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Under "Food4Transformation," stakeholders and experts from around the world will still be able to discuss issues and report on topics related to food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development. Four interviews kick off the relaunch under the new name, asking the same questions from different perspectives. Dirk Meyer, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, thinks: less individual solutions are needed, but more systemic approaches. Because in addition to the goals for food security, the issues of climate and biodiversity must also be taken into account.
What does the transformation of agrifood systems mean to you?
In my opinion, the transformation of agrifood systems requires a paradigm shift – moving away from a system that is ‘merely’ designed to produce food towards a system that is geared towards the common good and contributes to the global sustainable development goals.
In other words, we need a fundamental shift towards healthy and nutritious food, equitable and inclusive value chains, resilience to disruptions, as well as climate and environmental sustainability.
As we’ve seen in recent times, the need for sustainable resilient structures is even more evident in times of multiple crises than before. In this context, I feel that transformation needs to be cross-sectoral and systemic and go beyond silos. This task is not easy, because it requires transforming complex systems together with our partner countries – and, for all intents and purposes, we have to do it without disrupting operations and, on top of it, in the middle of a food crisis.
In your opinion, what role does the BMZ play in the transformation of agrifood systems?
Last year, the topic of food security was high on the political agenda and has caught the attention of a broad public. This is attributable to the Russian war of aggression as well as the advancing climate change. This is one of the reasons why the transformation of agrifood systems is deeply embedded in the DNA of the BMZ as one of its priority topics.
At the BMZ, our goal is to initiate political processes. And during the G7 presidency, we were able to address these issues: We set up the Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS) as a crisis response mechanism. In collaboration with our partners, we also expedited the transformation of agrifood systems on the international agenda. For example, the need for a sustainable transformation of global systems was emphasised and recognised at COP27.
Germany has also provided significant additional funding. In the crisis year 2022, the BMZ invested an additional 1.4 billion euros in global food security. This brought the total amount to 3.5 billion euros. With these efforts, we are also fulfilling the role of investor by negotiating with our partner countries to jointly discuss conflicting goals, like the ones between productivity and environmental protection.
Our role is to contribute to resilient agrifood systems, and thus to protect people permanently from the consequences of the various crises.
In addition to food security goals, the issues of climate and biodiversity must also be considered. This requires a change in the planning of measures and the design of policies.
Instead of individual solutions, we need more systemic concepts, so-called win-win strategies, which clearly focus on conflicting goals.
These strategies can only be developed together with our partner countries. To this end, the BMZ supports the existing, transformative processes of our partner countries.
After Germany supported the UN Food Systems Summit, the BMZ team is also involved in the follow-up process: with our partners, we are preparing for the UN Food System Summit ‘Stocktaking’ in Rome in July. In a network meeting, we are currently consulting many of our implementation partners of the special initiative ‘Transformation of agrifood systems’. The goal is to analyse which contexts were conducive or obstructive, so that we can jointly redirect in a more targeted manner.
Additionally, two new global projects will be launched this year that will focus on sustainable agricultural systems and agricultural policy as well as the transformation of food systems. In these projects, transformative concepts will be piloted together with our partner countries. At the country level, the results of the previous projects will be supplemented and consolidated through national policy concepts. At the supraregional level, the reform concepts in the partner countries will be linked to the global agendas. In my opinion, the BMZ is assuming a pioneering role within the international community. As a role model, it is important to lead the way decisively and motivate other donors to also make a strong commitment to transformation.
What needs to happen in the future to expedite the transformation?
More of the same is not enough. We need to rethink, which places high expectations on us. Therefore, we need strong partnerships that end ideological discussions and instead move to power structures and make their interests transparent. The goal is more resilient, sustainable farming systems to withstand climate change and protect our livelihoods.
Agrifood systems must therefore fulfil several functions at once. They must create employment and income, produce food, make rural areas attractive and preserve biodiversity. At the same time, they must counteract and adapt to climate change.
In order for agrifood systems to be able to produce more and do it differently in the future, additional funds are needed to recognise farmers’ contributions to the common good. These funds need to be provided extensively and systematically. The transformation as a whole needs new financing solutions – starting with the restructuring of agricultural subsidies. Agricultural government subsidies are a key element for steering the transformation in the right direction.
A sustainable agrifood policy must ensure that government support for agriculture contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We are working very actively on making this happen, especially with the World Bank.
We must also recognise that the costs of transformation are too high to be financed by public funds alone. To close the ever-growing investment gaps for climate mitigation and adaptation alone, we need to engage the private sector more strategically. For example, a new generation of innovative payment mechanisms for ecosystem services could mobilise public and private funds and expand financing opportunities for smallholders. This topic is precisely the focus of the CompensACTION Initiative, which was launched by the BMZ last year at UNFCCC COP27.
In one sentence:
The international community must promote the transformation towards sustainable, resilient agrifood systems, facilitate a good mix of local production and imported food, preserve biodiversity and mitigate climate change.
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