THE countries of the Americas took a fundamental step towards defining the convergent messages that will be presented to the rest of the world at the 2021 Food Systems Summit convened by the UN, after representatives of the governments of the hemisphere agreed to bring agriculture and farmers, the guarantors of global food and nutritional security, to the forefront.

Consensus was reached after an intense session organised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in which more than 70 experts and officials from the different countries participated, and which closed a cycle of three Virtual Dialogues in Support of the Summit.

The participants agreed that it is essential to ensure that the voice of the countries of the Americas is heard at the global meeting. The region is not only the world’s breadbasket but also the backbone of environmental conservation, due to the exceptional richness of its ecosystems and its biodiversity.

During this third dialogue, government representatives shared the conclusions reached in their respective national dialogues and exchanged opinions on what the priorities should be in the region’s proposals.

“The summit constitutes a unique opportunity for the countries of the Americas to develop a joint vision. These dialogues have allowed us to discover that we have differences, but also common ideas. It is important to offer a counter-narrative to those who want to impose on us our choices of food,” said Cathy McKinnell, Senior Adviser at the Foreign Agricultural Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

For his part, Fernando Zelner, Special Adviser at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply of Brazil, highlighted that “much progress has been made in these dialogues and the set of messages is very strong and solid. We have managed to establish common points even though our hemisphere is very diverse: the messages reflect the positions of both large food exporters, such as Brazil and Argentina, as well as the small island countries of the Caribbean. We are supported by one billion people who inhabit the Americas”.
WATER
Ariel Martínez, Undersecretary of Political Coordination of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Argentina, considered that “in addition to strengthening soil protection, which we consider paramount, we must pay special attention to the question of water, which is precisely what sustains soil health. Both are central to agriculture.” The official also congratulated IICA and “our fellow countries for the work they have done to prepare these messages, which are not only fitting in terms of their content, but also ensure that the region reaches the summit with great political force.”

IICA has also recently organised numerous debates and preparatory activities for the summit, with different actors from production chains. These events proved useful to strengthen consensus on which actions are necessary to improve the sustainability of agrifood systems.

The institute defined three general principles in preparation for the summit: agricultural producers must be duly represented; decisions and policies adopted must be based on science; and agriculture is part of the solution to the main challenges facing humanity.

Based on these principles, key messages were drafted that were modified according to contributions received during the in-depth discussion process, and were grouped into four categories: transformation of agrifood systems; consumer demand and nutritional aspects; production strategies and environmental issues; and the role of the Americas.

The Peruvian delegation pointed out that “without agricultural production, there are no raw materials that can be transformed into food and, therefore, food security is put at serious risk”. Carlos De los Ríos, Adviser at the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, said that in Peru “family farming is very important for nutritional quality” and added that his country “is characterised by agrodiversity”.

The role of the State in educating consumers on the qualities, advantages and disadvantages of different foods was also underscored as a key issue by Santiago Argüello, General Director for the Promotion of Agriculture at the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development of Mexico: “Labelling the products is key; the State must be proactive so that the consumer can make the best decision.”

For her part, Angélica Cedeño, Head of Legal Affairs at the Office of Agricultural Trade Agreements (OTCA) of the Dominican Republic, mentioned that in her country, 12 dialogues were held with the public and private sectors, where “much emphasis was placed on food security and protecting farmers, including from natural disasters”. Cedeño awarded special importance to the message focussing on the vulnerability of Caribbean nations.

The need to call attention to the fundamental role of soil and water in agriculture and food production was highlighted by Alejandro Pineda, from the Directorate of Water and Soil of the Nicaraguan Ministry of Agriculture.

CLIMATE CHANGE 

“Climate change poses a challenge for us now, as it will in the future. It is good to talk about the resilience of food systems and it is important to focus on adaptation, as there are many changes in terms of pests, diseases and droughts,” cautioned Miriam Bueno, Technical Food Safety Director at the National Service of Agrifood Health and Safety (SENASA) of Honduras.

Saúl Campos, from the Vice Ministry of Food and Nutritional Security of Guatemala, pointed out the need to include “the concept of integrated management of renewable natural resources, mainly the management of hydrographic basins and the education of the population of vulnerable areas, in order to mitigate soil and forest degradation”.

Based on the contributions and suggestions of the representatives of its thirty-four Member States, IICA’s Executive Committee — made up of representatives from a dozen nations– will define the final version of the document at its meeting scheduled for 28 and 29 June.

The Food Systems Pre-Summit will be held between 26 and 28 July in Rome, with the participation of IICA, which is part of the Summit Champions Network, and is made up of a group of individuals and organisations committed to fulfilling its objectives. The Institute will be representing the agricultural and rural sectors of North America, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The 2021 Food Systems Summit was convened by UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in order to establish global commitments and measures to transform food systems, in a way that guides the world towards the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to bring peace and prosperity to the world’s population. (IICA)