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GeMUN 2017 FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) Study Guide – Topic 2 Edoardo Bellassai “Implementing the World Soil Charter” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Definition of key terms Introduction Background information Major countries involved UN involvement Useful links Implementing the world soil charter DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS - - - 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 - - - - - 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