Meeting the Millennium Development Goals: Lessons Learned from 60 Years of FAO Experience

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Meeting the Millennium Development Goals Lessons
Learned from 60 Years of FAO Experience
Charles Riemenschneider Director, Liaison Office
for North America Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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Millennium Development Goals

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Achieve universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health
• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Develop a global partnership for development

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842 million are undernourished
Number of undernourished people in the developing
world observed and projected ranges compared
with the World Food Summit target.
Millions
Millions
1000
1000
900
900
800
800
700
Undernourished People in Developing Countries
815 million
Business as usual
600
Point estimates prepared in 2003
500
On track
400
Point estimates made in 2003
300
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
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Our knowledge and understanding of hunger
reduction imply 7 key lessons
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Lesson 1 Economic growth is necessary but not
sufficient for hunger reduction
1990-2002
Average GDP growth rate p.c. (gt3.5)
High
China India Indonesia
Peru Ghana Vietnam
Low
High
Jamaica Venezuela Zambia
Change in undernourishment (gt7)
Chad Niger Syria
Low
Source FAO
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Lesson 2 Hunger reduction is fundamental for
development and poverty reduction
Poverty and undernourishment, 1995-2000
Poverty and undernourishment trends
Source FAO
7
Lesson 3 Investment in agricultural and rural
development is crucial for increased availability
and access to food and for enhancing income
earning opportunities
Trends in undernourishment and GDP, 1990-1992 to
1995-97 and 1995-97 to 1999-2001
Source FAO
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Lesson 4 Technology development can improve food
supplies but not necessarily access to food
World rice production and price (constant
US2002), 1961-2003
Metric tonnes
1700
700
1500
600
Production
1300
500
1100
900
400
700
300
Price
500
200
300
100
100
1961
63
65
67
69
71
73
75
77
79
81
83
85
87
89
91
93
95
97
99
01
03
Source FAO/IRRI
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Lesson 5 The state could play an important role
in the provision of public goods and safety nets,
and through sound macroeconomic management
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Lesson 6 Trade openness and integration can lead
to important gains in hunger and poverty reduction
Integration in agricultural trade and
undernourishment
of population undernourished
1996-2000
Agricultural imports and exports as a share of
agricultural GDP ()
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Lesson 7 Peace and stability are sine qua non
conditions for growth and hunger reduction
Hunger hotspots in 2004
Major armed conflict / human insecurity (latest)
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From lessons learned to a road map for hunger
reduction Twin-track Approach to Hunger
Eradication

• Addressing four dimensions of food security
• Availability, Access, Stability and Utilization
• Track 1 Improving long-run sustainability of
  food availability through enhancing performance
  of small-scale farm-based rural economies
• Track 2 Broadening direct access to food needs

Cross-cutting conditions creating an enabling
environment for food security
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Applying the Twin Track Approach
Linkages maximizing synergies Alliances against
hunger Local food procurement for safety
nets Support to rural organizations Primary
health care, reproductive care and HIV/AIDS
prevention Asset redistribution Nutrition
education/literacy Clean drinking water Policy
legal reforms (including right to food)
Track 1 - strengthen small-scale farm-based
economies Low-cost, simple farming
technology Rural infrastructure Improved water
and soil fertility management Natural resource
management and access Market and private sector
development Food safety and quality Pro-poor
agricultural research, extension and training
Track 2 assure access to food Mother and infant
feeding School meals and school
gardens Unemployment and pension
benefits Food-for-work and food-for-education Targ
eted conditional cash transfers Soup kitchens and
factory canteens Food banks Emergency rations
World Food Summit Goal
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Track 1 Rural development and productivity
enhancement
Improving productivity and production capacity,
esp. of small-scale farmers
Improving transition and sequencing of emergency
rehabilitation-development efforts
Facilitating the creation of rural non-farm
enterprises
Safe drinking water and sanitation
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Track 2 Direct and immediate access to food
Food aid
Nutrition intervention and education programmes
Food for work programmes
Safety nets
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Cross-cutting conditions
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The policy agenda
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FAO and Hunger Reduction

• Awareness raising and advocacy understanding the
  links between hunger, malnutrition, poverty,
  agriculture, growth and human rights
• Improving quality and availability of
  information global reporting
• Building capacity for national and regional food
  security strategy and policy formulation
• Large-scale practical action supporting
  preparation and implementation of comprehensive
  national and regional food security programs

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