Enhanced responsible investments in agriculture and food systems are key to reduce poverty and hunger. Parliamentarians are key to support their countries in benefiting from international instruments such as the Principles for Responsible Investments in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI) that contribute to the reduction of poverty and hunger, and the realization of human rights including the right to food.

FAO has been working with parliamentarians to develop their capacities towards the progressive realization of the right to food for several years, and recently it has strengthened the focus on responsible investments in agriculture and food systems.

In July 2018, a capacity development workshop for Parliamentarians of the Parliamentary Front against Hunger of Latin America and the Caribbean (PFH-LAC) and their advisors was organized. This was followed by a workshop for parliamentarians and advisors of Guatemala and the Dominican Republic in December 2018, where concrete steps to apply the CFS-RAI in the two countries were discussed. These included strengthening collaboration between the public and the private sector (Guatemala) and the formulation of a programme to increase sustainability of public policies for small and medium enterprises (Dominican Republic).

On the joint initiative of the PFH-LAC, FAO, the Spanish Parliament and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), in October 2018, parliamentarians from more than 70 countries gathered in Madrid for the Global Parliamentary Summit Against Hunger and Malnutrition. The main objective was to advance political will to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero hunger) at the international level. Within this, the Final Declaration highlights “the need of creating an enabling environment for responsible investments in the food system”.

In March 2019, FAO and the Pan-African Parliament organized a workshop in South Africa for the members of the Pan African Parliamentary Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (PAPA-FSN) to position food security and nutrition and the right to adequate food at the forefront of political and legislative agendas in Africa.

The workshop included a dedicated session on Responsible Investments in Agriculture and Food Systems, next to other sessions on key themes for achieving Zero Hunger such as gender and social policies; nutrition and sustainable food systems for healthy diets; and access to and control of natural and productive resources. The parliamentarians were introduced to the ten CFS-RAI Principles and key legal instruments such as contracts and national investment codes. The need for both more and better investments was emphasized as stories were shared by the parliamentarians about deforestation, soil degradation, forced evictions and idle lands due to agricultural investments. A common concern of the participants at this event was that investment deals are not open to scrutiny as they often happen behind closed doors and contracts are frequently not publicly available.

The workshop was part of a two-year project by FAO and the Pan-African Parliament to enhance the technical legislative capacities of parliamentarians to improve food security and nutrition. The findings from this workshop will be considered in the elaboration of a new regional Model Law on Food Security and Nutrition.

Forward-looking initiatives to support more responsible investments in Africa were also highlighted by the parliamentarians, such as Morocco’s Green Plan that is supporting youth in agriculture (aligned with principle 4 of the CFS-RAI) and Burkina Faso’s new Agricultural Investment Code which aims to prioritize responsible investments.

FAO plans to continue its collaboration with Parliamentarians across regions, and, thanks to the support of the German Government will soon develop a “Handbook for Parliamentarians on the CFS-RAI” to facilitate this work.

For more information:

The Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems

FAO’s capacity development on the right to food for Parliamentarians 

The Parliamentary front against Hunger of Latin America and the Caribbean 

The Final Declaration of the Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition

Watch the video: Responsible investment in agriculture to achieve the SDGs: the role of parliamentarians