We are involved in a side event at the Committee for World Food Security on the role of employment in agricultural value chains for food security this month.

The event, organised by FARM, AFD, Cirad and Future Agricultures Consortium, is at the 39th Committee on World Food Security on 17th October 2012 in Rome.

Speakers include Bruno Losch (Cirad, World Bank) Jennifer Leavy (Future Agricultures Consortium, IDS, University of Sussex), Tobias Takavarasha (NEPAD Agency), Ibrahima Coulibaly (Coordination nationale des organisations paysannes du Mali) and Olivier de Schutter (UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food).

Event details

Dealing with the employment challenge of the most vulnerable to ensure food security : Acknowledging the role of agriculture and agricultural value chains

Wednesday 17 October, 6:00- 7:30 pm, Lebanon room (FAO, Rome).

Context

Most debates on agriculture and food security focus on issues such as food availability, land tenure and price volatility — all linked primarily to the supply of food. Similarly, many public policies try to deal with food security issues by targeting growth in agricultural production, increasing self-sufficiency of farmers hoping as a side effect for an increase of farmers’ income and marketable surpluses.

By focusing on production, this vision has some limitations and the aim of this side event is to bring attention to a broader approach, by including other rural activities directly linked to agricultural value chains (from inputs to agro-processing of food, fiber and materials), and goods and service provision to rural consumers. This approach, rooted in local development and the strengthening of rural-urban linkages, is a way to deal with the employment challenge and the necessary generation of income so critical to food security.

The French development agency AFD, the French research center Cirad, the FARM foundation, a French think-tank on world agriculture and rurality, and the Future Agricultures Consortium, a United Kingdom-based international network of researchers have joined to shed light on this important topic at the 39th Committee on World Food Security (CFS) taking place from October 15th to 20th in Rome.

With its diversified audience and the representation of more than one hundred countries, the CFS is an excellent forum to discuss these questions and exchange knowledge and points of view with stakeholders involved in the international policy debate on food security, including representatives of farmers’ organizations, policy makers, donors, and researchers.

Organisers

Cirad (Nicolas Bricas), FARM (Mathilde Douillet), AFD (Marie-Cécile Thirion) and Future Agricultures Consortium (Jennifer Leavy).

Download the flyer about the side-event (pdf).