At the conclusion of the 5th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit on Saturday, ministers from 80 countries from around the globe committed themselves to a resolute fight against hunger and called for investments in the agri-food sector to be significantly increased, particularly in developing countries.
In the final communiqué of the summit, the 80 participating countries – representing almost five billion people or 70 percent of the world’s population – emphasised the special importance of responsible public and private investment in agriculture. The summit’s initiator and chairwoman, Federal Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner, explained: "Hunger tends to prevail in rural areas and many of those affected are smallholder farmers. This is why we need to focus on agriculture – it is the key to solving the problem. Food should generally be produced where it is needed. Our goal is to make sustainable use of the world’s existing agricultural potential and to develop further reserves while at the same time ensuring optimal environmental and climate protection. This will require a significant increase of responsible investment in the agricultural sector. The decisive point here is that certain criteria are adhered to – the environment and climate must be protected, human rights and social standards must be respected. And all investments must be transparent."
At the conference in the Foreign Office, the participating countries (represented at government level) and international organisations (also with high-level representation) joined together in declaring that the required capital resources to develop a sustainable agri-food industry for global food security are substantial but nonetheless available. The emphasis is thus on guaranteeing the right conditions and instruments so that capital can be directed towards rural areas and put to effective use there while at the same responding to the needs of the local population. Essential prerequisites for this process are political stability and a commitment to give appropriate priority to agriculture. In this way, responsible investments can ultimately make an important contribution to social stability, conflict resolution and peace-keeping.
"Smallholder farmers are key in solving a whole range of food issues. If they are able to run successful operations, they not only produce urgently-needed food, but they also generate new jobs and added value in poorly developed regions", said Aigner. Smallholders, women and local communities are the main pillars of agricultural production in rural areas of developing countries. Yet they often lack the necessary capital, know-how and technology. On top of this, their legal position is frequently vulnerable. "This is why these groups have to be a principle focus of the strategy to improve responsible investments."
The final communiqué of the 5th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit was presented on Saturday by Federal Minister Aigner to the Chairman of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security, Mr. Yaya Olaniran. Aigner said: "We all agree that the fight against hunger needs to be tackled with greater resolve. The human right to food is not just a theory – it must be safeguarded in practice. The community of states, the private sector and civil society are called upon to support the elaboration of voluntary principles for responsible agricultural investment – particularly within the scope of the UN Committee on World Food Security – and to become actively involved in the process. With today’s summit, we have sent out an important signal here. Only by uniting our efforts can we hope to meet these global challenges."
The final communiqué of the 5th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit along with further information is available online at www.gffa-berlin.de
