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Food Security in Asia within a Global context

Food Security in Asia within a Global context Shenggen Fan Director General | International Food Policy Research Institute. Asia Food Security Situation Roundtable Washington, DC | January 9 2012. Key messages. Asian food security is interconnected with global food security

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Food Security in Asia within a Global context

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  1. Food Security in Asia within a Global context Shenggen FanDirector General | International Food Policy Research Institute Asia Food Security Situation Roundtable Washington, DC | January 9 2012

  2. Key messages • Asian food security is interconnected with global food security • Emerging trends threaten Asian and global food security • Policies and investments must integrate Asia to the global food system • Green economy must not be achieved at the cost of hunger, poverty, and malnutrition reduction

  3. Asia accounts for largest share of world’s hungry people Number of hungry by region, 2010 62% Source: FAO 2010

  4. 15 countries in Asia have serious/alarminglevels of hunger (2011 GHI) • GHI components: • Proportion of undernourished • Prevalence of underweight in children • Under-five mortality rate Source: von Grebmer et al. 2011

  5. Micronutrient deficiencies remain pervasive, esp. in Asia • Iron deficiency anemia • Africa and South Asia have the highest prevalence • In some parts of India, 90% of girls suffer from this deficiency • Vitamin A deficiency • 163 mil. are vitamin A deficient in developing countries • 44.4% of children in South Asia suffer from this deficiency • Iodine deficiency • 1.7 bil. people worldwide are affected by iodine deficiency, and 1.3 bil. of them are in Asia Source: UNSCN 6th Report and Bharati et al. 2009

  6. South Asia is a hotspot of child undernutrition Prevalence of stunting in children under-5, 2003-08 Source: UNICEF 2009 Prevalence of underweight in children under-5, 2003-08

  7. Asia plays an important role in global food markets Source: Choi 2010 Source: FAO 2011

  8. Asian countries: increasing role in foreign direct investment FDI flows to and from emerging countries, US$ billions • “South-South” FDI: 1/3 of all FDI to developing countries (est.) • Asian countries provide cushion for developing countries during recent crisis • Often promote technologies and business practices more suitable for developing country markets Source: UNCTAD 2009

  9. Emerging trends affecting Asian and global food security • Changing population and demographic trends • Rising energy prices • Land and water constraints • Climate change • Rising rural labor shortage / costs • Large gender inequality

  10. Changing population and demographic trends Developing South and East Asia’s rural and urban population Source: World Bank 2011 Larger and more urban population = increased demand for more and better food

  11. High land and water constraints Land degradation, 1981-2003 Areas of physical and economic water scarcity, 2007 Source: Bai et al. 2007 (LADA, FAO/ISRIC) Source: IWMI 2007

  12. Climate change impacts on agriculture 30% of Vietnam’s rice area Source: Nelson 2010 Source: IFPRI 2011

  13. Rising rural labor shortage / costs • Wages are rising rapidly in emerging economies • Rural labor is scarce due to rural-urban shifts • Rising rural labor costs e.g. in China and India = higher cost of production = less production Rising nominal minimum wage across China

  14. Large gender inequality in agriculture • Women make up large share of ag. workforce • e.g. 51% in Bangladesh and 49% in Vietnam • But have less access to resources and services • Closing gender gap in agriculture(FAO 2011): • Increases ag. production by 2.5–4% • Reduces number of undernourished people by 12–17%

  15. Towards an integrated food security agenda • Increase investment in agric. R&D, rural infrastructure, and productive social safety nets • Leverage smallholder agriculture for broad development outcomes • hunger and poverty reduction • nutrition and health • gender equity • low carbon economy • Support transparent, fair, and open trade • Promote regional strategic food reserves

  16. Green economy is a must, but food security should not be undermined Rio +20: UN Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 Food security Environmentally sustainable growth Green economy = Poverty reduction Equitable distribution Agriculture can play a key role in green economy through natural resources, food production, and economic linkages

  17. IFPRI’s agenda in the region • Support region- and country-led strategies through capacity strengthening and collaborative research • Facilitate regional dialogues, and knowledge, information and data sharing • Support mutual learning of development experiences among Asian countries and countries in other regions

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