SDGs as incentive for innovative development of Russian agriculture

Discussions at the IV Southern Grain Forum in Stavropol, organized by the “Southern guild of bakers, confectioners, and hospitality industry”, an association of bakers and confectioners, focused on a wide range of challenges facing the Russian agrifood sector.

Low standards of living in rural areas, underdevelopment of the social, communal and transport infrastructure, scarcity of new jobs, lack of opportunities for self-realization and, as a consequence, the gradual erosion of life in the village, outbound migration and migration-prone mood among young people were listed among worrying trends and phenomena.

The resolution adopted at the end of the Forum emphasizes, “Flight to cities poses a threat to the national and economic security of the country, leads to the loss of control over remote territories, spurs growth of social tension and leads to the destruction of the gene pool of the unique cultural heritage.” 

The forum encompassed a round table devoted to the “Export of cereals and products of cereals processing – new markets and strategic partners” and a specialized seminar on the “Application of new technologies to improve the yield and quality of grain crops”.

“The transformation of food systems is the key to achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, adopted in 2015 by the UN General Assembly,” Vladimir Mikheev, communication specialist of FAO’s Liaison Office with the Russian Federation, said in his opening remarks during the plenary session, which was dedicated to the “Strategy for the development of the grain industry in the South of Russia: prospects and risks”.

“If sufficient efforts are made to address the growing inequality (for example, in relation to age and gender), and measures are taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to increase the sustainable use of national resources, and to reduce food losses and waste, the agro-food systems would become the main driving force for achieving the SDGs,” FAO Moscow’s Office press attaché noted.

Currently, there are more than 820 million suffering from hunger in the world. However, even with the slow but steady growth in economic well-being, and all the measures taken today to improve food security, should the current trends continue, some 570 million people, according to forecasts, would be malnourished in 2030. Only the transition to sustainable development will reduce this number by almost half or could even reduce it to zero.

“Russia – and its granaries, in this case, the Stavropol Region – should play and has the potential to play an important role both in ensuring food security and in the transition to a sustainable development model. Agenda 2030 is a roadmap to the future, when success will not be measured by tons of cast iron (metaphorically), but by reasonable and smart management allowing us to preserve and pass on to future generations a planet in an adequate shape and form,” Mikheev underlined.

In its December 2019 survey, which was based on the Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) data, FAO observes:

“Planting of the 2020 winter cereal crops (mainly wheat) was completed in October and the area sown is officially estimated at a record 18.2 million hectares, buoyed by favourable weather conditions and underpinned by Government policies to boost exports. As of late November, soil moisture levels were reported to be adequate for crop emergence and establishment in the main winter cereals’ growing areas of North Caucasus, Southern, Volga and Central districts.”

Moreover, the rally in prices for Russian wheat, according to all forecasts, will continue. As of January 22, the price for wheat with a protein content of 12.5% under the terms of FOB delivery was USD 233.25 per ton, which is a record high for the past 11 months.

20 February, Stavropol, Russian Federation