International Conference on biodiversity in relation to food and human security

Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, 

 
Agriculture is founded on the diversity of plant and animal genetic variation.  The ability of agriculture to adapt draws on this diversity: it is therefore the foundation of the world’s food security.
 
After some decades of optimistic trends regarding global food production, the tables were rapidly turned a few years ago when the effects of the global food crisis and the consequences of the economic crisis hit the world at large. The number of people who face food shortages has risen by 150 million since 2007 and one billion people are facing food shortages and malnutrition. Cold voices of realism are questioning millennium targets of halving the proportion suffering from hunger.
 
World population is expected to grow by 2.3 billion by 2050 and the FAO has calculated that agriculture needs to increase production by 70% to guarantee that everyone has enough to eat. We are facing the multiple challenge of feeding a growing population under conditions of climate change where the moot point  is not if it will get warmer, but if we can contain man-made temperature increases to two degrees in the lives of our children and grandchildren.
y This is why we need a climate deal where agriculture is an essential part.
 
In my view, the main instrument for global food security is the national food production. Every country has an obligation to provide for itsw own population. Trade alone cannot solve the fundamental challenges regarding rising hunger.
 
The related challenge of food insecurity and climate challenge requires us to produce more food in a sustainable and climate friendly way.  Government White Paper on Climate change and the linkage to Agriculture and Food production, entitled “Agriculture – a part of the solution” addressing this, was recently approved by the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget
 
Among the range of measures addressed in the paper, I would like to highlight five key areas:  
 
Firstly, the topsoil is one of the most important carbon sinks on earth. Soil resources must be managed in such a way that carbon sinks are not reduced.
 
Secondly, greater use can be made of forest resources as a climate policy instrument with a view to increase uptake of CO2.
 
Thirdly, there is great potential for delivering renewable energy based on biomass- timber and agricultural waste of biogas, including sound overall solutions for handling organic waste and animal manure.
 
Fourthly, with climate change there is an increased risk of new pests and new plant and animal diseases. The government will strengthen monitoring and make provisions for targeted research in this field.
 
The fifth dealt with  biodiversity  - our issue here today:
 
Time is running out, not only in the short term of finding international solutions to climate change containment, but also to establish the wide range of measures necessary to secure the biological diversity which we are dependent on for long term food security. 
 
Every country in the world has a responsibility for providing food for its inhabitants, but every country also shares a common responsibility of improving its agriculture in a resource-protective way, in observance of sustainable use of biological diversity, land and water, to meet the needs of future generationsBearing in mind that such activities are not always of interest for commercial enterprises, there is a need for adequate support at national and global levels.
 
I want to emphasize that the challenges we face can only be met through our joint efforts. This means massive efforts by both developed and developing countries. This means increasing investments in agriculture, recognizing that the agricultural sector must be placed at the centre of the development agenda.
This means recognizing the importance of sustainable management -  of crop diversity, of forests, of seas and inland waters, of livestock
Agricultural diversity is based on global interdependence. No country in the world is self-sufficient in the genetic diversity of the crops that feed its people.
 
In the last century alone, more than 75 % of all known food crops have disappeared forever. We are now dangerously reliant on only a few varieties of rice, potatoes, maize, wheat and other staple foods.
 
In keeping with the fact that the genetic diversity of our crops has become a critical issue in
climate change adaptation, it is therefore in the interests of every nation to ensure that this diversity is conserved and is available to all: Conserving crop diversity is therefore one of the most cost-effective measures possible to increase food security.
 
It should be recognized that conserving the world’s crop diversity requires a partnership between agriculture, environment and development assistant communities.
 
The framework for this exists:
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Convention on Biological Diversity both call for its conservation, sustainable use and the fair and equitable sharing of its benefits. 
The International PlantTreaty recognizes the enormous contribution of farmers to the diversity of crop that feed the world, it establishes a global system to provide farmers, plant breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic material, and it ensures that benefits derived from its use of these genetic materials are shared with farmers and other stakeholders in developing countries. 
 
Norway has as a response to this, set up an annual contribution to the Benefit Sharing Fund of the International Treaty,  equal to ’point one percent’  of the value of all  agricultural seeds that are sold in Norway.
For Norway, this fund represents the most direct way to increase the ability of developing country farmers to improve, conserve and utilize the crops in their fields - and of course to feed their families. 
In 2009, the Fund invested in its first 11 projects (one of which was in India). In just four weeks the Fund received more than $20 million in requests for support. I believe this highlights the very real demand that exists.
 
As my friend Swaminathan I have also the honour of representing the Treaty internationally, and I will encourage other countries, as well as India,  to implement its provision as well as to also consider contributions to the Benefit Sharing Fund. Together I hope we will continue our cooperation in our work for biodiversity as we started in Svalbard 2009 together carrying another box of safety duplicates of seeds for future food security.