HLPF SDG1: hunger and poverty are interlinked, holistic approach needed, says FAO

“If we want to reduce poverty, we need holistic approaches to rural transformation, as nearly 80 percent of the extreme poor live in rural areas,” said Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General for Climate and Natural Resources, during the Thematic Review of SDG 1 at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

The need to address both relative and absolute poverty simultaneously was highlighted throughout the session. Speakers stressed the importance of social protection and noted that poor countries have relied mainly on economic growth for their poverty reduction efforts, but that there was a need to go beyond simply economic growth. In this regard, Semedo observed that in most low and low-middle income countries, agriculture is the largest employer of the poor and, often, their main source of income. She emphasized that countries should address the structural constraints faced by family farmers and smallholder producers through to achieve inclusive growth and the transformation necessary for implementing SDG 1 and SDG2.