The vice-president of the United Nations’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) issued a call to address the root causes of hunger, extreme proverty and extreme inequity when she addressed a recent meeting of leaders in Berlin, Germany.
Gérardine Mukeshimana said “in a year where close to half of the world’s population will go to polls, it is essential not to lose focus on medium-term investment. We must not let increased humanitarian demands and short-term election goals derail efforts to build resilient, sustainable, and equitable food systems.”
She said the systems are essential in helping to adapt to global crises such as climate change and wars.
In 2021, more than three billion people couldn’t afford a healthy diet. Food systems are currently responsible for one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, 80 per cent of biodiversity loss and 70 per cent of freshwater consumption, the organization said in a statement.
“To seize the huge opportunity that food systems transformation presents, we need to invest in the hundreds of millions of small-scale farmers, who produce one third of the world’s food and up to 70 per cent of the food in low and middle-income countries.
“This is the only path to a food-secure and stable future, as well as the most cost-effective by far,” said Mukeshimana who has served as Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources in Rwanda.
The cost of inaction for the people and the planet is estimated at $12 trillion US ($16.12 trillion Cdn) a year in environmental, social, and economic damage to communities, families, livelihoods and lives, it said.
This is significantly higher than the cost of action, calculated to be between $400 and $530 billion Cdn. per year of additional investment, representing less than half of one per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Additionally, transforming food systems can help the world unlock $6.05 trillion Cdn. in new business opportunities every year.
Mukeshimana said that investing in medium to long-term rural development has proven to be a more efficient and empowering way to support poor rural populations. For every dollar invested in developing the resilience of rural people so that they can endure and cope with crises and extreme weather events, up to $10 can be saved in relief assistance in the future.
“Investing in resilience is as urgent as addressing humanitarian needs. In the long run building resilience will save more lives and improve more livelihoods, and it is a sustainable solution.
We count on Germany's support to continue showing their leadership and commitment to reducing hunger and poverty and increase resilience in rural areas,” said Mukeshimana.
