Støtte til landbrugskooperativer var engang en stor byggesten i dansk bistand, især til Afrika – nu får kooperativerne det blå stempel af FN, der kalder dem et effektivt udviklingsværktøj for hundreder af millioner små fødevareproducenter.
ROME, 16 October 2012: Agricultural cooperatives, already enriching millions of small-scale farmers (småbønder), could expand and make an even greater contribution against poverty and hunger, if they were given the right support by governments, civil society and academia.
That is the key message of this year’s World Food Day, observed Tuesday in 150 countries.
The theme this year focuses on “Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world” and coincides with the International Year of Cooperatives.
The fight against hunger was given new impetus (ekstra skub) last week with the release of figures showing that, despite there being 132 million fewer hungry people in the world compared to 20 years ago, there are still nearly 870 million people who go without enough food every day,
Budskab fra Paven
Pope Benedict XVI said in a message for World Food Day that given the human dimension, agricultural cooperatives are able to favour economic development that meet the most pressing local needs.
“Agricultural cooperatives have an alternative vision to those economic models that seem to have as their only goals, profit, the interests of the markets, the use of food crops for non-food purposes and the introduction of new food production technologies without the necessary precautions,” the Pope said.
“The presence of cooperatives can put an end to the trend of speculation in essential food commodities intended for human consumption, and reduce the large-scale acquisition (opkøb) of arable lands (dyrkbar jord) that in many regions forces farmers off their land because by themselves they are too weak to defend their rights,” he said.
Producerer fødevarer, men mangler hjælp
FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva emphasized the need to work for the total eradication of hunger, adding that many countries, in South America, Africa and Asia, are proving that it is possible.
Da Silva threw his weight behind cooperatives as a major way to lift small-scale farmers out of poverty and hunger.
Although they produce most of the food in many countries, he said small-scale farmers had poor access to markets to sell their products, lack of bargaining power (forhandlingsstyrke) to buy inputs at better prices and a lack of access to financial services (banklån m.v.).
“Agricultural cooperatives can help smallholders overcome these constraints (forhindringer),” he said, adding:
“Cooperatives play a crucial role in generating employment, reducing poverty, and improving food security, and contributing to the gross domestic product in many countries.”
The FAO chief urged governments to do their part and “create conditions that allow producer organizations and cooperatives to thrive”.
Budskab fra FNs boss
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a messge to World Food Day that agricultural cooperatives would be crucial in meeting the Zero Hunger Challenge that he launched at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June.
“The great expertise of agricultural cooperatives will be invaluable in achieving one of the initiative’s primary aims: doubling the income and productivity of smallholder farmers,” he said.
IFAD klar ude i felten
President Kanayo F. Nwanze of the International Fund on Agricultural Development said that the Fund works closely with cooperatives worldwide.
“From tea growers in Rwanda to livestock (kvægbrugs) resource centres in Nepal, there are many examples of how cooperatives better support smallholder farmers to not only organize themselves, but to collectively increase their opportunities and resources,” he said.
“Our experience at IFAD working with farmers has proven time and time again that cooperatives are critical to reach these objectives,” he said, noting:
“This is why we place a lot of emphasis on cooperatives and continue to enhance our work with them.”
Se om et nyt fem-årigt støtteprogram for verdens fattige landbokvinder
på http://www.ifad.org/media/events/2012/ruralwomen.htm
WFP-chef om sociale sikkerhedsnet
The World Food Programme Executive Director Ertharin Cousin spoke on the need for social safety nets for those who could barely feed themselves.
“In our world, too many still struggle to find their next meal. Social protection and safety net programmes enable the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, to lift themselves out of hunger and poverty,” she said, concluding:
“These programmes provide a cushion (stødpude) that is otherwise unavailable and build resilience (modstandskraft) against economic and environmental shocks.” Se også www.wfp.org
Kilde: www.fao.org
