Global food security at risk: Over 350 mn family farmers warn world leaders

The letter says that "building a food system that can feed the world on a hot planet" must be a priority for COP27.

Organisations representing more than 350 million family farmers and producers published an open letter to world leaders on Monday, warning that global food security is at risk unless governments boost adaptation finance for small-scale production and promote a shift to more diverse, low-input agriculture.

The UN Climate Summit (COP27) began in Egypt with 90 heads of state meeting to discuss food security and climate finance.

Over 70 networks and organisations representing farmers, fishers, pastoralists, and forest producers have signed the letter including the World Rural Forum which represents 35 million family farmers across five continents, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa which represents 200 million small-scale producers on the continent, the Asian Farmers' Association for Sustainable Development with 13 million members, and Coordinadora de Mujeres Lideres Territoriales de Mesoamerica in Latin America.

National organisations from Jordan to the UK and India have also signed.

The letter warns that the "global food system is ill-equipped to deal with the impacts of climate change, even if we limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius" and says, "building a food system that can feed the world on a hot planet" must be a priority for COP27.

Small-scale producers are critical for global food security, producing as much as 80 per cent of the food consumed in regions such as Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet they accounted for only 1.7 per cent of climate finance flows in 2018 -- just $10 billion compared to the estimated $240 billion a year needed to help them adapt to climate change.

Progress on finance is key to success at COP27. At the Glasgow climate summit in 2021 wealthy nations agreed to double overall funding for adaptation to $40 billion a year by 2025 -- still only a fraction of what is required.

Elizabeth Nsimadala, President of Eastern Africa Farmers Federation, which represents 25 million food producers and is a signatory to the letter, said: "The producers in our networks feed millions of people and support hundreds of thousands of jobs but they have reached a breaking point.

"There needs to be a massive boost in climate finance to ensure small-scale producers have the information, resources and training necessary to continue feeding the world for generations to come."

COP27 is taking place in the middle of a global food price crisis. While there is not yet a global food shortage, extreme drought, floods and heat has damaged harvests across the globe and scientists have warned of an increased risk of simultaneous crop failures in the world's major breadbaskets.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said a shift to more diverse, low-input food systems is key to maintaining food security in a changing climate.

Ma Estrella Penunia, Secretary General of the Asian Farmers' Association for Sustainable Rural Development which represents 13 million farmers across Asia, said: "$611 billion is spent subsidising food production every year -- much of it on industrial, chemical-intensive agriculture that is harmful to people and the environment. This can't continue.

"Leaders must listen to farmers and put their political weight and financial muscle behind a shift to more diverse, sustainable and empowering food production, especially agroecological farming, fishing, forestry, herding and pastoralism."

Food and agriculture are largely overlooked in climate negotiations despite being responsible for 34 per cent of emissions, the majority of which come from industrial agriculture.

The signatories call on governments to work with them to build a stronger, more sustainable, and fairer food system.

Laura Lorenzo, Director of the World Rural Forum, said: "Food and agriculture have been sidelined in climate negotiations and the concerns of small-holder producers ignored. Small-scale family farmers need a seat at the table and a say in the decisions that affect us -- from secure access to land and tenure, to accessing finance -- if we are to rebuild our broken food system."

--IANS

vg/sha