Statement by Shenggen Fan
Director General, IFPRI
G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting, Niigata, Japan
May 11, 2019
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to commend the G20 Agriculture Ministers for recognizing the need to transform our food systems to achieve human and planetary health, and continuing to champion the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
It cannot be said often enough, but we need to address the challenges posed by our agri-food systems with great urgency. World hunger is on the rise, with now 821 million people suffering from chronic undernourishment; 149 million children are stunted; and nearly 2 billion adults are overweight or obese. At the same time, agri-food systems contribute up to 29 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions and continue to overuse scarce natural resources. Agriculture also contributes to massive biodiversity loss, with recent reports warning of unprecedented and accelerating species extinction rates. Without urgent action, we will not achieve the SDGs or global climate goals.
What needs to be done?
First, agricultural priorities must shift from promoting the production of high quantities of staple foods to producing healthy food sustainably. Governments can reorient subsidies on nutrient-poor foods and to provide incentives to investing in more nutritious foods. In addition, it is critical to make sure that support measures promote greater resource efficiency and more R&D for productivity growth of more nutritious crops. Greater investments in R&D should also work to advance sustainable and climate-resilient technologies and practices. Investing and promoting good agricultural and agroecological practices and cross-sectoral integrated management will be key in maintaining and improving biodiversity.
These incentives should not be restricted to agriculture: they should reverberate in the entire food supply chain and also induce consumers make choices for healthier diets and sustainably produced foods.
Second, we must also use a food-systems approach to greatly reduce food losses and waste. Policies to curb retail food waste should be explored, such as France’s ban on supermarkets throwing away quality food before “best-before” dates. To address food loss in developing countries, where food losses are a bigger problem than food waste, we need to look across the entire supply chain. We need more evidence on cost-effective, innovative solutions that work for smallholders in developing countries. IFPRI is working with FAO through the Technical Platform for the Measurement and Prevention of Food Loss and Waste to address that knowledge gap. You, G20 Ministers, have taken the initiative to establish the Platform and I count on your continuous support to accelerate the work and gain the necessary insights to take the right action.
Third, we need to give direction to the exciting new and potentially transformative technologies that can help accelerate the transformation of our food systems. Alternative proteins, such as lab-grown meat can help reduce agricultural GHG emissions and resource use; gene editing for seed improvements can produce more crops and improve nutrition outcomes; blockchain technologies can enable the traceability and transparency along the food chain; and e-commerce is a new frontier that connects rural producers and urban consumers. However, these technologies should be scaled up with careful consideration for their true impact on smallholders’ productive capacity, employment, children’s nutrition, dietary choices, and the environment.
These ingredients for change will only be effective if we take a food-systems approach. That is, we need to look beyond agriculture. As Ministers of Agriculture, I hope you will take this to heart and work with transport, health, industry, and other ministries, private sector representatives, consumer awareness groups and other stakeholders. The engagement and commitment of all will be needed to transform food value chains for better nutrition and sustainability. The G20 should foster such collaboration.
IFPRI and the CGIAR system will continue to advance knowledge on achieving multiple wins across the food system. We look forward to continuing to work together with you and all stakeholders to find the urgent solutions for making food systems at large sustainable, inclusive, and healthy.