Hundreder af millioner arbejdsomme småfarmere, de fleste af dem kvinder, er nøglen til mad på bordet for alle – FNs generalsekretær ønsker at kaste et kraftigt spotlys på deres rolle på topmøde om 2015 Målene til september i New York.
Det sagde FN-chefen Ban Ki-moon i et budskab til styrelsesrådsmødet i FNs Fond for Landbrugsudvikling (IFAD), der finder sted i Rom onsdag og torsdag.
ROME, 13 February 2013 (UN News Service): “We cannot achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs – 2015 Målene) and ensure sustainable food security without supporting small-scale agriculture”, noted he.
“But, no matter how great our progress towards the MDGs, considerable challenges await. Extreme poverty and hunger will persist; an added injustice in a world where there is enough food for all”.
“As we define a post-2015 development agenda, we must learn from recent experience – including the food, fuel and economic crises – and ensure a central role for food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture”.
Mr. Ban Ki-moon further stated:
“The world has to change. My “Zero Hunger Challenge” presents a road map to a future where all people enjoy their fundamental right to food and where production systems and livelihoods are resilient to a changing climate”.
“A core component of the Challenge is to double smallholder farmers’ productivity and income while creating decent employment. These farmers, who are predominantly women, produce most of the world’s food”.
“Hjælper vi dem, hjælper vi os alle”
“Improving their well-being will reduce poverty, increase the food supply and stabilize prices for everyone”.
“Governments, farmers, scientists, civil society, businesses and consumers must all join this effort. IFAD – itself a unique partnership – has over the past 35 years demonstrated its ability to act as a strategic catalyst in uniting diverse collaborators (samarbejdspartnere) in service of its mission to empower rural people to overcome poverty”.
“When world leaders gather in New York this September to discuss progress on the MDGs and the post-2015 agenda, I will urge them to focus on strategic partnerships that promise the most impact”.
“I will count on IFAD and its partners to shine a global spotlight on the powerful potential of investing in smallholder farming systems as a contribution to sustainable development”, Mr Ban concluded.
Se også www.ifad.org
