In an official document released on May 5, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) contends that the time has come for the countries of the Americas to review their food security policies and take the necessary steps to design appropriate policies to make agricultural production a priority on the national development agendas.

The Institute is forwarding the document to the Ministers of Agriculture in the hemisphere, strategic partners and representatives of the private sector and civil society. It is doing so at a time when its 34 Representatives in Member States are being asked to redouble their efforts to support governments endeavoring to shape policies to protect the most vulnerable in society from the impact of rising food prices and to stimulate output to face demand.

In the opinion of the Director General of IICA, Chelston Brathwaite, those countries that are “net exporters” of food products are benefiting from the high prices, while “net importers” are feeling the negative impact and seeing their food import bill increase.

In general, families, especially, “net consumers”, even those involved in agriculture, also feel the negative effects, when increases in their income or earnings from the sale of products do not offset higher food costs.

Biofuels and reasons for the crisis

IICA recognizes that food prices and food supply are not determined by any single factor and points to four basic reasons for the current crisis: increased demand for agricultural products as feedstock for bio-fuel production; droughts in Australia and low crop output in Europe; increased demand for meat protein and cereals, especially in China and India; and the increased cost of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides as a result of increased oil prices.

While there are those who hold that the food crisis can be attributed to bio-fuels production, Brathwaite feels that agro-energy can contribute to the world energy supply without being a threat to food security, if we use non-cereal resources such as sugarcane, oil palm, cellulosic biomass, agricultural waste and Jatropha (popularly known as Barbados nut), among others, for the production of biofuels.

The Institute maintains that the debate over “food versus fuel” will be less controversial as national governments and their private-sector partners become engaged in developing national agro-energy and bio-fuel policies as well as regulatory frameworks that are based on scientific knowledge and sound economic policies.  

National Strategies

In the face of the food crisis, IICA announced that it will work closely with national authorities in its 34 Member States to analyze, develop and implement national agricultural strategies that are in tune with the new international context, and programs aimed at taking advantage of the opportunity provided by higher agricultural prices to promote production and lessen the negative impact that such prices may have on certain territories or population groups in rural areas.

At this time, it is important to identify those population groups, especially in rural areas, whose food security is threatened and those agrifood chains affected by increases in their production costs and a decline in their competitiveness.

Here, IICA would draw on its experience working in rural areas and in value chains to identify and design production and food programs.

IICA’s contribution will be based on its 2006-2010 Medium-Term Plan, which calls for work on major issues such as trade and agribusiness; agro-energy; agricultural health and food safety; biotechnology; agricultural insurance; agro-tourism; rural agroindustry; and organic agriculture.

“We are of the firm belief” Brathwaite said, that “work in these areas, together with the implementation of sound national policies, will help our countries modernize their agricultural sectors and confront the challenges associated with rising food prices and food scarcity in our Member States.”

He further announced that in July next, an international workshop on “Agriculture and Food Security as an Instrument for Integral Development” will be held in Costa Rica.

“At this time when we face the enormous challenge of food security, our Institute is prepared to support our countries by providing knowledge and information” and prepare agricultural development projects aimed at improving the situation with respect to food security, concluded Brathwaite.