Launch of SOFA 2022 Statement
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
02/11/2022
Launch of SOFA 2022
Statement
By
Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
2 November 2022
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Esteemed Congresswoman Cheryl Lea Bustos,
Dear Colleagues,
1. I am pleased to launch the 2022 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture Report - SOFA.
2. This FAO flagship report provides an opportunity to discuss the potential of, and the necessary conditions for, agricultural automation in the future.
3. Effective agricultural automation can enhance the productivity and sustainability of our agrifood systems.
4. Over the years, we have witnessed agriculture undergo profound technological change at an accelerating pace.
5. Automation and mechanization have increased labour productivity and profitability in crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and forestry.
6. It has improved working conditions for agricultural workers, reduced food losses, and improved product quality and safety.
7. With recent advances, automation also has the potential to bring important benefits in environmental sustainability, adaptation to climate change, and generate entrepreneurship opportunities in rural areas, attracting youth back to agriculture and rural sectors.
8. However, as with any technological change, agricultural automation could lead to re-modelling of agrifood systems, which requires understanding the necessary conditions to make it inclusive and to minimize any potential trade-offs.
9. For example, displacement of labour can occur and highly skilled labourers may be in more demand than ordinary workers.
10. With such labour market adjustments, and large producers often having easier access to automation, inequalities may deepen if new jobs were not be created.
11. But the SOFA report shows how such inequalities can be avoided.
12. Agricultural automation is part of a larger process, and supply chain.
13. It is not only the production side of automation, but it cover the whole supply chain from the field to the table.
14. Without automation agricultural labourers are restricted to a future of low productivity and poor returns for their labour, and less competitive with other sectors.
15. Which is not conducive to eradicating poverty, hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.
Dear Colleagues,
16. I grew up in a rice-farming family in the countryside in China.
17. When I was a child, I prepared the field to plant and harvest the rice all by hand – it was harsh. Now this is all done by automation and machines.
18. Agricultural automation played an important part in improving livelihoods in rural areas of China.
19. As elsewhere in the world, agricultural automation in China was part of the broader process of development and rural transformation.
20. It is the process of automation that is key - it must be inclusive and promote sustainability.
21. Automation is not all only about big tractors and big machines, it also includes small-scale machines and digital solutions.
22. That’s why e-commerce, which I have promoted for many years, assists farmers through the whole process all the way to distribution in the cities.
23. The SOFA reports sets out FAO’s concept of responsible technological change to make agricultural automation a success.
24. What does this entail?
25. First, automation must offer opportunities for all, from small-scale producers to large commercial farms. We need automation with scale neutrality.
26. It should also address the needs of marginalized groups such as women, youth and persons with disabilities.
27. Nowadays, it is possible for the approximately 10% of the disabled labour force in the rural areas to participate in the work.
28. Barriers to adoption need to be overcome and this requires investments in infrastructure for transport, energy and connectivity, especially broadband.
29. Building digital skills through education and training is also critical.
30. Public and private sectors need to invest in capacities, and for this reason FAO is working with partners globally to develop rural digital inclusion initiatives on the ground.
31. Second, automation solutions need to be adapted to local contexts and to individual needs of producers.
32. For example, in a context where the majority are small-scale producers, institutional mechanisms such as shared services make automation more accessible.
33. And you can link with third-parties to assist with the processing and marketing.
34. Automation should also consider biophysical, topographic, climatic and socioeconomic conditions.
35. For example, small machinery and even hand-held equipment can lead to substantial benefits for small-scale producers on hilly terrain.
36. Because many countries has 60% to 70% of their arable land on hilly terrain.
37. And Third, agricultural automation must contribute to more sustainable and resilient agriculture.
38. We cannot address negative impacts without tailoring mechanization to smaller and lighter machinery.
39. Digitalization and robotics that facilitate precision agriculture are solutions compatible with environmental sustainability.
40. SOFA looks in detail at these issues and proposes ways forward to adopt agricultural transformation in different country and local settings.
41. It sets out FAO’s vision on agricultural automation, which is fully aligned with the FAO Strategic Framework, as well as the new FAO Science and Innovation Strategy.
42. Agricultural automation and mechanization is an integral part of innovation in agriculture.
43. We need to ensure that the findings of SOFA 2022 on automation translate into concrete actions on the ground to accelerate transformation of our agrifood systems to make them more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable,
44. To achieve our common goal of the 4 Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.
45. I thank you.