To the change of the global governance of food

The appearance, at the same time, of the financial crisis, the food crisis and the global warming is not accidental. They are really deep communication between these phenomena and their synchrony reveals the outdated model of development at the global level.

Indeed, the rise in food prices in 2007 and first half 2008 due to the increase in demand from several countries for the development of agro-fuels, and the shift in demand from countries like China and India, but, above all, due to speculation on the stock exchanges of New York, London, Tokyo and Paris on food prices based on the control of the food supply of the next three years.

The impacts of this phenomenon did not wait. The increase of hunger in developing countries was at the base of the protests against food shortages, especially in Africa. According to FAO and WFP in late 2008 famine struck more than a billion people worldwide, against the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, which had proposed reducing the number of hungry by half for 2015.

This poses a global regulation on production, processing, marketing, distribution and consumption of food. Different social and institutional actors at various levels of government have expressed their points of view, some to suggest more of the same and, most, to propose changes in food policies.

Europe has planned the change of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, for 2013. There are officials of the European Commission that focus its attention on issues like direct payments and rural development, but civil society and the new Commissioner for Agriculture, romanian Dacian Ciolos has shown sensitivity to family farming and the desire to reconsider the theme of the food market globally. The European Parliament, especially the Committee on Agriculture in which participates José Bové as Vice-president, agrees with the proposals being developed in organizations of small producers, NGDOs, on different platforms by a CAP, and is willing to review thoroughly the food market between Europe and the other continents and the incentives for food production in the old continent and in other regions.

In Latin America the issue of malnutrition has been traditionally related to poverty and has received compensation policies to structural adjustment measures that have not solved the underlying problem: hunger rooted in the unequal distribution of factors production. In contrast, the new food policies are underpinned by the right to food security and food sovereignty, as objective and obligation of the State. These are intersectoral and supra-ministerial policies which promotes family agriculture and grassroots economies through public purchases but also through the democratization of production factors, land, water, credit, technical services and educational policies of a new kind.

In this context the social organizations of Latin America and the world raised, on the occasion of World Food Summit held in Rome in late 2009, the idea of a campaign for family farming through the declaration, by the United Nations, of the International Year of the Family Agriculture (familyfarmingcampaign.net)  with the aim of showing that more than a production system is a living model, a model of good living, create jobs, income, food quality and conducts its activities in harmony with nature.

These proposal to redefine food policies also have resonated with national parliaments, some of which have formed Parliamentary front against hunger, FPH, inspired by the right to food security and food sovereignty. This initiative supported by FAO, particularly by the ALCSH project, has led to the Latin American FPH that is carring out its first forum these days in the city of Sao Paulo.

The relations between Latin America and Europe have had ups and downs in terms of proposed agreements and treaties between the two regions. The new conjuncture of the two continents shows that there are requirements for opening new dialogues and deepen. Interparliamentary meeting in Brussels (late March) and Eurolat meeting  (Sevilla, 14 May) has planned to deal with public safety issues and climate change, but should be included on the agenda of these and future meetings between the two regions the issue of food policies in order to push the change of the global governance of food. Likewise it would be desirable to include this item on the agenda of the Sixth Summit of Presidents to be held in Madrid on 18 and 19 May.

Sao Paulo, March 3, 2010

Fernando Rosero Garcés, Sociologist. CAFOLIS