SAMOA

The Honourable Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Independent State of Western Samoa

It is an honour and a privilege to address this important and historic gathering on the state of the world's food supply and its security. I wish to thank the Director-General and FAO for their vision in drawing the attention of the world to the problems and issues we face of the most basic of human needs. I also wish to thank the Government of Italy for the kind hospitality extended to us. The city of Rome, to my mind, with its profound history and as the site where many of the major contributions to the advancement of human civilization were made, remains a very appropriate background for the significant attempt we have embarked upon to try and conquer hunger.

While many of us attending this Summit are enjoying the plentiful bounty of everything we need and can eat, the same tragically cannot be said of many of our fellow human beings in numerous parts of the world where hunger and trying to stay alive are a constant struggle. The pitiful sight provided by the media of starving men, women and especially children trying to share limited relief food supplies is the stark reminder to us all of the importance of the task before us in taking immediate global action to address the problems of food shortages and food security that still plague many communities and people. Obviously individual countries face different conditions, giving rise to specific problems to do with food supplies and their security that they must contend with.

For my country, our very small islands and remoteness from large metropolitan centres are the geographical constraints which constantly work against our efforts to achieve sustainable food security. Like other small island states, the fact of the sizes of our countries make us particularly prone to natural disasters such as cyclones or hurricanes which when they hit leave no place untouched. My country's agriculture and forestry were destroyed by such cyclones in 1990 and 1991. These were major setbacks for us and food was an emergency requirement which was thankfully eased by relief supplies from donor nations as well as the World Food Programme. Because no part of our small island nation was spared the devastation, we had to pull ourselves together quickly and lay down and implement plans to recover our food production within the shortest period of time possible. Our experience is with cyclones, and the setback forced on us by climatic disasters demonstrated clearly in our minds the fact that in an overall effort to address food supplies and security we must also address a key factor - severe climatic conditions - which, as we know only too well, can turn all our efforts in agriculture to naught. It is now an established fact that greenhouse gas emissions are changing our climate for the worse, and in the particular context of safeguarding our food production and its security, I would again underscore the importance of all nations, particularly the industrialized countries acting and at least meeting their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the framework of the United Nations Climate Convention.

The increased depletion of the ozone layer, leading to abnormal saturation levels of ultraviolet radiation, causes harmful effects on plant and animal tissue. We constantly see advertisements in the industrialized countries warning against staying out in the sun for more than 15 or so minutes, usually on the beach, unless all exposed parts are liberally covered with sun screen lotion. Our poor farmers cannot afford to apply sun screen lotion day in and day out and, if they are going to achieve any production results, they must stay in the sun much much longer. While the illustration is presented lightheartedly, I think the danger is real with substantial costs in production losses not to count the medical bill of treating skin cancers.

Quite clearly, we must manage our environment and urgently address the factors addressing climatic conditions if there is to be any hope of a long-term sustainable solution to food production and food security. Otherwise if cyclones become a regular dark visitor to our small island states, then I am afraid food security without the constant help of the donor community is an unattainable goal. Indeed the whole viability of our society would be in question. Western Samoa is already implementing commitments made at the various world conferences on the environment, but what is clearly needed is a concerted effort by all nations.

I have spoken at some length on the impact of the environment on agriculture and the resultant specific dire problems small island states face if severe climatic conditions prevail, but there are also other major problems we face in the form of agricultural pests. In 1993, when our food production recovery programme following the 1991 cyclone was making good progress, a particularly violent fungal blight, thereto unknown to our shores, completely destroyed our main staple food and cash crop. Decisively such was the effect on our economy, it also altered the components of the normal diet of the local population. To counter this major blow to our food supplies we have since pursued an aggressive programme to diversify our food and cash crops but, as agriculturists know only too well, crop diversification requires considerable commitments in resources for research, crop development, convincing farmers, and consumer acceptance both in local and export markets. For small nations, our own efforts to diversify can only be sustained to reach a successful crop mix of food and cash crops as well as adequate production levels with help from donors. The entry into Samoa of the dangerous agricultural blight also highlighted the importance of adequate quarantine measures, not just at the import entry point but at the export exit point as well.

In our view, international cooperation is the key and much work must be done to bring about the necessary level of awareness and cooperation by all concerned. The involvement of those countries with tested technology in quarantine measures and international agencies such as FAO is crucial to this process.

The remoteness of our location, as the introduction of the taro blight glaringly showed, has not insulated our country from agricultural pests nor other non-communicable diseases particularly diabetes related to high imports of saturated fats. We are taking steps to arrest the incidence of these diseases through our national Food and Nutrition Council. The assistance of the FAO, WHO and other donors have been indispensable in this area. While our remoteness has not insulated us from the ills suffered by many developing agricultural economies, it adds one other significant burden to our already stretched resources. This is the cost of transportation - it is a major constraint on our ability to sell our agricultural produce internationally and, on the other hand, make the cost of imports very expensive. The latter becomes particularly important in our attempt to access good quality imported foodstuffs to supplement our local foods. The disadvantage of distance on the competitiveness of our produce in overseas markets has required that we devote increasing levels of resources to export marketing and promotion. Commitment to viable export production of agricultural produce is without doubt the key to bolstering farmers' confidence and in the long run is the answer to internal food security.

We would therefore ask the industrialized and developed nations to try and understand the constraints and difficulties we face in export marketing and urge them to consider with a more open mind our request for access of produce into their markets.

As I had stated at the outset, conditions differ for each country in their efforts to achieve food production and food security. Obviously, in the final analysis each government must take responsibility for the food requirements of its people. Sustainable population control measures must be undertaken to contain rising human populations. Commitment to the environment and sustainable development must continue in order to safeguard our natural forests. Sustainable fishing practices to conserve scarce marine and fisheries resources must be observed, and the role of women in relation to food security for the family must also be recognized and advanced. There are also areas of clear commonalities between some countries and particularly nations of the same region. It would therefore seem to me that there is much to be said for regional cooperation to take advantage of the complementarities within the regions and economies of scale.

The World Food Summit Plan of Action, to be successful, requires the commitment and cooperation of all, the commitment of resources and political will. The Plan is only a beginning - after all, Rome was not built in a day.