Thanks to good rainfall, Zimbabwe has been able to increase production of maize—the staple crop in the country—by 130% to 1.1 million tons. Despite this increase, however, 2.8 million people will still face food shortages this year, as the UN Food and Agriculture Orgaization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) report. Zimbabwe’s food security situation is still extremely tenuous, with basic necessities out of reach for most households. The report also warned that Zimbabwe could see the lowest-ever wheat harvest this winter due to high seed prices and electricity shortages.

“This year’s improved harvest comes after two consecutive years of poor production,” said the World Food Programme’s Jan Delbaere, who worked on the report, reports AP news agency. “Having depleted their food stocks and sold livestock and other assets to cope with the effects of the recent crises, many rural households are still struggling to survive.”

If you’re curious about the report, you can find it here.

-Beth Adler

Recently, during the first ever World Trade Week in the UK, the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), launched the Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund (FRICH), an initiative designed to get more African products into UK markets. FRICH, co-funded by the UK Government and various UK retailers, offers subsidies to the private sector in the UK to develop business models that benefit African farmers by integrating them into the food supply chain that puts goods on UK shelves.

The challenge fund issues grants for specific projects taken on by UK retailers that develop methods to increase demand for food products produced in Africa. These projects must involve UK imports of food products from Africa and, to receive funding, grantees must match or exceed the value of the grant with their own investment. They must also demonstrate that their projects will benefit the market for African food exports, either through commercial promotion or with added income and employment for African farmers.

Trade is an essential tool for economic development and often relies on access to wealthy, developed-country markets, such as the UK. Accessing these markets is difficult for developing countries for a variety of reasons, including lack of capacity and marketing knowledge. FRICH aims to cultivate partnerships between the public and private sectors to overcome these barriers.

Almost 75% of all UK consumers want to use their shopping to contribute to poverty-reduction, according to DFID, yet only 3% of total household food spending is actually used to buy products manufactured in developing countries. FRICH aims to bridge this gap and to encourage UK businesses to take risks to develop new strategies that benefit African producers. Commercial operators with ideas that might have been seen previously as too risky to undertake can now apply for funding from FRICH. Adopting innovations, such as new technologies, links with suppliers in unexplored country markets, new crops and products, alternative distribution channels, and creative marketing, can help otherwise constrained businesses to develop and broaden partnerships with African producers.

The first round of FRICH funding has just been granted to six companies:

• Blue Skies: launching premium-quality fruit juices from Ghana.
• Waitrose LEAF: developing greener farming systems for African growers to produce environmentally-sustainable fruit and vegetables.
• The Co-Operative Group and Finlays Beverages: launching tea from cooperatives set up as a result of a partnership between Kenyan farmers and UK manufacturers in Kenya, as well as focusing on diversifying crops to reduce dependence on tea production.
• Sainsbury’s: launching, developing, and promoting coffees from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Betty’s and Taylors of Harrogate: upgrading quality and ethical practices of tea producers in Rwanda
• Cafédirect: launching a new range of teas and cocoa from Kenya, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Uganda, and Tanzania.

At the launch of FRICH, Minister for Trade and Development Gareth Thomas explained that, “Seven out of ten Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, and the ability to trade with a large UK retailer will make a big difference to farmers across the continent.” The FRICH initiative highlights the importance of integrating African products into global markets and making Africa a viable partner in world-wide trade.

-Pooja Gupta

Recently Representatives McGovern (D-MA) and Emerson (R-MO), co-chairs of the House Hunger Caucus introduced legislation designed to elevate the issues of global hunger and food security in Congress. The Roadmap to End Global Hunger and Promote Food Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2817), acts as the legislative complement to the Roadmap to End Global Hunger, which ONE introduced to you on the blog a few months ago, and incorporates many of the Roadmap’s suggestions. The legislation is designed to showcase what, ideally, the U.S. could do to end global hunger.

Mirroring the Roadmap, the bill details a comprehensive strategy for the U.S. to follow in order to address global hunger. These actions include: implementing nutrition and safety net programs to the most vulnerable; rural agricultural development, particularly targeted at women, who make up the majority of smallholder farmers; and programs to increase the capacity of governments and individuals to feed themselves and their people. The legislation also calls for a coordinated U.S. government strategy to address global hunger, and outlines plans for the design and implementation of this national strategy. Like the Roadmap document, the legislation notes that in total, $50.3 billion over the next 5 years would be necessary to undertake all of these initiatives.

This piece of legislation will hopefully push the challenge of global hunger, and ways that the U.S. can engage to address it, to the top of the congressional agenda—much like the Lugar-Casey bill, and the administration’s commitment to agricultural development in the developing world have done so far this year.

-Beth Adler

The Huffington Post today is running an article by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Obama administration’s fight against global poverty. In the article Secretary Clinton outlines “7 guiding principles to support the creation of effective, sustainable farming systems in regions around the world where the current methods aren’t working.”

Check them out below, full piece here

1. We will seek to increase agricultural productivity, by expanding access to quality seeds, fertilizers, irrigation tools, and the credit to purchase them and training to use them.
2. We will work to stimulate the private sector, by improving the storage and processing of food and improving roads and transportation so small farmers can sell the fruits of their labor at local markets.
3. We are committed to maintaining natural resources, so the land can be farmed well into the future. That includes helping developing communities adapt to climate change, which has had a major effect on the world’s farms.
4. We will expand knowledge and training by supporting R&D and cultivating the next generation of plant scientists.
5. We will seek to increase trade so small-scale farmers can sell their crops far and wide.
6. We will support policy reform and good governance, because sustainable agriculture flourishes in a clear and predictable policy and regulatory environment.
7. We will support women and families. 70% of the world’s farmers are women, but most programs that offer farmers credit and training target men. This is unfair and impractical. An effective agricultural system must have incentives for those who do the work. And it must take into account the particular needs of those whose futures will shape our world: our children.

-Chris Scott

It is likely that agriculture will attract more international attention at the G8 Summer itself following this first G8 Agricultural Ministers’ Meeting. The food crisis is the one crisis that directly affects billions of people on earth, claiming lives every day. Still, the final communiqué represents much less of a breakthrough than hoped for. The outcome document seems to suggest a very “noisy” silence from the invited developing and emerging countries – we will be investigating whether this was a result of differences between delegations from the G8 on one side and developing and emerging country partners on the other.

During the press conference most questions from journalists were directed at developing countries who were asked specifically for their views on trade distortions that penalize them. The Italian agriculture Minister Zaia tried to point out the trade distortions that harm countries like Italy – not a good sign. The communiqué did not contain figures on resources for agricultural investments in Africa, or even an indication of a set of rules that should reduce or eliminate speculation. On the positive side those omissions mean we have plenty of room for manoeuvre in the run-up to La Maddalena. We will need that time to make sure that this agriculture summit does not turn out to have been one more exercise in empty rhetoric to save face, but not lives.

-Francesco Oddone

This weekend the G8 countries’ Agriculture Ministers met, in Cison di Valmarino, Italy, to discuss the pressing urgency of the world food emergency. ONE’s Francesco Oddone brings us analysis of this historic event on the ground:

Hope and a bit of scepticism: it is with a combination of these conflicting feelings that I approach Cison di Valmarino – 60 km from Venice, birthplace of Italian Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia – set in a beautiful hilly landscape in a region with great agri-food traditions.

There is definitely much hope for this G8 agriculture Ministers’ meeting which is an absolute first. the fact it is taking place shows how important food issues have become in the highest policymaking circles. The recent food crises, precursor of the larger economic one, has shown just how precarious the global system is when market speculation overtakes peoples’ basic needs. Having leaders from the North and the South, as well as the most relevant international organisations openly discussing the problems should certainly be considered in a positive light.

On the other hand, at least one thread coming out of the first day of the meeting certainly calls for some caution, or even suspicion. Mr Zaia’s call for some form of “shield” for Northern growers (his specific example was about Thai vs. Italian rice producers) cannot but be identified as potentially damaging protectionism that goes against the South’s opportunities to escape the vicious cycle of underdevelopment through trade. It is trade itself that can open the path for sustainable growth by providing reliable sources of income which can be locally re-invested. Blocking that route in times of a severe economic downturn does not seem an enlightened way to proceed, especially when it would harm people in the poorest countries that have had least to do with the crisis.

Work on the meeting’s outcome document is still in progress as of Sunday evening: there is talk that the document that might be approved by the G8 + G5 + 3 (Argentina, Australia, Egypt). That will depend on whether fundamental questions such as northern protectionism can be resolved during the next few hours.

-Francesco Oddone

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that 50 to 100 million additional people will become hungry in light of the ramifications of the global financial downturn. Dr. David Nabarro, Coordinator of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis (HLTF) explains, “The evidence that we have, still anecdotal, is that the problem is starting up.”

As jobs in poor countries are eliminated and remittances from abroad decrease, the economic situation for many becomes more tenuous. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), two years of a global economic crisis could mean 50 million more people will be unemployed. This new challenge comes in the wake of last year’s global food crisis, the repercussions of which – high food prices, low food stores, volatile markets – are still affecting people in the developing world.

This new burden threatens to push more people over the threshold into hunger and poverty. Nabarro warns, “’We’re anticipating that, with the reduction of their purchasing power as a result of this unemployment, they are going to be facing extreme problems with ensuring that they could feed themselves and their families. As well as the many other difficulties that people of the world are facing… they’re also going to be heading into another period of hunger’.

These projections come just before G8 agriculture ministers meet in Italy to discuss the issue of food security and develop a proposal for addressing the global food crisis. The meeting begins on Saturday with ministers from the G8; it then continues on Sunday and Monday with representatives from other countries including Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa, Argentina, Australia, and Egypt. Global bodies such as the FAO, World Food Program, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Bank, the High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis, and African Union have also been invited.

We at ONE will be tracking the agriculture meetings; look out for updates next week.

-Beth Adler

Senator Casey and I recently introduced the Global Food Security Act of 2009 (S.384) to re-orient U.S. foreign assistance to focus on hunger and poverty. We very much appreciate that ONE has endorsed the bill. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently approved the bill.

Roughly one billion people today suffer from chronic hunger. World population is projected to grow from 6.7 billion to 9.2 billion by 2050. Agricultural productivity will need to at least double by then, but instead it has been stagnating especially in Africa. Farmers will be hard pressed to meet growing demand given the challenges of land, water, and environmental pressures brought about by climate change, soil degradation, deforestation, and volatile fuel prices.

There is little reason for anyone to be hungry in a world in which we have the knowledge and resources to improve food availability and access. The entire world is facing difficult times in this global recession, and now more than ever we need your support to ensure that billions of people do not go hungry and will not in the future. Please contact your Senators and ask them to join us in cosponsoring the bill. If you would like to learn more about the bill and the issue, please visit the food security page of my website.

-Senator Richard G. Lugar, Indiana

Yesterday was a good day for the developing world – and for ONE – with several positive outcomes from the G20 meetings in London. What capped off the day really well was a tidbit mentioned by President Obama in his evening remarks. He announced that he will work with Congress to double support for agricultural development to over $1 billion “…so that we are giving people the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty.”

In details released today, the White House specified that this funding – which will be requested for the FY2010 budget – aims to modernize developing country agriculture in order to increase productivity and rural incomes. Specific assistance areas include increasing the use of technology, linking farmers to markets, increasing access to quality inputs like seeds, tools, fertilizers, irrigation, and rural credit, and encouraging private investment in agriculture. The White House is also committed to reducing dependency on food aid, bringing the poorest into the growth process through social safety net programs, and building/strengthening partnerships with the international community, private sector, NGOs, and U.S. universities.

In 2008, the U.S. provided approximately $450 million to agriculture in the developing world. In our proposal to the Obama Administration earlier this year, ONE requested at least $850 million for the FY2010 budget for agriculture. For the U.S. to reach a funding target of more than $1 billion for agricultural development initiatives in the developing world certainly exceeds our request.

The commitment to exceed $1 billion for agriculture in the developing world also aligns well with the Senators Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Robert Casey (D-Penn.)’s proposed Global Food Security Act, which was introduced in the 111th Congress and cleared the Senate Foreign Affairs committee on Tuesday by unanimous vote. The bill requests almost $1.5 billion in FY2010 for agricultural development initiatives, research and technological innovation, training, and emergency food assistance.

As the White House noted, “…We can directly improve the lives of poor populations by growing rural economies through broad-based agriculture growth.” This funding comes at a crucial time for developing countries where food prices remain high and families are facing decreased incomes and remittances due to the global financial crisis. Investing in agriculture will not only bolster food security in the developing world, but it will enable families and communities to increase their incomes through agriculture-driven economic productivity.

The funding will be targeted in 25 countries and 8 regions; in Africa this includes Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, and Eastern and Southern Africa. Other targeted areas are South and East Asia, Latin America, and the Near East. We applaud President Obama and urge him to follow through speedily with meeting this commitment. ONE will be following this topic closely and will be sure to keep you updated.

-Beth Adler

Last week the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) unveiled a tool that will help track 800 monthly local retail and wholesale food prices for staple foods eaten in 55 developing countries. This technology – called the National Basic Food Prices Data and Analysis Tool – will enable the FAO and other agriculture and development organizations to better monitor the status of food prices on both domestic and international markets. The tool allows the FAO to compare prices in local currency or in dollars, and allows for price comparisons between domestic and international markets, between country markets, and between different markets within the same country.

Despite lower global commodity prices, recent data from the FAO confirms that food prices in Sub-Saharan Africa are still higher than a year ago. As the Financial Times reports, sub-Saharan Africa and other developing countries are still suffering the effects of high food prices, which, coupled with effects of the global financial crisis like slow economic growth and decreased remittances, threaten to exacerbate the precarious situation of hunger and poverty in the developing world. Already 963 million people in the world are hungry – an increase of 40 million from 2007 to 2008 – and the World Bank estimates that the financial crisis could push a further 53 million people into poverty this year.

Liliana Balbi, a senior economist with FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System explains that “while food prices have fallen internationally, as indicated by the FAO food price index, this tool shows that in developing countries they have not fallen so fast, or at all.” In Kenya, wholesale maize prices were at $367 per ton, up from $222 a year ago; in Burkina Faso, the cost of sorghum, the country’s staple, had risen to 13,500 CFA francs ($27.71) per 100kg, up from 11,500 CFA francs a year ago. High food prices hit poor families hardest as they spend a much greater percentage of their household income on food compared to wealthy families.

Even though there is little respite in sight for high domestic food prices, the hope is that tools like this one will help predict food shortages before they become dire, and will be able to better target assistance to countries and regions that need it most.

-Beth Adler