The United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organisation sees co-operatives as a key player in helping to eradicate hunger by 2030. In a keynote speech at the International Co-operative Alliance’s Global Conference in Antalya, Turkey, Marcela Villarreal of the FAO highlighted the main steps co-ops could take to help meet this target.
“Agriculture is risky and in the face of climate change it’s becoming even riskier. So what can the co-operative movement do? We know that co-ops can and do offer effective solutions for each and every one of the problems that smallholder farmers face”, said Ms Villarreal. Co-ops can help lower transport costs, accessing inputs and finance, reduce crop losses and give farmers a voice in the political processes, she added. “Co-ops are an effective way to address the risks that farmers face and create resilience, and help farmers break out of that vicious cycle.”
Eradicating hunger by 2030 is one of the key objectives set out in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Ms Villarreal encouraged co-operatives to continue to work with organisations such as the FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP) and other UN agencies to produce harmonised stats on co-operatives.
“There are a number of excellent examples of how through co-ops important solutions have been reached, so we need to do much more in terms of disseminating these practices,” added Ms Villarreal.
“We need around USD$267bn dollars of additional investment in agriculture per year from here to 2030 for the world to be able to eradicate hunger. We need to be sure that that investment goes to co-operatives. Including investment in infrastructure. We know that co-ops can do the job and bring those solutions but we need to advocate strongly for that.”
The FAO official also suggested that co-operatives focused on digital inclusiveness and leadership.
“We believe in the FAO that if the co-operative movement raises to this challenge and takes this huge opportunity in front of it and hugely embed it – we will be able to eradicate hunger by 2030,” she concluded.
