Wednesday, 5 September

Participants convened in the morning to continue considering economic forces affecting food security. Topics covered included: the role of the World Trade Organization in making globalization work for developing countries; methods to make globalization benefit the poor; impacts on food security of industrialized countries’ agricultural policies; and an EU perspective on broad-based economic growth and food security. In the afternoon, participants examined technological and environmental forces, including the future of agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the impact of climate change, food production technologies, and water issues. Participants also considered relevant sociopolitical forces, focusing on food insecurity as a symptom of poverty.

Supachai Panitchpakdi

Supachai Panitchpakdi, Designate Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, said globalization can bring benefits but also risks. He raised the possibility that the damage caused by the Asian crisis of 1997-98 could be repeated elsewhere, and urged global preparedness to address such risks. On trade, he supported changes at the WTO to improve the preparation and participation of developing countries. He said the next trade round should address issues of importance for developing countries, including making concessions on anti-dumping measures, textiles and agriculture, particularly with regard to tariff and subsidy reductions, and greater transparency.

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Eugenio Díaz-Bonilla

Isher Judge Ahluwalia

Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Director and Chief Executive of the Indian Council for Research on International and Economic Relations, highlighted the trade, investment and technology transfer opportunities offered by globalization, identifying problems and possible barriers.

Eleni Gabre-Madhin, Master of Ceremonies

Chee Yoke Ling

Chee Yoke Ling, Legal Advisor, Third World Network, drew attention to two conflicting paradigms: that of sustainable development to promote increased cooperation and collaboration, and that of free market access and trade that promote protectionism. Stating that current trade rules are biased against the poor, she advocated trade policy reform. She opposed further extension of WTO rules into areas that do not relate directly to trade, and called for revision of the IMF conditionalities.

Alex McCalla, Professor Emeritus in Agricultural Economics at University of California at Davis, argued that agriculture should drive developing countries’ export-led growth, but noted that this is constrained by developed country protectionism. He stressed the difficulty of attracting investment in agricultural productivity in countries with rapid population growth and low food prices. He expressed pessimism about the prospects for reduced developed country protectionism given the delays in the new trade round and the renewed calls for subsidies within the US and EU.

Alex McCalla

Robbin Johnson

Robert  Thompson

Robert Thompson, Director of the World Bank�s Rural Development Department, highlighted problems for farmers in developing countries caused by OECD rules and said upcoming WTO negotiations should reduce subsidies and protectionism. He expressed concern that support to agriculture has �fallen off the donor agenda,� and drew attention to more pro-poor measures in the World Bank�s current review of its rural development strategies.

Poul Nielson

Poul Nielson, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, labeled food security a �moral imperative.� He outlined the European Commission�s approach and policies on achieving food security, which it views as an integral part of poverty reduction. He noted progress on linking the EU�s trade and development policies, and highlighted the benefits of its �Everything But Arms� initiative and the Cotonou trade agreement, as well as support for a new WTO round emphasizing developing countries� interests. He said the EU�s food aid policy had also evolved and become more sophisticated. He also noted reductions in EU export subsidies.

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A participant in the Question and Answer session

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Win Simei, Professor at the Institute of Economic Development at South China Agricultural University, introduced the session, reflecting on personal experiences with food insecurity. He urged speakers to provide possible solutions.

Wen Simei

Ashok Gulati

Ashok Gulati, Director of IFPRI�s Markets and Structural Studies Division, described challenges facing farmers in South Asia, where 2% of the global income supports 20% of its people. Challenges include small landholdings, population growth, globalization, rapid economic growth and rising water scarcity.  He urged opening of land markets, water pricing reforms, credit provision, investment in research and infrastructure, and liberalization of trade in rice, milk and sugar.

Clare Short

Clare Short, Secretary of State for International Development, United Kingdom, stated that most people living in poverty are not self-sufficient in food production and need money to purchase food, and argued that focusing on agricultural production alone does not offer a solution to poverty or hunger. She highlighted development of national poverty reduction strategies as a way to incorporate food security strategies into wider goals. She also supported the �sustainable livelihoods approach� in poverty reduction, and noted inadequacies in a purely sectoral approach. She said food aid should be a �last resort� and suggested that it be untied. She also supported the Paris 21 initiative as a means to identify groups where hunger is leading to deepening chronic poverty.

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Using a digital instant voting system, conference participants expressed their views on a number of issues. Polling results indicated: a lack of consensus on whether there would be more food insecurity and poverty in 2020 in rural areas (36%) or urban areas (35%); strong support (80%) for the proposal that small scale agriculture offers the best route to food security in the poorest countries; and clear divisions on whether genetic modification of staple crops for the poor in developing countries was a �good thing� (40%), a �bad thing� (33%), or "doesn�t matter" (27%).

An example of the digital voting system