Q1) Small holder farmers can benefit from global value chains (GVC’s) in multiple ways. These benefits can include: income and employment, more market options for their products resulting in more sales and/or higher prices received for their products, improving their business through cost reductions, upskilling by training, capacity building etc. However, engagement in GVC’s does not automatically result in these aforementioned benefits for all small holder famers. In recent years we have witnessed increasing consumer-driven trends for purchasing ethical and socially responsible products. This demand has resulted in international buyers of primary products being motivated to demonstrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their buying practices. The effect of this is the increase in the number of GVC’s that aim to improve the livelihoods of small holder farmers. Increasing consumer concern in developed countries for farmers facing poverty in other parts of the world will likely rise as global consciousness of issues such as this will continue to increase in the future (I hope!).
Q2) One of the biggest challenges/ bottlenecks for food security is improving the governance of trade facilitation frameworks. Of utmost importance is making sure gains from trade and GVC engagement etc. are distributed amongst all players in a more equitable manner than is happening currently at present. This requires more effective and more socially just management of supply chains.
Another big challenge for food security is food loss and waste throughout our supply chains. People are not hungry because of a shortage of global food supply. The world is producing more than enough food to feed every single person on this planet. The Food and Agricultural Organization (2011) estimate that recovering just half of the food that is lost or wasted (estimated to be approx. 30% of the global food supply) could feed the world alone. Therefore, addressing world hunger is not simply a challenge of increasing food production; it is also a challenge to reduce the amount of food produced that is wasted. There are some interesting developments which are aiming to reduce food waste at various food waste hotspots along the food system. Downstream in the supply chain, initiatives are underway to cut crop waste. Crops that were previously left to rot in the fields, because bad weather, or market imperfections, or canceled supply contracts with foods direct from the famers’ field to donate to people in need. Scientists are working on advancing post-harvest technologies to control quality and extend the shelf-life of fresh products. The food processing and logistics industries are finding solutions for their waste with innovations which range from packaging and new storage technologies, through to finding ways to create value from byproducts. Food retailers are selling ‘ugly’ fresh produce for cheaper, removing promotions that explicitly encourage overconsumption such as ‘two-for-one deals’ and selling nearly-expired food for cheaper. The food hospitality industry is experimenting with waste reduction initiatives such as downsizing meals, reducing menu options, providing doggy bags and charging diners extra that leave food on their plates. Food that is not able to be sold by retailers and caterers is increasingly being donated to food rescue organizations that divert unwanted food from supermarkets and catering organizations to help feed the hungry. If not donated to food rescue organizations, wasted food from the retail and hospitality sectors is often targeted by ‘dumpster divers’ who eat food collected from waste bins. Further up the food supply chain, there are significant efforts contributing to reducing consumer food waste by providing information, education and inspiration for individuals in their private and professional lives. One of the high profile activities in this area is the Waste Resources Action Program, based in the UK, which works with individuals, community groups and businesses to reduce food waste through its Love Food Hate Waste community engagement program (WRAP 2015). This campaign is now being also run in Australia and in New Zealand and other similar campaigns are being run worldwide. Making meaningful reduction in food loss and waste will require individual consumers to change their habits but it will also require inter-sectorial collaborations and conscious efforts from all levels of the food system.
Q3) Participation of youth in addressing food security is really important. In New Zealand (NZ), food security is most prevalent in early-mid-adulthood when expenses for shelter and children’s needs for health and education compete for resources for food (Parnell et al., 2001).
As others on this discussion thread have already mentioned, engaging youth in the primary industries is key to help address the current and trending threat of shortage of workers in the agricultural sector. A report on the future of NZ’s workforce found that the primary sector will need an extra 50,000 workers by 2025. To this end, the Ministry for Primary Industries has a range of initiatives to attract talented young people into the primary industries. For example, they run an ‘Enterprising Primary Industries Careers Challenge’. This challenge aims to raise awareness of the exciting range of careers in the primary sector such as farmers and farm managers, engineers and scientists, environmental planners and resource managers, product developers and trade officials and marketing consultants. The challenge involves a competition for high school students. They have to identify different jobs in the primary industries and develop a marketing strategy to promote them to their classmates. More about this initiative and others is available on the MPI website https://www.mpi.govt.nz/about-mpi/our-work/sponsorships/enterprising-primary-industries-careers-challenge/. Other initiatives include graduate programs with the Ministry, and setting up The Primary Industry Capability Alliance (PICA). PICA was set up to bring together government, industry and education providers to a look at how to upskill and attract more people to the primary industries. http://pica.org.nz/
Q4) Examples of effective practice in New Zealand (NZ): There have been some recent efforts in New Zealand to address food security from a local government and policy level. Often Food Policy Councils (inter-sectorial working groups) are increasingly seen to be a good approach to addressing food security issues at a local level. Their work might include developing a food charter (a vision), policy and strategies addressing advocacy, land-use planning, urban agriculture, emergency food distribution, waste management, community health, and economic development. While the development of Food Policy Councils is only in its infancy in NZ, there are good international models of such Councils that we can look to such as the Toronto Food Policy Council (1991-current), the South Sydney City Food Policy (1996-current), the Penrith Food Project (1991-current) and the Maribyrnong Food Security Project (2011-13). One of the advantages of Food Policy Councils is that they can act as a catalyst for projects from other groups that are linked to food security. These groups may include community gardens and community kitchens, advocacy etc.
On an international trade front, New Zealand has been very successful in creating opportunities for exporting businesses and industries. For example, NZ is currently the worlds:
12th largest agricultural exporter (by value)
No. 1 sheep meat exporter
No. 1 dairy product exporter
NZ’s ability to maximise primary sector exports has in part been due to the Ministry for Primary Industries’ role in providing trusted assurances to importing countries that our products meet their requirements. New Zealand has also been successful in maintaining a good reputation worldwide for the safety of their food system.
Q1) Small holder farmers can benefit from global value chains (GVC’s) in multiple ways. These benefits can include: income and employment, more market options for their products resulting in more sales and/or higher prices received for their products, improving their business through cost reductions, upskilling by training, capacity building etc. However, engagement in GVC’s does not automatically result in these aforementioned benefits for all small holder famers. In recent years we have witnessed increasing consumer-driven trends for purchasing ethical and socially responsible products. This demand has resulted in international buyers of primary products being motivated to demonstrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their buying practices. The effect of this is the increase in the number of GVC’s that aim to improve the livelihoods of small holder farmers. Increasing consumer concern in developed countries for farmers facing poverty in other parts of the world will likely rise as global consciousness of issues such as this will continue to increase in the future (I hope!).
Q2) One of the biggest challenges/ bottlenecks for food security is improving the governance of trade facilitation frameworks. Of utmost importance is making sure gains from trade and GVC engagement etc. are distributed amongst all players in a more equitable manner than is happening currently at present. This requires more effective and more socially just management of supply chains.
Another big challenge for food security is food loss and waste throughout our supply chains. People are not hungry because of a shortage of global food supply. The world is producing more than enough food to feed every single person on this planet. The Food and Agricultural Organization (2011) estimate that recovering just half of the food that is lost or wasted (estimated to be approx. 30% of the global food supply) could feed the world alone. Therefore, addressing world hunger is not simply a challenge of increasing food production; it is also a challenge to reduce the amount of food produced that is wasted. There are some interesting developments which are aiming to reduce food waste at various food waste hotspots along the food system. Downstream in the supply chain, initiatives are underway to cut crop waste. Crops that were previously left to rot in the fields, because bad weather, or market imperfections, or canceled supply contracts with foods direct from the famers’ field to donate to people in need. Scientists are working on advancing post-harvest technologies to control quality and extend the shelf-life of fresh products. The food processing and logistics industries are finding solutions for their waste with innovations which range from packaging and new storage technologies, through to finding ways to create value from byproducts. Food retailers are selling ‘ugly’ fresh produce for cheaper, removing promotions that explicitly encourage overconsumption such as ‘two-for-one deals’ and selling nearly-expired food for cheaper. The food hospitality industry is experimenting with waste reduction initiatives such as downsizing meals, reducing menu options, providing doggy bags and charging diners extra that leave food on their plates. Food that is not able to be sold by retailers and caterers is increasingly being donated to food rescue organizations that divert unwanted food from supermarkets and catering organizations to help feed the hungry. If not donated to food rescue organizations, wasted food from the retail and hospitality sectors is often targeted by ‘dumpster divers’ who eat food collected from waste bins. Further up the food supply chain, there are significant efforts contributing to reducing consumer food waste by providing information, education and inspiration for individuals in their private and professional lives. One of the high profile activities in this area is the Waste Resources Action Program, based in the UK, which works with individuals, community groups and businesses to reduce food waste through its Love Food Hate Waste community engagement program (WRAP 2015). This campaign is now being also run in Australia and in New Zealand and other similar campaigns are being run worldwide. Making meaningful reduction in food loss and waste will require individual consumers to change their habits but it will also require inter-sectorial collaborations and conscious efforts from all levels of the food system.
Q3) Participation of youth in addressing food security is really important. In New Zealand (NZ), food security is most prevalent in early-mid-adulthood when expenses for shelter and children’s needs for health and education compete for resources for food (Parnell et al., 2001).
As others on this discussion thread have already mentioned, engaging youth in the primary industries is key to help address the current and trending threat of shortage of workers in the agricultural sector. A report on the future of NZ’s workforce found that the primary sector will need an extra 50,000 workers by 2025. To this end, the Ministry for Primary Industries has a range of initiatives to attract talented young people into the primary industries. For example, they run an ‘Enterprising Primary Industries Careers Challenge’. This challenge aims to raise awareness of the exciting range of careers in the primary sector such as farmers and farm managers, engineers and scientists, environmental planners and resource managers, product developers and trade officials and marketing consultants. The challenge involves a competition for high school students. They have to identify different jobs in the primary industries and develop a marketing strategy to promote them to their classmates. More about this initiative and others is available on the MPI website https://www.mpi.govt.nz/about-mpi/our-work/sponsorships/enterprising-primary-industries-careers-challenge/. Other initiatives include graduate programs with the Ministry, and setting up The Primary Industry Capability Alliance (PICA). PICA was set up to bring together government, industry and education providers to a look at how to upskill and attract more people to the primary industries. http://pica.org.nz/
Q4) Examples of effective practice in New Zealand (NZ): There have been some recent efforts in New Zealand to address food security from a local government and policy level. Often Food Policy Councils (inter-sectorial working groups) are increasingly seen to be a good approach to addressing food security issues at a local level. Their work might include developing a food charter (a vision), policy and strategies addressing advocacy, land-use planning, urban agriculture, emergency food distribution, waste management, community health, and economic development. While the development of Food Policy Councils is only in its infancy in NZ, there are good international models of such Councils that we can look to such as the Toronto Food Policy Council (1991-current), the South Sydney City Food Policy (1996-current), the Penrith Food Project (1991-current) and the Maribyrnong Food Security Project (2011-13). One of the advantages of Food Policy Councils is that they can act as a catalyst for projects from other groups that are linked to food security. These groups may include community gardens and community kitchens, advocacy etc.
On an international trade front, New Zealand has been very successful in creating opportunities for exporting businesses and industries. For example, NZ is currently the worlds:
NZ’s ability to maximise primary sector exports has in part been due to the Ministry for Primary Industries’ role in providing trusted assurances to importing countries that our products meet their requirements. New Zealand has also been successful in maintaining a good reputation worldwide for the safety of their food system.