Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Los medios de radiodifusión desempeñan un importante papel a la hora de difundir información sobre las novedades en tecnología y prácticas agrícolas al tiempo que buscan involucrar a los campesinos y demás partes implicadas en discusiones interactivas. John Cheburet, un periodista keniata productor de “El campesino orgánico” (The Organic Farmer) y ganador de un concurso de guiones en África sobre las novedades para agricultores a pequeña escala, ha traído el siguiente tema para un debate en el Foro FSN.

El proyecto RIGA utiliza datos de encuestas a nivel hogar para evaluar la importancia relativa y la naturaleza de las actividades generadoras de ingreso para informar a los responsables implicados en el diseño de los programas y políticas de desarrollo rural y agrícola. El proyecto pretende ayudar a la comunidad del desarrollo internacional a elaborar generalizaciones con base empírica sobre la economía rural e identificar  instrumentos normativos que promuevan las actividades no agrícolas junto a las agrícolas de forma que se facilite la mitigación de la pobreza.

La ayuda a los pequeños agricultores de países en desarrollo para participar en iniciativas de agronegocios en estas cadenas productivas plantea numerosos retos. Necesitan producir -y quizás elaborar- para clientes con más exigencias y expectativas sobre la calidad, cantidad y regularidad que las que están acostumbrados, o incluso son capaces de satisfacer. ¿Cómo pueden resultar exitosas estas iniciativas si los campesinos pueden carecer de las habilidades productivas, conocimiento de los mercados, o capital, pero disponen de la tierra, recursos naturales y motivación necesarios? ¿Qué experiencias (éxitos y fracasos) tienen los miembros del Foro FSN en ayudar a los pequeños agricultores a acceder a estos mercados?

How can we make the best use of agricultural technology to achieve food security? Is there still a role for older technologies and for traditional approaches? Or embracing industrial production systems should be the way forward? Peter Steele from FAO Cairo is raising this topic inviting members and anyone interested to share their views. At the background of the debate lies the African context, where the challenges and potentials are huge and where, unlike Asia, a green revolution, with its pros and cons, never took place.

Can Livestock Keepers' Rights help in improving food security of people living in marginal lands? Evidence of the importance of small-scale livestock production systems making use of uncultivable lands and crop is strong; should they be given prominence over commercial producers, producing large amounts of cheap animal protein based on imported breeds and imported feed?

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.

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.

UNDP Burundi is assisting the government with several initiatives that aim to create jobs for people in the rural areas. The key strategy that has been identified is adding value to agricultural products through agro-processing. A key step in the process is to have access to affordable packaging. Unfortunately there are no packaging facilities in Burundi.

Here you can find the outcomes of the online discussions n.41 to n.50.

The topics raised are the following:

• Seed Biodiversity
• Women and Climate Change
• Food, Agriculture and Cities
• Public Procurement of Agricultural Goods
• Agriculture Governance Systems
• The Food Chapter of the Sphere Handbook
• Land Grab
• How to Feed the World in 2050
• Recent Thinking on Rural Development
• Looking back to effective rural practices

Here you can find the outcomes of the online discussions n.31 to n.40.

The topics raised are the following:

• Food Security Component of the Sphere Handbook
• Food Safety Mechanisms
• Capabilities Approach
• Food Security in arid and semi-arid lands
• Food Security in the HIV/AIDS context
• Food Insecurity among the Urban Poor
• Food Security and Nutrition Security
• Cassava development
• Capacity building practices
• Population Dynamics