G20 agricultural, mixed results, report

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G20 agricultural, mixed results, report




by Christophe » 29/06/11, 14:22

We waited a lot to fight against the abuses of the financial world on that of food (see the last issue of Pièces à Conviction: https://www.econologie.com/forums/pac-le-bus ... 10874.html ), rather mixed results, small report:

G20 agriculture: mixed decisions

The first agricultural G20 was eagerly awaited at a time when commodity prices are starting to soar again. If a first agreement was reached, it did not call into question the agricultural policies of the States.


Nicolas Sarkozy had made it the workhorse of the French presidency of the G20. The first world agricultural summit of its kind was therefore held in Paris on June 22 and 23. The icing on the cake, it led to an agreement, congratulated among others by Jacques Diouf, the director general of the FAO. A great first in the agricultural sector. But for a number of organizations, this does not correspond to the paradigm shift they hoped for. "There was an awareness in the words but now we have to go beyond, concretely", underlines Jeanne-Maureen Jorand, food and agriculture project manager at CCFD-Terre Solidaire. For Via Campesina, which has opposed the holding of this summit from the start, the observation is more clear-cut: “the action plan presented is faithful to what we expected: lots of talk. This agricultural G20 - which includes only one African country - is not legitimate to change the system, "protests Josie Riffaud, European delegate to the international coordination committee of the peasant movement.

A sector increasingly subject to market laws

This summit, which brought together the twenty largest agricultural powers on the planet, alone representing 85% of world production, was however much awaited in a context more than tense. At the start of 2011, the FAO Food Price Index hit record highs surpassing the 2008 peak. Wheat prices soared 60-80% between July and December 2010 largely due to the drought in Russia. With dramatic repercussions on the poor. In 2010, the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) estimated that 925 million people in the world are suffering from hunger. The World Bank estimates that 44 million people fell below the poverty line in the second half of 2010 due to the increase in food prices.

The two successive crises of 2008 and 2011 highlight the recurring problem of price volatility, a multifactorial issue. Climate variations, speculation and the production of agrofuels are among other things pointed out. France had therefore prepared an ambitious action program in five key points which have been dealt with in various ways.

"Agricultural production and productivity"

The observation is quite simple: the planet should have 9 billion people by 2050. For G20 leaders, this means that the level of agricultural production will have to be increased by 70%. However, for Oliver de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, it is not all that simple "Starting from the misdiagnosis linking hunger to a simple lack of food on a global level, governments limit themselves for years increasing agricultural production by industrial means. " The leaders seem to have understood this since they have acted the implementation of a “wide range of actions” aiming both to boost agricultural research but also to improve access to resources (land, water) for farmers in developing countries and to promote the diversification of agriculture to alleviate crisis situations.
However, vigilance remains essential for NGOs. "For them, it comes down to making the land more productive but not promoting peasant farming," regrets Josie Riffaud. "Saying you have to produce more can be dangerous. Yes, it is necessary in Africa or in South America, but certainly not in Europe or in the USA where there is a risk of favoring a system of exports from North to South ”, underlines Jeanne-Maureen Jorand for her part.

"Market information and transparency"

If speculation operates in such a dramatic way, it is also because the agricultural markets remain opaque. At present, there is no tool allowing an exact knowledge in real time of the production, consumption and storage of raw materials. The meeting therefore set up the creation of an AMIS tool (Agricultural Market Information System) providing for the pooling of all this data (from governments but also from companies) in order to improve the visibility of the markets. A big step forward for the ministers because China and India have so far remained opposed to this principle. For Oxfam, the measure is still too timid. "The ministers did not go so far as to require the large agrifood companies - which dominate the food trade - to disclose information on the stocks they hold. "

"International political coordination"

The hunger riots of 2008 highlighted the need for governments to act quickly and in an organized manner to prevent this kind of crisis. G20 ministers therefore announced the creation of a " forum rapid reaction ”which would coordinate market policies. In this chapter, the subject of agrofuels and their adjustment in the event of a crisis has been partly avoided. Members recognize the need to analyze the links with price volatility and food availability but without questioning current policies. “A report from international organizations (FAO, World Bank) however already clearly mentions the role of agrofuels on price volatility. It was to be used as a basis for negotiations but was not considered, ”laments Jeanne-Maureen Jorand.

"Reducing the effects of price volatility on the most vulnerable"

On price volatility, the G20 has remained fairly elusive because a certain number of countries such as Brazil, the United States and Argentina refuse to create regulatory stocks which they deem contrary to the law of the market. Nevertheless, an agreement seems to have been reached to increase emergency food reserves. “We have gone from the idea of“ emergency stocks ”to“ pilot projects on these emergency stocks ”to“ a feasibility study on pilot projects ”. Concretely, there is absolutely nothing left when it was a strong commitment ”, deplores Jeanne-Maureen Jorand. The ministers nevertheless recommended the establishment of insurance systems. But "without action to regulate and increase the transparency of futures and global commodities markets, the proposed measures will probably benefit the financial institutions that provide the insurance more than the food-insecure countries that buy them," says Oxfam. .

"Financial regulation"

On the regulation of the financial markets, the ministers did not go very far to the dismay of the NGOs. This point, which appears to them as a priority to counter price volatility, was delegated to the G20 finance ministers who are due to meet next July. “Nothing concrete emerges on this point which was however one of the flagship subjects of this summit. We hope a lot from the G20 Finance but we don't even know if the question will be dealt with given the busy program ahead, ”warns the CCFD-Terre solidaire. Response in July.


Source: http://www.novethic.fr/novethic/ecologi ... 134323.jsp
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