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The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the food agency of the United Nations, was born in the aftermath of the disaster. Three-quarters of a century later, another global scourge has made its mission more relevant to the world at large.
I won’t deny it: when I took over as Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations last year, I could hardly contain my excitement. After all, the founding of FAO had preceded, if only in a matter of days, that of the United Nations itself. The fact that I, born into a Chinese peasant family, came to run such a venerable institution was quite impressive.
What I did not expect was that, shortly after my tenure, the world would face a challenge on a scale that had not been seen since the end of World War II. The Covid-19 pandemic has not only affected people’s lives and health, but also threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Food security, until recently a rather strange concept to many living in affluent countries, would suddenly make headlines around the world and hit the agenda of many high-level events.
Let’s go back to 1945, the year FAO was founded: one third of the victims of World War II had died of malnutrition and associated diseases. Famines had decimated populations for decades before. So the nations came together and FAO was established on October 16, 1945. Its founders invested in the new institution the world’s aspiration: to help the world rebuild and expand agriculture and end hunger forever.
The current crisis may be less tangible apocalyptic. But the numbers are no less staggering. Even before Covid-19 hit, nearly 700 million people were malnourished. The economic disruption linked to the pandemic may add another 130 million or so to these. In the early days of the pandemic, when the shelves are empty; when the fruit pickers disappeared; When the markets fell silent, we realized that we were taking these services and the people who provide them for granted. The moral imperative to feed the world, safely, lastingly and with dignity for all, is as urgent now as it was after the war.
I am aware as I write these lines that the 1945 analogy can only take us so far. So the crisis was one of production. FAO’s early years were largely focused on expanding farm production, increasing yields, and supporting mechanization and irrigation systems. Over the following decades, this vision became immensely more complex, enriched with environmental and sustainability concerns. A more holistic understanding of development was established. Until the mid-2010s, the world was making impressive progress in reducing hunger. But since then it has risen again. Conflicts and extreme weather patterns are to blame, at least in part.
What we need now is smart systemic action to get food to those who need it and improve it for those who have it. Action to prevent crops from rotting in the field, due to lack of efficient supply chains. Action to improve the use of digital tools and artificial intelligence, in order to predict threats to the harvest, automatically activate crop insurance and reduce climate risk. Action to rescue biodiversity from relentless erosion. Action to turn cities into the farms of tomorrow. Government action to implement policies that make healthy diets more accessible. The action of agencies like mine to turn think-tanks and action-tanks into one, linking with the research community and the private sector to unleash the power of innovation.
So, at age 75, FAO is far from thinking about riding into the sunset. We are not daydreaming either. Covid-19 has made it clear that our mission is as relevant as when our founders created FAO in 1945. Cataclysms spur renewal. The pandemic has reminded everyone that food security and nutritious diets are important to everyone.
That is why FAO embarks today on the next chapter in its history with a renewed sense of purpose. On the structural side, a flatter leadership structure and a modular approach allow for faster reaction when crises hit. A comprehensive and holistic Covid-19 Response and Recovery Program proactively and sustainably addresses the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, mitigating immediate pressures and strengthening the long-term resilience of food systems and livelihoods. Our Mano a Mano matchmaking initiative accelerates agricultural transformation and sustainable rural development in countries with the highest rates of poverty and hunger. It is backed by a geospatial platform designed as an open source public good that is already aggregating vast amounts of food safety data. The position of chief scientist has been established to sharpen the generation of knowledge and promote scientific alliances oriented to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The recently reformed FAO is more inclusive, efficient and dynamic, focusing on what we have designated the “Best Four”: better production, better nutrition, better environment, better life. We firmly believe that the future is made up of those gestures: ourselves, our partners and civil society. It takes large numbers of people to achieve Zero Hunger. In fact, it needs all of us.
Dr. QU Dongyu is the Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
