Sustainable Agriculture

World Food Prize 2013

The World Food Prize this year was awarded to three scientists in the field of agricultural biotechnology. Marc Van Montagu from Belgium, Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert T. Fraley from America, were honored for their independent research in the production, development, and application of agricultural plant varieties with higher efficiency, greater resistance to pests and diseases, and increased tolerance to adverse environmental conditions. These individuals independently developed the science of agricultural biotechnology and opened doors for improving agricultural products to pave the way for sustainable nutrition for more people.

Bread and the Arab Spring

The World Food Prize is held each year to honor those who work to improve the quality and quantity of food, in one word, food security. This event, which brings together world leaders and pioneers in agriculture, food, and development, was held in 2011 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, where former Ghanaian President John Kufuor and former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva were announced as the winners of this prize. During this program, Mike Mack, CEO of Syngenta, delivered a speech and expressed his views on the global food challenge. What follows is a summary of this speech and an article that was later published in the European Wall Street Journal.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has reported that the food market has been more stable in recent months, but has also warned that prices will be very volatile. Is the global shortage of agricultural products and the resulting political violence a new global norm? Will the challenge of hunger grip the next generation? What is indeed the outlook for agriculture and development in different regions of the world? Perhaps the challenges ahead can be described as living on the edge of a sword. The reality is that events of the past decade have shown that if food prices suddenly exceed people's purchasing power, they cannot have enough food on their tables, and as the saying goes, if their stomachs are not full, the likelihood of social unrest increases.

Figure 1- Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa has changed the political structures of countries in the region. A senior Syngenta executive highlights the role of price inflation in this context.

When high food prices became the catalyst for the riots of 2007 and 2008, many analysts interpreted them as random events, but after a short-term decrease in prices, inflation returned to the food market and reached a record 32% in the second half of 2010. It seems that rising prices were one of the influential factors in the Arab revolutions. In Algeria, after food prices rose in January, crowds of people broke into a warehouse and stole sacks of flour after setting government buildings on fire. The bread riot, when wheat prices rose, shook Egypt.

Now no one thinks that price levels will return to pre-2007 levels. In fact, in the recent FAO outlook, it has been stated that price increases will continue for a significant period of time. The increasing pressure on food prices will soon bring us back to the situation of the global riots of 2008 and the riots of 2010.

Figure 2-Trend of social unrest in Middle Eastern and African countries and its relation to the trend of changes in the food price index

Of course, the countries where riots have occurred are different, but they are all considered poor countries, and the people in these countries spend a large percentage of their household income on buying food. This issue makes them vulnerable to food inflation. However, the main problem in these countries is the low production of small-scale farmers.

For example, in Algeria, the average agricultural production is only 2 tons per hectare. Compare this with the average production in France, which is more than 7 tons per hectare. This gap in yield is not due to climate or soil. In some products such as grapes, onions, potatoes, olives, and citrus fruits, the produce grown in Algeria is on par with or better than its French counterparts. It seems that Algeria and other African countries should move in this direction, to guide their farmers towards the use of technology through regulatory solutions and commercial leverage. But in a country where 53% of household income is spent on buying food, does access to production facilities make sense?

In Mozambique, which has experienced violent riots simultaneously with the recent food crisis, according to FAO statistics, 46% of the country's area is suitable for cultivation, but only 14% of this area is utilized. In rural areas where agricultural production is less than one ton per acre, farming families are also among the consumers of food products.

In developing countries, the ground for applying technology to increase production has been prepared for years, however, today's discussion in global agriculture is not focused on improving agricultural production, politicians are discussing less important issues, and the development of agricultural technology is receiving very little attention. Very critical topics require more of our attention, and the global instability of the food market remains. Along with the growth of the global appetite, production is declining, therefore, it is necessary to take action. In this regard, particular attention to improving sustainable agricultural production becomes important.

In summary, small-scale farmers are responsible for providing food for one-third of the world's population, a demographic that is more vulnerable than others. The international community needs to enhance the productivity of these smallholders and transform them into commercial enterprise owners.

The key term here is the commercial enterprise. This means enabling them to build profitable and sustainable commercial enterprises from their farms. A set of initial measures must be implemented, which, by bringing small-scale farmers together, would grant them access to new technologies and, on the other hand, provide new economic mechanisms for securing capital and reducing risk. Issues related to insurance, support chains, risk management, and technologies adapted to local markets are other topics that must be addressed.

Thus, when these farmers achieve sufficient income, they can invest in the education and health of their children, which in turn allows them to expand their businesses, and ultimately contribute to the progress and development of their nation. Governments, non-governmental organizations, and members of the academic community at universities and research institutions each have a special role to play in this regard.

Additionally, integrating small-scale farm owners into global markets will be crucial. The international community must fulfill its role in supporting agricultural development and opening global markets to products that can serve as a new source for the hungry world. Investing in small-scale farmers is more than a humanitarian imperative. It is a necessity for global security and represents an opportunity to transform an ancient, unstable resource into an engine for achieving success and peace.