Global Food Systems

Impact of Climate Change, Trade Rules, War, Displaced People, etc. etc. etc.

Global Food Systems

• Alternative Food Systems.

• Local food systems• Organic food systems• Cooperatives in food systems• SPIN (Small Plot Intensive) farming• Restoration Agriculture• Fair Trade

How can we Feed Nine Billion people by 2050?

• How do we use Science and Technology?• How do we Distribute the food we have,

better?• How can we use local food systems better and

stand as a buffer between consumers and global markets?

• What government policies do we need to make our food system more sustainable?

What is fair trade?

• Fair trade seeks to transform the lives of poor producers in the developing world by enabling them to use their skills and resources to trade their way out of poverty.

• It seeks to challenge injustices in trading structures and practices that so often lead to the exploitation and marginalisation of poor people.

What is fair trade?

Fair trade sets out to:

• create opportunities for poor producers

• ensure trading practices are fair, both in terms of payment and prices

• ensure that children are not being exploited

• ensure there is no discrimination• ensure working conditions are safe.

Fair trade coffee(LIFFE – London International Financial Futures Exchange)

Global Food Systems

• Who controls our food?

• 83.5% of all of the beef packing in the United States is in the hands of four firms

• Five firms control 48% of US food retailing• 66% of all pork in the US is packed by just four companies • 71% of all soybean crushing is done by three firms • Three companies control nearly 90% of global trade in grains• Just two firms control nearly 60% of the United States corn

seed market, 65% of the global maize seed market and 44% of the global soy market

(Hendrickson 2007; Action Aid 2005)

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Price Index 1990-2012

Global Food Systems

• Who controls our food?

• Food or Fuel?

Food or Fuel?

Agro-fuels in

our food

system?

World Production of Biofuels 2009

Global Fuel Ethanol Production 2009(million of litres)

Global Food Systems

• Who controls our food?• Food or Fuel?

• Trade rules?

What’s wrong with the Global Trade System?

• Unequal Partners: rich countries abuse the system and bully poorer countries into agreeing to rules which favour the rich.

• The benefits of trade will only reach the poor – at home and in the developing world – if international trade rules are deliberately weighted in favour of poor people and the environment.

• While international trade is worth $10 million a minute, poor countries only account for 0.4% of this trade - half the share they had in 1980.

• The so-called Doha Development Round projected that 2/3 of any gains would go to the richer countries.

• One size doesn't fit all: rich countries use trade rules to force poor countries to open their economies to goods from rich countries (known as “trade liberalisation”). But poor countries' farmers and industries aren't ready to compete.

• Decades of forced liberalisation has devastated many poor countries resulting in huge job losses, poor health care and less education. Trade “liberalisation” often comes alongside increased rights for foreign investors and pressure to privatise the economy.

• Rich countries such as the USA, Canada, the EU, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan succeeded economically by protecting their farmers and industries, only opening up to competition once their industries were strong enough to compete.

• Rich countries are using trade rules to deny poor countries the same rights. For example, the average EU cow is subsidised to the tune of around $800. In Ethiopia, the average annual income per person is just $100.

Global Food Systems

• Who controls our food?• Food or Fuel?• Trade rules?

• Global Investment Policy?

Investment Policy

“Most of these investments occur with a complete lack of transparency, without proper consultation of the local communities concerned. They will benefit investors and perhaps some of the local elites – but they will create much less employment, and contribute much less to rural development than would policies supporting small farmers and ensuring their access to land.”

Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.

Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements (FIPPAs)

• Canada has signed Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements (FIPPAs) with most of the countries where investment takes place; investors are able to take advantage of the protection granted under these treaties should their investment ever be challenged.

Global Food Systems

• Who controls our food?• Food or Fuel? • Trade rules?• Global Investment Policy?

• Global Land Rush?

CANADA AND THE GLOBAL LAND RUSH• Mining Sector:

Seventy-five percent of the world’s mining companies are headquartered in Canada with exploration and mining projects all over the world.

• At least fifteen Canadian companies have acquired land in developing countries since 2000. Three of them are forestry companies and one company specializes in tourism development. Twelve other companies acquired land for agricultural (mainly bio diesel) production purposes.

Global Food Systems

• Who controls our food?• Food or Fuel? • Trade rules?• Global Investment Policy?• Global Land Rush?

• Climate Change?

Climate Change

and Hunger

The Facts

What does climate change look like?

• Higher temperatures• More droughts• Changes in rainfall

patterns• Rising sea levels

At least 70 percent of people who regularly go to bed hungry live in

rural areas in developing countries

Most of these people are farmers

What has Canada done to help vulnerable people in

developing countries?

• Signed onto an international agreement• A generous funding contribution 2010-2012• Mostly for mitigation

What does Canada still need to do?

Make a new funding

commitment, with more support for

adaptation