Innovations in institutions to support people and the planet

1. 生態議題論述 2011 April Innovations in institutions to support people and the planet 鄭先祐 (Ayo) 國立臺南大學 生態科學與技術學系 教授 Ayo NUTN Web: http://myweb.nutn.edu.tw/~hycheng/ 生態議題論述 2011

2. Five parts • Innovations in understanding complex systems • Innovations in evaluating agricultural development projects • Innovations in institutions to support people and the planet • Innovations in governance • Innovations in policy reform 生態議題論述 2011

3. Crisis and capacity • We find ourselves poised today on the threshold of the potential collapse of vital ecosystem functions on which people and the planet depend. • At the same time, we are seeing intolerable levels of poverty, with nearly 1 billion people going hungry every day as a result. • We have the capacity to produce adequate supplies of healthy food while building ecological resilience, assuring social equity, and cooling the planet. 生態議題論述 2011

4. Political commitment • But doing so at a global scale requires deep-seated political commitment and resolve, informed by a clear understanding of the root causes of poverty and hunger and a willingness to change course. • This in turn requires policy-makers to grapple honestly with the political economy of hunger and the political ecology of a food system in crisis. 生態議題論述 2011

5. Comprehensive evaluation of global agriculture • International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) • Over 400 scientists and development experts from more than 80 countries, and endorsed by 58 governments • The report concluded, • Business as usual is not an option. 生態議題論述 2011

6. Business as usual • It found that industrial agricultural technologies and practices – and the political, economic, and institutional arrangements supporting them – have increased crop yields at times but at enormous cost to public health, the environment, social and gender equity, and the very foundations of food security. • These technologies and practices: the few have benefited at the expense of the many, the natural resource base on which human survival depends has been severely degraded. 生態議題論述 2011

7. IAASTD warned • Growing market concentration in the food and agribusiness industries, vertical integration of the food system, the speed with which trade liberalization has taken place in many regions, and corporate influence over public policy, research, and extension have had largely negative consequences for the poorest countries, their environments, and the health and livelihoods of their people. 生態議題論述 2011

8. Requires ….. • This requires not only investing in biodiverse ecological farming practices but also establishing new institutions and creating an enabling policy environment to support the food and livelihood security of small-scale farmers and rural communities. • It also requires freeing farmers to use their own skills and knowledge to do what they know how to do, and supporting them where addition information, collaborative efforts, or policy and market interventions are needed. 生態議題論述 2011

9. Supporting farmers • Supporting farmers means providing political support for the establishment of farmers’, women’s, indigenous, workers’, and other community-based organizations. • Supporting rural communities also means ensuring that peasant farmers have secure access to and control over land, water, seeds, markets, and capital, wile increasing public investments in health, education, and infrastructure in rural areas. 生態議題論述 2011

10. Democratization • Thus, ultimately what is required today is nothing less than the democratization of the global food system. • A fully functioning food democracy requires food literacy of its members – that is, people need to understand not just the origins of the food they consume but the social, political, and cultural context of its producers and everyone involved in the distribution of that food. 生態議題論述 2011

11. Moral leadership and social movements • Strong moral leadership from national governments and international bodies is needed to halt the current epidemic of land grabs and to establish and enforce high environmental and social justice standards. • Finally, social movements around the world are calling for a rights-based approach to food – and a growing number of governments, including Brazil, Ecuador, Malawi, and Nepal, are taking just such an approach. 生態議題論述 2011

12. 問題與討論 國立臺南大學 通識課程 2011年春 Ayo NUTN website: http://myweb.nutn.edu.tw/~hycheng/