The challenges facing the world’s food and agriculture system are wide ranging and multi-faceted. Approximately 850 million people in the world are undernourished, mostly living on less than a dollar a day. The majority of the world’s poor live in rural areas, where agriculture is the dominant economic activity. Agricultural development thus has a key role to play in generating the incomes needed to ensure global food security. On the supply side, agriculture needs to respond to the challenge of feeding a global population that is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, and doing so in a way that uses resources such as land and water sustainably. This will require changes in production methods, including the adoption of technological, but also social, economic and environmental innovations, at every step of the agri-food chain.
This seminar provides the opportunity to discuss two new OECD reports. The first takes stock of the major policy requirements for achieving global food security, setting out priorities for action at global, regional and national levels. Specific attention is paid to the ways in which OECD countries can contribute through the adoption of more“coherent” policies. The second report proposes a framework for defining the role of government in fostering the creation and adoption of innovation in the agricultural and agri-food sector.
Participation in CEPS Meetings is a benefit of membership. Non-members may be admitted for €50, paid in cash at registration. A limited number of sandwiches will be available (€6) from 12.00 onwards.
