Climate change likely to make it harder to
feed 1 billion hungry: CIDA chief
4 February, 2010 | By Mike Blanchfield (CP)
International Development Agency.
CIDA President Margaret Biggs offered that candid assessment of
the state of the undeveloped world and what Canada can do to
help, in a speech Thursday to University of Ottawa students.
Biggs, who rarely speaks publicly, also said a tough road lies ahead
in rebuilding earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
Food security is expected to be a key part of the G8's outreach to
poor countries at the summit Canada is hosting this summer.
Reminding her audience of about 80 graduate students of the global
food crisis of 2008, Biggs said: "It has not gone away."
One-sixth of the world - one billion people - including one of every
three inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa live in poverty and are
"chronically hungry," she said.
And the ability of poor people to grow food to feed starving
populations will be strongly challenged by climate change in the next
five years, she added.
"A key factor has been a decrease in agricultural productivity
because of the low levels of investment in agriculture around the
world. Everybody dropped the ball," said Biggs.
"In some areas, climate patterns are exacerbating some of these
tendencies. Arable land and water is becoming scarcer in some
cases because of climate change," she added.
"It doesn't mean we can't adapt . . . but that's a major new dynamic."
Her remarks are some of the strongest to date by a Canadian official
on the subject of climate security - the notion that climate change will
have serious security effects such as forcing mass migrations of
people, loss of coastal areas and possible conflict.
The British and U.S. militaries have drawn up significant contingency
plans to compensate for what they see as the serious global security
threats posed by climate change in the coming decades.
Before the Jan. 12 earthquake, Haiti was ravaged by four hurricanes
that destroyed 85 per cent of its agricultural capacity, said Biggs.
On the development front, Haiti is a "microcosm of a lot of what's
gone wrong in the past and what we have to get right going forward."
The key will be rebuilding state institutions and ultimately making
Haiti's government stronger, she said.
On a broader scale, Biggs said Canada's development focus on
food security is a key priority.
Biggs noted how Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced $600
million over three years for food security at last year's G8 summit in
Italy. At the Huntsville meeting in June, food security is expected to
be a major issue on a day of outreach when the eight countries open
up their talks to about a half dozen poor countries.
Biggs said food security is linked to Harper's other high-profile G8
priority - reducing the deaths of children and pregnant women in
poor countries.
She said poverty reduces the ability of countries "to move forward
and we know what it can do to children and mothers."
Biggs said more money is needed to boost agriculture production,
from developing new crops and new farming practices to new ways
of doing more.
Gebisa Ejeta, an award-winning agronomist, said if the G8 is serious
about food security it should first make good on its past promises,
many of which remain unfulfilled.
The Ethiopian-born winner of the 2009 World Food Prize for his
creation of a drought-and parasite-resistant strain of sorghum said
Africa has not shown that it can yet feed itself, but it has that ability.
"A lot of these nations are primarily agricultural countries and
therefore developing the agricultural sector becomes extremely
important and vital for developing these chains of events in health
and infrastructure building and expanding the economy," Ejeta said
in an interview prior to addressing a major conference in Ottawa on
expanding African innovation and prosperity.
Courtesy
feed 1 billion hungry: CIDA chief
4 February, 2010 | By Mike Blanchfield (CP)
- OTTAWA —
Poor countries
are still
gripped by the
food crisis of
two years ago
and climate
change will
only make
International Development Agency.
CIDA President Margaret Biggs offered that candid assessment of
the state of the undeveloped world and what Canada can do to
help, in a speech Thursday to University of Ottawa students.
Biggs, who rarely speaks publicly, also said a tough road lies ahead
in rebuilding earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
Food security is expected to be a key part of the G8's outreach to
poor countries at the summit Canada is hosting this summer.
Reminding her audience of about 80 graduate students of the global
food crisis of 2008, Biggs said: "It has not gone away."
One-sixth of the world - one billion people - including one of every
three inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa live in poverty and are
"chronically hungry," she said.
And the ability of poor people to grow food to feed starving
populations will be strongly challenged by climate change in the next
five years, she added.
"A key factor has been a decrease in agricultural productivity
because of the low levels of investment in agriculture around the
world. Everybody dropped the ball," said Biggs.
"In some areas, climate patterns are exacerbating some of these
tendencies. Arable land and water is becoming scarcer in some
cases because of climate change," she added.
"It doesn't mean we can't adapt . . . but that's a major new dynamic."
Her remarks are some of the strongest to date by a Canadian official
on the subject of climate security - the notion that climate change will
have serious security effects such as forcing mass migrations of
people, loss of coastal areas and possible conflict.
The British and U.S. militaries have drawn up significant contingency
plans to compensate for what they see as the serious global security
threats posed by climate change in the coming decades.
Before the Jan. 12 earthquake, Haiti was ravaged by four hurricanes
that destroyed 85 per cent of its agricultural capacity, said Biggs.
On the development front, Haiti is a "microcosm of a lot of what's
gone wrong in the past and what we have to get right going forward."
The key will be rebuilding state institutions and ultimately making
Haiti's government stronger, she said.
On a broader scale, Biggs said Canada's development focus on
food security is a key priority.
Biggs noted how Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced $600
million over three years for food security at last year's G8 summit in
Italy. At the Huntsville meeting in June, food security is expected to
be a major issue on a day of outreach when the eight countries open
up their talks to about a half dozen poor countries.
Biggs said food security is linked to Harper's other high-profile G8
priority - reducing the deaths of children and pregnant women in
poor countries.
She said poverty reduces the ability of countries "to move forward
and we know what it can do to children and mothers."
Biggs said more money is needed to boost agriculture production,
from developing new crops and new farming practices to new ways
of doing more.
Gebisa Ejeta, an award-winning agronomist, said if the G8 is serious
about food security it should first make good on its past promises,
many of which remain unfulfilled.
The Ethiopian-born winner of the 2009 World Food Prize for his
creation of a drought-and parasite-resistant strain of sorghum said
Africa has not shown that it can yet feed itself, but it has that ability.
"A lot of these nations are primarily agricultural countries and
therefore developing the agricultural sector becomes extremely
important and vital for developing these chains of events in health
and infrastructure building and expanding the economy," Ejeta said
in an interview prior to addressing a major conference in Ottawa on
expanding African innovation and prosperity.
Courtesy
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