Vilsack Addresses Partners in Agriculture Global Food Security Symposium
08.04.2010 11:15 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today delivered the keynote address at the Partners in Agriculture Global Food Security Symposium sponsored by the U. S. Grains Council. The symposium provided a unique opportunity for government, academic, and civil society leaders from the United States and Japan to come together to discuss the challenge of ensuring food security in the face of a rapidly growing global population and climate change. Vilsack is in Japan to promote stronger ties between the United States and Japan in the area of agriculture as part of President Obama’s efforts to expand U.S. exports through the National Export Initiative.
Below are excerpts from Vilsack’s remarks as prepared for delivery at the Global Food Symposium:
"Last year’s economic woes caused a dramatic increase in the number of people around the world who do not have enough to eat. Estimates from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization suggest that in 2009, for the first time ever, more than 1 billion people around the world were chronically hungry. And throughout the developing world, a child dies every six seconds from malnutrition and related causes …
"Food insecurity is first and foremost a moral issue. We should all feel a humanitarian imperative to take on the challenge and ensure that children do not go to sleep hungry. But it goes beyond that.
"No matter where they live, children will only realize their full potential if they have regular access to food. Giving a child the opportunity for a brighter, more productive future, affects not only the individual child, but the community where that child is raised, the country where he or she lives, and all of the world. Working to eliminate food insecurity across the globe will provide incredible economic benefits to developing and developed countries alike. It will increase political stability in conflict and poverty-stricken regions, and put these countries on a path to future prosperity.
"One thing that the statistics do tell us is that the past approaches to global hunger which focused efforts on providing food aid are not enough. In the short term, we must still provide food to those who need it most. But in the longer term, we need a comprehensive approach focused on developing sustainable solutions to eliminate food insecurity. Our goals should be to increase the availability of food by helping people and countries produce what they need, to make food accessible to those who need it, and to teach people to use it properly so that they make the most of it …
"Last year I attended the first ever meeting of G8 agriculture ministers in Italy. We produced a strong declaration of support for the critically important task of promoting food security. And at last year’s summit, the G-8 committed to increase international assistance for agricultural development to $20 billion over the next three years. This year’s budget, and President Obama’s budget request for next year, put the United States on track to provide at least $3.5 billion of that total.
"And the truth is this commitment could not have come soon enough. In the coming decades, ensuring global food security will only become more difficult. We face the reality of a world population that is growing by 79 million people each year, the equivalent of 6 Tokyos. Future food demand is expected to increase by 70 percent by 2050 challenging our capacity to grow and raise enough food….Growth in agricultural productivity, faces increasing threats from scarce water supplies, and competition for energy resources from industry and urbanization.
"Climate change also promises to have an outsized impact on the global food supply. Variations in temperature, increased frequency of extreme weather like drought, floods and storms, and the spread of pests and diseases to new geographic areas will likely impact productivity….These challenges are sobering reminders of why food security must remain at the core of the international agenda. And, they point to a future where investing in agricultural development is the only way to find a permanent solution to hunger.
"As we pursue agricultural development our efforts must be long-term. Quick fixes are not enough. We must help countries find strategies to increase crop outputs by adopting the latest seed technology, improved irrigation systems and land management techniques, and by appropriately applying fertilizer. We should help build strong post-harvest infrastructure like roads and cold storage, and encourage vibrant local markets with transparent information and improved financial services.
"Food security efforts must be country-led and country-driven and focused at the local and community level. That means engaging farmers in small villages so they can provide their ideas about developing the agriculture sector, so that we can help them with technologies, techniques and crops that fit their culture and lifestyle. It means our focus must reflect an understanding of the role of women in farming, who account for between 60 and 80 percent of food production in most developing countries …
"But as I indicated before, we must utilize all of the appropriate tools in our toolbox and modern agricultural technologies will play a critical role. Developing countries should look at improved seeds for crops that are drought tolerant or disease resistant. Agricultural biotechnology with and without genetic engineering is a powerful tool that can be used to boost agricultural productivity and build prosperity among the rural poor.
"Emerging technologies holds the promise of creating crops that better tolerate drought, toxicity, disease and salinity….Because of its vast potential, it is essential that developing countries around the world develop consistent and science-based regulatory processes governing biotechnology. Regulatory decisions must be based on science and not fear. The biggest costs of not taking advantage of this safe, accessible, productivity-enhancing technology are borne not by the world’s affluent consumers, but by the world’s poorest farmers …
"In short, a critical step towards global food security will be achieving a more efficient global market that is based on established international rules that reduce barriers, reduce costs, and increase reliability of trading systems.
"In the months and years ahead, it is incumbent on both the United States and Japan to work together to tackle the food security crisis. Helping countries through broad-based agricultural growth makes moral and economic sense. We only have to look at the example of Japan to see the impact development assistance can make. Since the end of World War II, Japan has moved from a food aid recipient to the thriving developed country we see today with one of the strongest economies in the world. Today we are vibrant trading partners, a relationship that benefits both our countries citizens.
«In the coming years and decades we must give the world’s poor a reason for hope by tackling food security with a renewed commitment to agricultural development. The world’s economic and political stability, and the prosperity of our two nations, depends on how well we meet this challenge.»
17.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
18:08 |
Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food predicts this year’s harvest of grains and oilseeds at about 74 million tonnes |
16.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
12:12 |
West Africa Cocoa Shortage Pushes Up Prices |
11.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:48 |
U.S. Soybean Meal Exports Forecast at Consecutive Records in 2022/23 and 2023/24 |
|
23:10 |
EU Wheat Exports Challenged by Russia’s Growing Dominance |
|
11:30 |
Country of origin of honey must be clearly visible on the label. EU honey traceability system to be developed |
10.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
15:59 |
Commission starts setting up the Agriculture and Food Chain Observatory |
|
15:33 |
Commission approves ˆ2.2 billion German State aid scheme to support the decarbonisation of industrial processes to foster the transition to a net-zero economy |
|
13:17 |
Donau Soja urges EU for clarity on EUDR implementation |
09.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:44 |
Ukraine remained the third source of EU imports in 2023, with a value of EUR 11.8 billion |
06.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:04 |
World cereal output seen up in 2023/24 |
|
09:55 |
FAO Food Price Index rises in March |
05.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:04 |
Shellfish Crop Insurance Program Offers Oyster Producers Needed Protection from Environmental Challenges and More |
03.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:01 |
Croatian horseradish root ‘Ludbreški hren' added to register of Protected Designations of Origin |
02.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:15 |
FAO and chef Fatmata Binta announce new project to empower women fonio producers in Ghana |
28.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
12:55 |
Council compromise on Ukraine ATMs – Only a half step forward in the right direction |
|
09:18 |
Commission approves amendment to Italian State aid scheme to support companies in Friuli Venezia Giulia in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine |
26.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:55 |
Projected famine in Gaza: FAO urges immediate access to deliver urgent and critical assistance at scale. About 1.1 million people are experiencing catastrophic food insecurity |
|
08:44 |
EU makes major step forward in the delivery of 2024 humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza* |
25.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
16:17 |
Commission approves ˆ86.9 million Bulgarian State aid scheme to support farmers in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine |
21.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
11:15 |
Commission takes action to boost biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the EU |
20.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
11:13 |
Deal to extend trade support for Ukraine with safeguards for EU farmers |
19.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
09:43 |
CAP - The Commission proposes simplifications that safeguard agricultural transitions! |
18.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:10 |
The European Union and Switzerland launch negotiations to deepen bilateral relations |
|
10:05 |
Commission proposes targeted review of Common Agricultural Policy to support EU farmers |
15.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:36 |
Cargill Power CanolaTM Program Helps Farmers Take Advantage of Growing Bioenergy Market Opportunities for Canadian Canola |
|
23:19 |
FAO will provide Ukrainian farmers with soybean and sunflower seeds for spring sowing campaign |
13.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:27 |
FAO urges more cooperation in banana sector, significant for some least developed and low-income food-deficit countries and smallholder farmers |
|
16:51 |
The European Commission sets out key steps for managing climate risks to protect people and prosperity |
12.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
20:25 |
Coreper and COMENVI approve the provisional agreement on EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework |
|
20:24 |
INTA MEPs fail EU producers by dismissing potential improvements to Ukraine ATMs |
|
08:10 |
Soybean meal is expected to be a more competitive feed ingredient on higher global supplies. |
11.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
09:11 |
U.S. Corn Exports Shift Destinations as Brazil Captures China Market |
08.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
15:20 |
Conflicts push acute food insecurity higher |
|
13:21 |
FAO Food Price Index declines further in February |
|
13:14 |
Packaging: Council and Parliament strike a deal to make packaging more sustainable and reduce packaging waste in the EU |
|
11:45 |
Commission approves ˆ61.3 million Bulgarian State aid scheme to support farmers, producers of grain and oil crops, in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine |
07.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
20:41 |
First go-ahead to renewing trade support for Ukraine and Moldova |
05.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
15:55 |
Commission proposes to prolong road transport agreements with Ukraine and Moldova and introduces updates to the agreement with Ukraine |
02.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
07:31 |
Heroes of deserts and highlands: Nourishing people and culture |
23.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:21 |
BASF’s financial strength supports proposed stable dividend of ˆ3.40 per share for the 2023 business year |
|
10:17 |
The Council has chosen to ignore farmers' concerns regarding Ukraine ATMs; it is now imperative for the European Parliament to take action |
20.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
20:27 |
South Asia is anticipated to import nearly 14 million tons wheat in 2023/24 |
19.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
13:00 |
Cargill and ENOUGH expand partnership to provide consumers with innovative, sustainable protein options |
17.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
17:47 |
Global Environment Facility approves new FAO-led projects and programs benefiting 46 countries |
16.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
09:10 |
The EU is at a crossroads with the Ukrainian agricultural issue - COPA-COGECA, AVES, CEFS, CEPM, CIBE, EUWEP |
13.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
17:31 |
European farmers exempted from rules on land lying fallow |
12.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
16:45 |
India Wheat Stocks Plummet to Lowest in 15 Years |
03.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
17:35 |
Mandarins. Global production for 2023/24 is forecast to rise to 38.0 million tons |
|
09:59 |
Record cereal output in 2023 |
|
07:15 |
FAO Food Price Index down again in January led by lower wheat and maize prices |
Also available:
|