"More than 840 million people remain hungry around the world and still more suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Global efforts have so far been insufficient to reach the World Food Summit and related Millennium Development goal of reducing the number of hungry by half by 2015. Biodiversity is a key ally in fighting malnutrition. Its protection is something we cannot afford to forget." - FAO website on WFD 2004





In this interview Ms Eva Clayton, Special Advisor to the Director General of FAO on the World Food Summit Follow-up, Mr Cyril Enweze, Vice-President of IFAD and Mr Emile Frison, Director-General of IPGRI share their views on the theme of this year's World Food Day and make an assessment on what has been achieved by the partnership established last year between the Rome-based food agencies within the framework of the International Alliance Against Hunger. For its part, the World food Programme supports the International Alliance as a model of true partnership enlisting all stakeholders in the fight against hunger.

This year's World Food Day theme is "Biodiversity for Food Security". How can FAO, IFAD, WFP and IPGRI work together on this theme?

Eva Clayton: "Biodiversity for Food Security" is an important theme for all UN agencies. It refers both to agricultural practices and social inclusion in terms of availability and access to food. Biological diversity is fundamental to agriculture and food production. People rely on the variety of food, shelter, and goods for their livelihood. Yet, humans put increasing pressure on species and their environments. As a result, many plants and animals are at risk, as well as essential natural processes such as pollination by insects and the regeneration of soils by micro-organisms. Thus, all UN Rome based Agencies are interested in participating in WFD celebrations. They can share points of view and expertise, enriching the celebrations and strengthening their cooperation.

Emile Frison: The Rome-based agencies are already working closely together to address issues of food security. We also know that there is more to food security than simply quantity of calories. Food quality is something we need to tackle together. Agricultural biodiversity can help to provide the minerals and vitamins that satisfy the hidden hunger of poor nutrition. At the same time, better nutrition means better health, and that enables people to provide for their own food security. The ultimate goal must surely be to make people around the world independent and able to provide for their own food needs.

Cyril Enweze: Agricultural biodiversity can help to empower rural poor people to overcome poverty themselves. Plant genetic resources, forest resources and related traditional institutions and local knowledge are key assets that poor people can use to enrich their lives, grow high quality food and earn a living. Rural poor people have a deep understanding of plants, animals, livestock and the fragile ecosystem that support life.

IFAD works to empower smallholder farmers, making sure they benefit from their knowledge about seed varieties and traditional crop practices while at the same time preserving their culture, values and innovation. To help countries strengthen their ability to support their own farmers, we also promote agricultural research and training. For instance, we helped farmers to better identify, evaluate, select, conserve and multiply seeds. It also promotes the cross-fertilisation of scientific and local knowledge among villages, regions and countries.

Along with FAO and IPGRI, IFAD is working with partners in the Sahel region of Africa to hold seed fairs where farmers and researchers can share knowledge and best practices. IFAD looks for biologically friendly ways to control pests. IFAD has approved $1.55 million in grants to test environmentally safe techniques to battle the desert locust in northern and western Africa. This work is being implemented through a partnership with FAO.

Another key area is strengthening the ability of farmers' organizations to participate in international meetings where they can influence decisions that affect their lives. IFAD forms partnerships with NGOs, the private sector and international research institutions to help farmers take better advantage of the market potential of genetic diversity, for instance by introducing technologies to process crops or by identifying niche markets for unique products. In Asia, we are working together with a broad range of public and private actors to develop and test methods of rewarding farmers for environmental services that protect biodiversity. For instance poor communities protect forests that provide carbon sequestration and watershed environments that conserve a wide range of biodiversity.

What main achievements have been reached since the joint effort initiated during last year's World Food Day on the International Alliance Against Hunger?

Cyril Enweze: The IAAH is an effective method for building support in the eradication of poverty and hunger. IFAD strongly supports the people-centered approach of this initiative and its aim to amplify the voices and aspirations of the poor and hungry. We agree with a focus on partnership, because eradicating hunger and poverty will require the work of Governments, United Nations agencies, international and regional financial institutions, civil society, the private sector and rural poor themselves, all working together.

We also actively support the call by the Alliance to "nurture the emergence and growth of strong national alliances against hunger, fully respecting local leadership and local ownership." Such alliances could help mobilize a truly national commitment to reduce hunger and poverty. They will also build awareness about the need to focus on rural areas where the majority of poor people live and to invest in agriculture, the main employer of poor people. National alliances will also be able to monitor national efforts and track results.

As part of this initiative, IFAD has provided a $28 000 grant to the NGO campaign "More and Better - an international campaign for food, agriculture and rural development aid to eradicate hunger and poverty". This campaign seeks to reverse the decline in international development assistance going to agriculture, and to improve the quality of this aid. A grant of $24 000 has also been approved toward the development of a multilingual website to increase awareness about the IAAH. The site will also help to coordinate activities by members of the alliance, provide a place for information sharing and be an effective tool to mobilize resources and build political support.

Eva Clayton: The major achievement is the interest demonstrated by both international and national partners in more than 80 countries, their intent to participate with or organize National Alliances. Thanks to this joint effort, the IAAH has gained visibility, credibility with international, regional and national organizations. All UN partners are strongly committed to share information and to promote and support the IAAH through their affiliates and organizations. Working together, we can make the International Alliance Against Hunger a true global partnership to achieve the first Millennium Development goal - halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty and hunger by 2015.

Emile Frison: Most importantly, perhaps, the International Alliance Against Hunger has raised the public profile, not of the individual agencies but of the collaborative efforts of all the national and international members of the Alliance. Public awareness is a crucial weapon in the fight for food security, bringing the challenges of global hunger and the importance of potential solutions before the widest possible audience. In this way the Alliance is helping to create a groundswell of support for action. On a pragmatic note, the Rome-based agencies are now holding regular meetings to keep one another informed of our individual efforts to combat hunger. These meetings also give us the chance to explore opportunities for further collaboration in the future and to build new partnerships and help expand our sphere of influence.

Based on the Joint-statement of the Rome-based organizations on the IAAH issued on 16 October 2003, what are the next steps to be taken to enhance this alliance?

Emile Frison: The IAAH is showing the way, and to really have an impact on the ground we need to encourage regional and national programmes to join in the fight for food security. There are already several national partners of the Alliance, but many more are needed. Just as agricultural biodiversity is an essential component of food security, so too a diversity of organizations at all levels is needed to ensure that hunger and poor nutrition are vanquished.

Cyril Enweze: While alliances form at the national level, we have a responsibility to provide support to overall efforts. The Heads of the Rome-based agencies are expected to encourage staff to work together on joint activities and to incorporate promotion of the International Alliance into their work. We will also contribute our views on strategies, policy and advocacy. Working with NGOs and civil society will be critical in this effort. In addition, the members of the Senior Management of the Agencies will use every occasion at their disposal to promote the aims of the IAAH.

Eva Clayton: The Strategic paper of IAAH is the major step forward for the near future. All IAAH partners (UN agencies and civil society members) were involved in its drafting. The document is conceived as a mid term plan of the Alliance and seeks to formalize the status of both international and national alliances as well as to highlight competences and major issues of IAAH and NAAHs. We shared the document with a wide range of partners, which include governments, NGOs/CSOs, for comments and suggestions. The document will enhance the IAAH and help shape the alliance in a more concrete and understandable way, as it will be finalized with the contributions of all partners.

With financial support from the Rome-based agencies, we will also work to develop a new IAAH website in order to communicate on its aims and activities at both national and international levels. This IAAH Website will build upon the experience and information material of already existing sites, notably the Website of the UN System Network on Rural Development and Food Security and the Web pages of the FAO Website on the follow-up to the World Food Summit: five years later. It will be updated regularly and available in various languages. Of course, this IAAH Website will be linked to the Websites of FAO, IFAD, IPGRI and WFP.

To read the joint statement made on World Food Day 2003 by FAO, IFAD, IPGRI and WFP on the International Alliance Against Hunger, please click here.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this interview do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the UN System Network on Rural Development and Food Security nor of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.