How can Norway and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences contribute to solve the famine situation in Africa?

Dear all,

Thank you for the invitation to come to Noragric. It is a special time to be here, as the home countries of many of the students here are going through difficult times.  The critical situation at the Horn of Africa also demonstrates why the research carried out at Noragric is so important.

As we speak, many areas in for instance Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia are experiencing the worst drought in 60 years. Large populations face unacceptable risks to their food security and health.

In Southern Somalia, political conflict has aggravated the situation, causing famine and an immense humanitarian crisis. The situation is complex. We – the global community – need to work for solutions to meet both the short and longer-term challenges. The immediate needs of vulnerable and malnourished must be met, while also building longer-term resilience.

It is important that the UN system must be coordinated in its response to hunger and malnutrition. In this regard, I think the new and reformed committee of food security is a milestone. The twin-track approach of the UN spelled out in the Updated Comprehensive Framework for Action also provides the international community with a framework for how we should proceed.

The drought crisis at the Horn of Africa is unfortunately just one in many extreme weather events that we have seen over the past years. The consequences are enormous in a region where 80 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture for its daily livelihood. This means that building resilience in the agricultural sector will be a core survival strategy for the Horn of Africa, and for Africa as a whole.

To me, this demonstrates that promoting climate smart agriculture is more important than ever, and that a more sustainable food production system is urgently needed for the future. We know that climate change is increasingly threatening the livelihoods of millions of people. It is therefore vital to find ways to cope with climate change. At the same time, it is important to realize that agriculture not only suffers the impact of climate change, it is also responsible for 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. All sectors must cut emissions, and agriculture will take its share of the responsibility. We have to make use of the large potential for synergies between food security, adaptation and climate change mitigation. 

I am looking forward to getting some advices from the students who are living in the area and experience which solutions are working and which is not.

First of all: The agricultural sector in many developing countries suffers from longstanding underinvestment over decades. There is a need to reverse the underinvestment in agriculture, and to boost smallholder farmer food production. It is important that strategies for increasing investments in climate smart agriculture are country-driven.

Secondly: The competition for access to natural resources such as land and water is increasing globally. This competition will only continue. Farmers will need to feed a projected population of 9.1 billion in 2050. This task cannot be solved with unsustainable practices that lead to depletion of the natural resource base of food production, such as scarcity of land and water, and loss of biodiversity. Instead we need farming practices that regenerate and sustain healthy soils, reducing negative impacts on the environment and enhancing ecosystem services. Such production systems are more capable of performing well in the face of events such as drought, and therefore important for food security.

When talking about food security and a sustainable management of natural resources, we are also of course talking about forests. A major driver of deforestation is the need for agricultural land. The demand for agricultural land comes from industrial agriculture, but also from subsistence agriculture. For subsistence farmers food insecurity is real, and must be dealt with. Agricultural and forest policies must be seen as closely linked when facing the challenges of climate change and food insecurity.  This underlines the importance of improving agricultural practices on agricultural land that is already in use. I think this all-inclusive perspective on food security and natural resource management is very important. It is a component of “green economy”, and should therefore be a part of the outcome of the Rio+20 process. 

Another area that I would like to highlight is the diversity of plant genetic resources. Agriculture is founded on the diversity of plant and animal genetic resources, and on their ability to adapt to change. The development of crops that can cope with heat, drought, flood and other extremes will likely be the single most important action we can take to adapt to climate change. This was the main issue when Norway offered the Svalbard Global Seed Vault to the World. We need to develop new varieties adjustet to the future climatic conditions. These new varieties are to find in the genetic diversity of today.

I have underlined many times before when talking about food security, (and will continue to underline!), all countries have a stake in the task of feeding the world!  All countries have a responsibility to provide food for its own population, and to make sustainable use of natural resources. The main instrument for food security is national food production. I therefore look forward to discuss protection of soil resources in Norway later today. We cannot jeopardise national food security by using valuable agricultural land for property development. 

Finally, I would like to highlight the important work at this university and at other research institutions in Norway. Being a partner for research and agricultural development, Noragric is also a good example of the role of Norway in promoting global food security. A key word here I think is the cross-sectoral research carried out at Noragric. Food production and poverty, gender issues, property rights, environmental management, conflict, and peace building are all interlinked. Approaches to food security and agriculture must therefore deal with all these issues as a whole.

Thank you!