Speech: 4th Berlin Minister`s Summit

Dear colleagues,

Firstly, let me thank the Federal Minister of Agriculture for the invitation and for the opportunity to discuss and provide an input to the upcoming Rio + 20 United Nations Conference.

Since the Rio Summit in 1992, global wealth has increased.  At the same time, more people are food insecure. Climate change, population growth and natural resource limits represent huge challenges for food security.

If agriculture is to feed 9 billion people in 2050, our limited resources must be used more wisely. This is the only option.

Firstly I wish to underline that all countries have a right and a responsibility to use sustainably natural resources for food production. For Norway, this means pursuing agricultural policies that ensure food production throughout the country.

Ensuring food security through increased sustainable food production is one of the main goals for Norwegian agricultural policies. Only 3 percent of the total area in Norway is arable land. To preserve and protect agricultural land is therefore a high priority.

Secondly, food production must be based on sustainable agricultural practices maintaining the health and productivity of soil and other ecosystem services. Climate smart practices that improve the resilience of farming systems, increases production and mitigation must be promoted. The major driver of deforestation is the need for agricultural land. Agricultural and forest policies must be seen as closely linked. 

A Green economy must also see the basic human needs for food, water and energy together. Access to sustainable energy is central. Food and energy security are challenges that must be met in an integrated manner.  

Gender equality is central to sustainable development. In many countries, women remain limited in their access to critical resources. This holds back rural development and progress in agriculture. In Norwegian agricultural policies, a Government strategy called Equality in the Agricultural Sector has been developed.  The aim is that women and men shall have the same opportunity to own a farm and to run a farm. Promoting diversified economic activities in rural areas, thus creating new job opportunities is a pillar of this strategy. Strengthening female participation in farm cooperatives is also an important goal.

The development of crops adapted to a more extreme climate will be vital.  The International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture establishes common rules to make crop diversity freely accessible to plant breeders and farmers, and to ensure that that any benefits derived from that access are shared through its Benefit-Sharing Fund. This Fund invests directly in high impact projects supporting farmers in developing countries to conserve crop diversity in their fields and thereby increasing local food security in the light of climate change. 

Finally, using limited resources more wisely also means that greater efforts are needed to reduce significantly food losses in the entire food chain. A comprehensive strategy to stop food waste should be one of many outcomes from Rio +20.

Thank you,