BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 13. At least an additional $30 million per year is required for global rural development in a long-run, Alvaro Lario, President of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), said, Trend reports.
According to the president,there is an urgent need to invest at speed and scale in long-term rural development to prevent recurring food crises and end hunger and poverty.
"We cannot continue to go from food crisis to food crisis. We should not have to see countries experiencing acute food insecurity over and over again. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. We must take immediate and concrete actions to strengthen our failing food systems - this requires strong commitment and bold investment," Lario said.
As he noted, only long-term investments in rural economies can provide long-lasting solutions to hunger, under-nutrition and poverty.
"This is what will enable small-scale farmers to increase local production, better adapt to climate change, build short and local food chains, build and sustain local markets and commercial opportunities, and create small rural businesses. This approach makes a lot of economic sense," the IFAD President said.
In the years to come, extreme weather events will likely increase in frequency and magnitude, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Global food systems are at increased risk of disruption, with potential supply shortages and price hikes.
As the world becomes more fragile, building food sovereignty and security by strengthening local resilience, ensuring local production and well-functioning markets will become increasingly vital. Part of the solution also lies in supporting indigenous cropping systems, agro-ecology and reducing food waste and loss which represents about one third of the food produced today.
"We should not wait another minute to invest in rural areas. With climate change accelerating, we have a very narrow window of opportunity to help rural populations adapt, and continue to produce the food that they and their communities need to survive - which in turn is key to global health and stability," Lario said.