المنتدى العالمي المعني بالأمن الغذائي والتغذية

My name is Jean Balié, I am an Economist with the Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA) in FAO and at present, I’m working on a new project, called Monitoring African Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) jointly implemented by FAO and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The aim of the project is to facilitate policy dialogue based on a sound and analytical monitoring system to promote more informed decision-making at the national, regional and international levels.

With different partners, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) is committed to the World Urban Forum V (WUF V). The WUF V will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 22 to 26 March. Its theme is: “The Right to the City, Bridging the Urban Divide”. Food and agriculture issues are at stake as they are a growing concern as well as a part of the solution.

Reaching the goal to feed a growing world population is threatened by an important lack of investment in agriculture and a decreasing Official Development Assistance (ODA) in agriculture. To tackle this issue, Innovative Financing Mechanisms (IFMs) are being discussed as a means to complement ODA without replacing it to provide reliable and predictable financing for development and specifically for agriculture and food security and nutrition, especially by catalyzing and encouraging new projects.

FAO and WFP are in the process of each developing a Corporate Strategy on Information Systems for Food and Nutrition Security and will also work together on a Joint Strategy. These activities are based on the recommendations of the “Joint Thematic Evaluation of FAO and WFP Support to Information Systems for Food Security (ISFS)” and FAO and WFP management responses.

Confusion and lack of consensus still exist over conceptualising and dealing with the problems of Food Security. Many stakeholders may lack a fundamental understanding of the complex interplay and multi-dimensionality of factors due to food security’s complex nature and its cross-sectoral roots. This complexity is both the cause of much misunderstanding and the barrier to any real consensual solution. How can we improve this situation and what role do Food Security frameworks play?