Global expert meeting to address challenges in agriculture and agro-industry development opens

A global expert meeting to discuss the important role of agri-business and agro-industries in reducing poverty and food insecurity kicked off in Zimbabwe's northern border town of  Victoria Falls on Tuesday.

 The meeting is in preparation for the United Nations Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) special meeting scheduled for May in New York.

Speaking during the official opening of the three-day meeting, the Minister of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion for the host country, Honourable Obert Mpofu, said agricultural development, was essential to eliminating hunger and malnutrition.

"Higher agricultural productivity and more efficient markets for agricultural products reduce food prices, thereby enabling access to food for the poorest rural and urban dwellers," said Honourable Mpofu. The Minister added that the meeting should help mitigate the current challenges related to climate change.

ECOSOC President, Fredrick Shava, said that the meeting will facilitate the sharing of experience and knowledge on major issues in agriculture and agro-industries, with a view to proposing solutions.  "At the high-level meeting in New York, I intend to bring key messages and recommendations emanating from each of these preparatory meetings to the attention of ECOSOC and relevant partners," said Ambassador Shava.

Ms. Carla Mucavi, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in New York, who represented the Director-General, Jose Graziano da Silva, said agro-industry development was crucial in achieving several Sustainable Development Goals.

"Agro-industry development has strong multiplier effects as it can simultaneously generate decent jobs, increase profits and create markets for value-added food products. It will also be key in delivering safer, more affordable, reliable, convenient, and nutritious food to urban markets," said Ms. Mucavi. She added that these roles were particularly important as agricultural and food systems face an unprecedented pressures.

Agribusiness and agro-industries, a promising pathway to sustainable development goals  

The transformation of the agricultural sector through agro-industries development is critical. If the private and the public sectors combine their respective strengths and responsibilities, agro-industry development will become one of the primary drivers for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Emphasis on technology transfer, sustainable funding, together with good agriculture and manufacturing practices, can also accelerate countries' poverty reduction and food security efforts.

Preparatory regional meetings are held with the express aim of gathering views, best practices and recommendations to feed into discussions at a Special Meeting of ECOSOC in May. These meetings are held following a proposal by ECOSOC President, in 2016, who planned to convene a special meeting on "Innovations for Infrastructure Development and Promoting Sustainable Industrialization."

These preparatory meetings, together with a series of other events, will enable the United Nations Member States and institutional partners take stock of key trends and innovations for infrastructure development, to forge a common understanding of strengths and weaknesses in current approaches as well as examine good practices.

FAO recognizes the centrality of safe and efficient food systems in supporting smallholder agriculture and reducing poverty and hunger in rural areas. Additionally, the Organization promotes sustainable agriculture, as well as agribusiness and agro-industry development as a pathway to poverty eradication and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development.