Download Total 51.597 35.922 70

GeMUN 2017
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)
Study Guide – Topic 2
Edoardo Bellassai
“Implementing the World Soil Charter”
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Definition of key terms
Introduction
Background information
Major countries involved
UN involvement
Useful links
Implementing the world soil charter
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
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Soil degradation is the human-induced process, which leads to any deleterious change or
disturbance to the land and the ecosystem, such as desertification, radioactivity, salinization,
urbanization etc. It is estimated that almost the 40% of the actual agricultural land is being
seriously degraded with heavy consequences on both the production and the sustainability of
agriculture.
Ecological sustainability is the property of biological systems and ecosystems to remain
productive indefinitely. It could be achieved by improving the quality and efficiency of the
productive process while limiting the human impact on the environment.
Food-Based Dietary Guidelines are intended to indicate a common basis for public food and
nutrition, agricultural policies and education.
INTRODUCTION
In 1974, the World Food Conference took place in Rome with the aim of proposing a solution to
the pressing issues regarding food production and famine in developing countries such as the
fertilizer supply scheme, the world food security and the widespread bad weather and poor
harvests of 1972.
The full report of the committee, The State of Food and Agriculture, called upon the FAO for a
rapid and effective answer in cooperation with the ECOSOC committee and the General Assembly.
Aware of the raising demand for a clear and complete project, the 21st Session of the FAO
Conference, in November 1981, published the World Soil Charter, which established a set of
principles for the optimum use of the world's land resources, for the improvement of their
productivity, and for their conservation for future generations.
Implementing the world soil charter
It focused on asking cooperation and allegiance with both governments and international
organizations to pursue an active program on soil management in order to achieve long-term
advantages rather than further exploitation.
The 13 principles and guidelines provide a structured and efficient program that tackles all the
aspects of soil management, from the environment protection to the technological development,
as well as raising awareness and education among the public opinion and the land users. It was a
major normative instrument agreed by member states, and that the Global Soil Partnership (GSP)
was duty-bound to promote its principles.
Still, after 30 years, it is clear that there has been a lack of strength and commitment in the
implementation of the Soil Charter, as well as a certain negligence to recognise the great
emergency surrounding the food system and the soil management due to the climate change and
the incredibly rapid population growth and urbanization.
“We have to make sure that nutrition contributes to impact. It’s not only about supporting debate but it’s also about
catalysing action”
Kostas Stamoulis, FAO Assistant General-Director
Continent
Total area
Degraded area
% degraded
Africa
14.326
10.458
73
Asia
18.814
13.417
71
Australia and the Pacific
7.012
3.759
54
Europe
1.456
0.943
65
North America
5.782
4.286
74
South America
4.207
3.058
73
Total
51.597
35.922
70
Table: Estimates of all degraded lands (in million km 2) in dry areas
Implementing the world soil charter
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
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The current world population of 7.3 billion is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion
in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, according to UNDESA (UN department for economic and social
affairs)
The U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) defines land degradation as
“degradation in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors,
including climatic variations and human activities”. Land degradation is defined as the
reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity of drylands.
The Global Soil Partnership complements the 15-years-old Global Water Partnership initiated
by the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank in 1996 to coordinate the
development and management of water, land, and related resources in order to maximise
economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of vital environmental
systems.
Some 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life.
That is about one on nine people on earth. The vast majority of the world's hungry people live
in developing countries, where 12.9 percent of the population is undernourished.
Asia is the continent with the hungriest people - two thirds of the total. The percentage in
southern Asia has fallen in recent years but in western Asia, it has increased slightly.
The Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), co - organized by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization
(WHO), was held at the Headquarters of FAO in Rome, Italy, from 19 to 21 November 2014.
The Conference was convened to:
(i)
Review progress, made since the 1992 International Conference on Nutrition,
respond to new challenges and opportunities, and identify policy options for
improving nutrition;
(ii)
Bring food, agriculture, health and other sectors together and align their sectoral
policies to improve nutrition in a sustainable manner;
(iii)
Propose adaptable policy options and institutional frameworks that can adequately
address major nutrition challenges in the foreseeable future;
(iv)
encourage greater political and policy coherence, alignment, coordination and
cooperation among food, agriculture, health and other sectors;
(v)
mobilize the political will and resources to improve nutrition; and
(vi)
Identify priorities for international cooperation on nutrition in the near and
medium terms.
Implementing the world soil charter
MAJOR COUNTRIES INVOLVED
People's Republic of China (PRC): China is the world's biggest producer, importer and consumer of
food. Much of China's land is too mountainous or too arid for farming, but the rich soils of the
eastern and southern regions are extremely productive. China also has the world's largest food
workforce, with some estimates as high as 315 million workers. Virtually any agricultural and
nutritional project should have the support of China to pass.
The United States of America (U.S.A): The U.S. has been the world's largest exporter of food for a
very long time thanks to an increasingly productive farming sector based upon intensive culture
and an incredibly developed biotechnical support.
Somalia: At least three million people in Somalia need humanitarian aid and the country is
threatened with famine. This situation is widely considered the best example of failure in
improving the food system production and increasing the accessibility to it. The recent drought
has shown that simple food aid, although helpful, cannot improve the social and economic
condition of a country.
Colombia: Colombia is highly committed to reduce deforestation in the Amazon, harbouring one
of the world’s most precious rainforests. Recently deforestation in the region has started to
decline after Colombia significantly expanded the area of forest under protection launching, as a
core policy, the Amazon Vision Programme, a progressive low deforestation vision with the aim to
promote sustainable development in the region.
UN INVOLVEMENT
All United Nations organs have understood for some time that the food system development is at
the base of any kind of social, economic and humanitarian progress in many parts of the world.
The organizations directly connected to the FAO are IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural
Development) and WHO (World Health Organization) regarding nutrition health. During the last 30
years, great efforts have been made by these organizations to support all nations in their constant
efforts to improve their food productivity and sustainability.
There is also a great number of international organizations not strictly dependent on the UN that
operate on the front line of agricultural development and environment protection such as the
Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) and the Global Soil Partnership (GSP).
Implementing the world soil charter
The world soil charter principles and guidelines have not weakened in the last 30 years. The
scientific progress and the worsening of climate change effects, on the contrary, constantly remind
us of the lack of commitment in applying rules that would improve all aspects of the agricultural
economy of both developing and developed countries.
Although small sacrifices on the short term production should be done, the advantages of a long
term sustainable and efficient food system are much more important and decisive to tackle the
increasing of the nutrition demand and the environment emergency.
USEFUL LINKS:
FAO Hunger map: http://www.fao.org/hunger/en/
The world Soil Charter: http://www.fao.org/docrep/T0389E/T0389E0b.htm
Protection of Soil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_69vy7ZBxE&list=PLzp5NgJ2dK4pYWxZnKO47dp64ZcUoqYy
The state of food and agriculture (1974): http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/f3350e/f3350e.pdf
Sustainable food and agriculture project: http://www.fao.org/sustainability/en/
Implementing the world soil charter