Food security is now a top priority on the international agenda. On 20 November, the Global Forum on Food Security in London highlighted that "climate change, conflict and population growth pose increasing challenges to food security". According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), almost 30% of the world's population (2,356.9 million people) is food insecure.
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a major global food supplier, exporting 40% of its food production and representing 17% of the total world food exports. However, several countries in the region are also importers. In addition, inequalities in access to food persist, and climate change, rural poverty, loss of agricultural biodiversity, food inflation and health crises (such as COVID-19) pose challenges to food security in LAC. In the European Union (EU), food supply is not under threat, but European agriculture is dependent on imports of essential products such as animal feed and fertilisers.
The declaration of the EU-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Summit in July 2023 recognised food security as one of the challenges aggravated by the impact of Russia's war on Ukraine. It proposed improved cooperation and coordination in multilateral fora. Both regions have a shared responsibility to contribute to the 2030 Agenda, which established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including "ending world hunger" (SDG2), but also the challenges of contributing to sustainable production that preserves the planet for future generations. Cooperation between the EU and LAC in the agriculture and food sector has a long history, but there is a need to give it a more strategic dimension and to promote joint strategies to address the complexities of the global challenge of food security. Initiatives that can promote dialogue and cooperation include:
Establish platforms for dialogue: Create formal and informal platforms where different EU and LAC actors can address food security challenges through meetings and exchanges that foster open discussion and cooperation between governments at different levels together with private sector and civil society actors to identify possible solutions.
Research and Development (R&D) Cooperation: Encourage collaboration on joint research and development projects between universities and research centres in both regions to stimulate research on topics such as sustainable food production methods, innovative agricultural technologies, climate-resilient crops and strategies to combat malnutrition.
Exchange knowledge and experience: Promote exchange programmes, technical visits and internships so that EU and LAC food security experts can learn from each other and implement multi-level training for different actors in the food production chain, including the most vulnerable rural actors, women and indigenous peoples in Latin America.
Supporting local initiatives: Strengthen local initiatives in both regions that address specific food security problems through support to community projects, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and nutrition education programmes, including support to small-scale agricultural producers by replicating successful programmes such as «Al-Invest 5.0».
Promote transparency and coordination: Establish transparent and coordinated bi-regional mechanisms to share information on food security, including data on food quality, fertiliser availability and emerging risks.
Developing joint policies: Promote food security policies to increase sustainable food and fertiliser production and other measures to prevent food contamination.
Training and institutional strengthening: Training food safety professionals and officials to improve their skills and knowledge and strengthening institutions responsible for regulating and monitoring the food chain.
Encouraging investment in modern agricultural technology: Investing in digitalisation and modern agricultural technology in LAC to have more efficient irrigation systems or better post-harvest management to reduce food loss and support increased production to meet growing population demand in a sustainable way.
Promoting sustainable trade: Create an enabling environment for fair trade by promoting the transition to sustainable agriculture, access to a variety of nutritious foods, and addressing the challenge of food security in future trade agreements.
Addressing global challenges: The EU and LAC can work together to respond to global challenges such as resilience to climate change, improving equitable access to food for the most vulnerable populations, enhancing biodiversity, transitioning to food sustainability and addressing food crises by developing joint strategies to mitigate these challenges.
All these challenges were discussed at the International Conference "Food Security: Challenges and Opportunities for EU-Latin America and Caribbean relations" held on 9 November. This conference served to contrast the findings of a publication of the same name, co-funded by the EU-LAC Foundation. Both the conference and the publication concluded that the challenges of food security are due to a confluence of factors relating to production structures in general and food systems in particular.
For this reason, cooperation between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean requires joint action at multiple levels (multilateral, regional, national and local), employing a comprehensive approach that integrates political, economic and social dimensions. Analysing the different variables that affect food security allows for a better understanding of possible scenarios and the development of long-term strategies to meet the challenge of providing healthy food for all, compatible with the preservation of the planet and responding to the consequences of climate change.
Aróstica, P. & Ayuso, A. (eds.) (2023) Seguridad Alimentaria. Desafíos y oportunidades para las relaciones entre la Unión Europea y América Latina y el Caribe. CIDOB. Barcelona. Available at: https://eulacfoundation.org/es/seguridad-alimentaria-desafios-y-oportun…;
Usalama wa chakula sasa ni kipaumbele cha juu kwenye ajenda ya kimataifa. "Mkutano wa kimataifa wa usalama wa chakula uliofanyika London Novemba 20 ulikazia kuwa ""mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa, migogoro na ongezeko la idadi ya watu ni changamoto kubwa kwa usalama wa chakula.""" Kulingana na Shirika la Chakula na Kilimo (FAO), karibu asilimia 30 ya watu duniani (watu milioni 2.356.9) hawana usalama wa chakula. Amerika ya Kusini na Karibea (LAC) ni muuzaji mkubwa wa chakula ulimwenguni, ikiuza nje 40% ya uzalishaji wake wa chakula na inawakilisha 17% ya jumla ya mauzo ya nje ya chakula ulimwenguni. Hata hivyo, nchi kadhaa katika eneo hilo pia ni waagizaji. "Aidha, ""ukosefu wa usawa katika upatikanaji wa chakula unaendelea, na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa, umaskini wa vijijini, upotezaji wa bioanuwai ya kilimo, mfumuko wa bei ya chakula na mgogoro wa afya (kama COVID-19) unaweka changamoto kwa usalama wa chakula katika LAC.""" Katika Umoja wa Ulaya (EU), ugavi wa chakula hauko hatarini, lakini kilimo cha Ulaya kinategemea uagizaji wa bidhaa muhimu kama vile chakula cha wanyama na mbolea. Taarifa ya Mkutano wa EU-CELAC (Umoja wa Amerika ya Kusini na Karibea) Julai 2023 ilitambua usalama wa chakula kama moja ya changamoto zilizozidishwa na athari za vita vya Urusi dhidi ya Ukraine. Ilipendekeza kuboresha ushirikiano na uratibu katika vikao vya kimataifa. "Mikoa yote miwili ina jukumu la kushiriki katika ""Agenda 2030,"" ambayo ilianzisha malengo ya maendeleo endelevu (SDGs), ikiwa ni pamoja na ""kumaliza njaa ulimwenguni"" (SDG2), lakini pia changamoto za kuchangia uzalishaji endelevu ambao huhifadhi sayari kwa vizazi vijavyo." Ushirikiano kati ya EU na LAC katika sekta ya kilimo na chakula una historia ndefu, lakini kuna haja ya kuipa mwelekeo wa kimkakati zaidi na kukuza mikakati ya pamoja ili kukabiliana na utata wa kimataifa wa usalama wa chakula. "Kupitia mpango wa ""Mkutano wa Usalama wa Chakula,"" viongozi wa EU na LAC wanajitahidi kuunda jukwaa la mazungumzo ya kimataifa ili kujadili changamoto za usalama wa chakula na kuendeleza mazungumzo ya wazi na ushirikiano kati ya serikali katika ngazi tofauti na sekta binafsi na watendaji wa jamii ya kiraia." Ushirikiano wa Utafiti na Maendeleo: Kuhamasisha ushirikiano juu ya miradi ya pamoja ya utafiti na maendeleo kati ya vyuo vikuu na vituo vya utafiti katika mikoa yote miwili ili kuchochea utafiti juu ya mada kama vile mbinu endelevu za uzalishaji wa chakula, teknolojia za kilimo za ubunifu, mazao ya hali ya hewa na mikakati ya kupambana na utapiamlo. """Kuchanganya maarifa na uzoefu: Kukuza programu za kubadilishana, ziara za kiufundi na mafunzo ili wataalamu wa usalama wa chakula wa EU na LAC waweze kujifunza kutoka kwa kila mmoja na kutekeleza mafunzo ya ngazi nyingi kwa watendaji tofauti katika mlolongo wa uzalishaji wa chakula, pamoja na watendaji wa vijijini walio hatarini zaidi, wanawake na watu wa asili katika Amerika ya Kusini." "Kupitia mpango wa ""Al-Invest 5.0,"" mipango ya ""Al-Invest 5.0"" na ""Al-Invest 5.0"" itaendelea kuendelezwa." Kuendeleza uwazi na uratibu: Kuanzisha uwazi na utaratibu wa uratibu wa kikanda ili kushiriki habari juu ya usalama wa chakula, ikiwa ni pamoja na data juu ya ubora wa chakula, upatikanaji wa mbolea na hatari zinazojitokeza. Kuendeleza sera za pamoja: Kukuza sera za usalama wa chakula ili kuongeza uzalishaji endelevu wa chakula na mbolea na hatua nyingine za kuzuia uchafuzi wa chakula. Mafunzo na kuimarisha taasisi: Kufundisha wataalamu wa usalama wa chakula na maafisa ili kuboresha ujuzi wao na maarifa na kuimarisha taasisi zinazohusika na udhibiti na ufuatiliaji wa mlolongo wa chakula. """Kupendekeza uwekezaji katika teknolojia ya kisasa ya kilimo: kuwekeza katika digitalization na teknolojia ya kisasa ya kilimo katika LAC ili kuwa na mifumo ya umwagiliaji bora au usimamizi bora wa baada ya mavuno ili kupunguza hasara ya chakula na kusaidia ongezeko la uzalishaji ili kukidhi mahitaji ya idadi ya watu kwa njia endelevu." Kuendeleza biashara endelevu: Kuunda mazingira ya kuwezesha biashara ya haki kwa kukuza mabadiliko ya kilimo endelevu, upatikanaji wa vyakula mbalimbali vyenye lishe, na kushughulikia changamoto ya usalama wa chakula katika makubaliano ya biashara ya baadaye. EU na LAC zinaweza kufanya kazi pamoja ili kukabiliana na changamoto za kimataifa kama vile upinzani wa mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa, kuboresha upatikanaji wa haki wa chakula kwa watu walio hatarini zaidi, kuongeza utofauti wa kibiolojia, mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa na kukabiliana na mgogoro wa chakula kwa kuendeleza mikakati ya pamoja ili kupunguza changamoto hizi. "Mkutano huo ulifanyika katika mkutano wa kimataifa wa ""Usalama wa Chakula: Changamoto na Fursa kwa Mahusiano ya EU na Amerika ya Kusini na Karibea"" mnamo Novemba 9, 2020." Mkutano huu ulitumika kulinganisha matokeo ya chapisho la jina moja, lililofadhiliwa na EU-LAC Foundation. Mkutano huo na kichapo hicho viligundua kwamba changamoto za usalama wa chakula zinatokana na mchanganyiko wa mambo yanayohusiana na miundo ya uzalishaji kwa ujumla na mifumo ya chakula kwa maalum. Kwa sababu hii, ushirikiano kati ya EU na Amerika ya Kusini na Karibea inahitaji hatua ya pamoja katika ngazi nyingi (multilateral, kikanda, kitaifa na ndani), kutumia mbinu ya kina ambayo inajumuisha vipimo vya kisiasa, kiuchumi na kijamii. Uchambuzi wa vigezo tofauti vinavyoathiri usalama wa chakula inaruhusu uelewa bora wa matukio yanayowezekana na maendeleo ya mikakati ya muda mrefu ili kukabiliana na changamoto ya kutoa chakula cha afya kwa wote, sambamba na uhifadhi wa sayari na kukabiliana na matokeo ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. Aróstica, P. & Ayuso, A. (Mhariri) (2023) Usalama wa Chakula. Matatizo na fursa kwa mahusiano kati ya Umoja wa Ulaya na Amerika ya Kusini na Karibea. CIDOB. Jiji la Barcelona. Inapatikana katika: https: eulacfoundation.orges/seguridad-alimentaria-desafios-y-oportun...