Increasing productivity and resilience

Messages and project examples

UN-HLTF on Global Food Security

Recommendation 1: Key points

Strengthen long term productivity, sustainability and resilience

support technological innovation for developing countries – focusing on smallholders, women, addressing climate change

improve infrastructure and institutions – support agricultural productivity growth

support national food security strategies – country owned

provide the enabling environment to increase private investment

Pilot projects

Concrete examples of initiatives that need to be taken by all stakeholders to bring about the transformation the agricultural sectors – resilience to shocks

The areas and examples are chosen to illustrate the different dimensions of the problem - more tangible expression to the recommendations

Approaches: some innovative; others need to be scaled up require public and private investment

Enabling environment: National Development strategies

Overall development strategies will underpin agricultural growth

coherent policy framework

sound macroeconomic and structural policies

investment in health and education

good governance - promote private investment

Enabling environment: Food security strategies and agricultural development

National food security strategies all inclusive, country owned and evidence based – support the

capacity of rural poor to engage

Policy monitoring and evaluation assess performance relative to objectives

Infrastructure – production (upstream) and value chain (downstream) need for investment in public goods, roads, ports, power,

storage, irrigation systems and ICT – promote public private partnerships

Specific initiatives: Institutions for improved market access Modern markets have higher requirements –

exclude smallholders

Market information systems – location of markets , prices, attributes

Assist in meeting stringent standards, SPS – build capacity

Improve access to credit and financial markets – risk management

Support professional and inclusive farmers’ organizations

Specific initiatives: Productivity Agricultural R&D becomes increasingly private -

technologies being developed for larger, commercial farms

Enhance availability of affordable existing technologies to increase yields

Intensify extension and advisory services to smallholders and in particular women farmers to adopt technologies

Support new research addressing specific needs in developing countries – climate change, water scarcity and soil problems

Specific initiatives: Increasing yields Rice, maize, wheat

improved varieties resistant to drought, heat, diseases, specific soil problems; improved production techniques

Roots and tubers and bananas improved varieties; low-cost kits for detection of major

pathogens

Livestock New varieties addressing specific forage niches; improved

feed use

Specific initiatives: Climate change mitigation

Research to contribute to reduction of emissions - crop management

alternate wetting and drying techniques in rice

changes in timing of nitrogenous fertilizer applications

conservation agriculture

Specific initiatives: Extension and education

Improved investments on agricultural education – producers and managers

strengthen educational institutions – eg Farmer Field Schools to address context-specific challenges and build capacity to adopt technical innovations

provide the enabling environment to increase provision of advice from the private sector – strengthen the link with farmers organizations