing food on local markets, or providing cash vouchers so that people can buy their own.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
DISCUSSION