Food Security and Climate Resilient Agriculture

GLOBAL SOLUTION NETWORKS

Food Security and Climate

Resilient Agriculture

New Network Capabilities to Solve Global Problems

by Alastair T. Marke, FRSA, ACMI

Food Security and Climate Resilient Agriculture New Network Capabili;es to Solve Global Problems


Seeds, feeds, fertilizers, processing and selling of foodstuffs, which used to be local, have become related cross-border sectors of a globalized food value chain supported by multinational food producers.

Impacts to the food system include climate change, population shift, land use, energy and water supply, environmental conservation, infrastructural planning, commerce and industry, finance and trade policies.

Executive Summary

Population growth is the main driver for food insecurity

•  Global meat demand— increase 60% by 2050.

•  Global energy demand—double by 2050.

•  Global water demand—double by 2050, 30% increased use in agriculture, already using 70%, by 2030.

•  Global demand for arable land—fuel crops expected to use over 30% of available land.

Food security is an interconnected global problem



Agreement Relevant content Progress 1992 -‐ Agenda 21 Food security and sustainable agriculture Insignificant

Water for food produc;on Some 1996 -‐ Rome Declara;on—

World Food Security Halve the number of undernourished people by 2015 Limited

2000 -‐ Millennium Development Goals

Halve the propor;on of the undernourished by 2015 Some but uneven

2002 -‐ Johannesburg Plan of Implementa;on

Changing unsustainable consump;on and produc;on Limited

2009 -‐ CSD 17 Report on priori;es of ac;on

Decision on agriculture, rural development and deser;fica;on

Not adequately monitored

2012 -‐ Rio+20 Food security, nutri;on and sustainable agriculture Unknown

Problem: 20 years of System Failure

Financial limita;ons, technical gaps, climate calami;es and poli;cs stall 20 years of interna;onal agreements

The corporate export-driven food system fails to protect famers and increases global food security concerns

•  Current Situation = 842 million hungry people, 75% impacted by climate risks.

•  State failure: 20 years of inaction.

•  Incapacity of state-based Institutions (governments and international institutions) to develop effective policy.



Digital Revolution for Agriculture—“New” Green Revolution

Leveraging the digital revolution into innovation against the threat of climate change and deficiencies in the agricultural supply chain. Food producers are beneficiaries and knowledge producers via digital devices:

•  Mobile devices—real time market info. •  Social network—sharing best practices •  Open-source code—low cost tech

solutions •  Crowdsourcing—generating innovation •  Standards networks—promoting market

access

How to Solve the Problem

Digital Initiatives:

Seeds4Needs: Crowdsourced seed development cooperative 6,000 farmers in 11 countries.

E-Farming: Text messaging advice on soil and crop management doubled maize yields in Kenya.

M-Farm: Mobile based market price information more than doubled returns in Kenya.

Stop Africa Land Grab: Reduce corporate arable land grab has generated 1500 participants.



Crowdsourcing Food Security

•  Annual challenge for college students.

•  Online educational platform with learning resources and mentoring.

•  Sponsorship and parners to scale projects.

•  2013 saw 118 entries, 1,000 participants from 66 universities in 24 countries.

•  Partners Syngenta, Ashoka and Sandbox.

•  Idea ownership remains with students.

Case Study: Thought for Food

“You have to engage [the Millennial generation] in new ways. Asking questions is the right way to engage. They don’t want propaganda. They don’t want the answers. They want to come up with the solutions themselves.”

Christine Gould, founder of TFF



The Global Neighbour Network

•  Online “platform” for problem

solving in rural settings. •  42,000 “neighbors” from 180

countries. •  Manengai (Kenya) increased milk

production 250%. •  Walungu (Congo) community

farming plan, goat breeding and organic tomatoes.

•  “Zero-budget” aid through social networking.

•  Some projects develop into independent NGOs.

Case Study: Nabuur.com

“The Internet now makes it possible to connect the local demand of the local community directly to the global supply of people who want to be of help… They are ‘neighbors’ in the global village.”

Siegfried Woldhek, founder of Nabuur.com



Global Solution Networks provide fundamental changes in approaches to food security. Support local ownership and respect local customs to encourage solution adoption.

Keep stakeholders engaged and empowered by committing to continuous innovation.

Gain legitimacy by measuring and reporting impact and including stakeholders in decisions.

Increase scale and impact with standardized tool kit that can be replicated.

Increase the financial security of a network with low-cost open source.

Migrate to an “open door” policy for food security data; engage diverse group of thought leaders.

Implications for Network Leaders

Food Security and

Climate Resilient Agriculture New Network Capabilities to

Solve Global Problems

by Alastair T. Marke, FRSA, ACMI Read the complete paper at gsnetworks.org

Global Solution Networks:

Don Tapscott, Executive Director Dr. Joan Bigham, Managing Director Anthony Williams, Executive Director For information on Global Solution Networks projects contact at [email protected]

Review all research results on our web site: gsnetworks.org

Food Security and Climate Resilient Agriculture

Food

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