JAKARTA: The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization on Monday called on farmers in the Asia-Pacific region to cooperate in order to tackle food insecurity. “Farmers must unite and strengthen their bargaining power, supported by capacity development, better access to markets and other value chain technologies,” regional FAO chief Hiroyuki Konuma said in a statement. It came as a week-long meeting of 40 representatives of countries is being getting underway in Hanoi to discuss food insecurity, hunger and diminishing natural resources. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicts prices of basic grains prices will rise dramatically by the end of the decade. Rice is forecast to rise by 40 percent, maize by 48 percent, wheat by 27 percent and oilseeds by 36 percent. Some farmers, however, are unsure if they can make the necessary changes to their current crop production schedule. One government-run farmers union in Cambodia told Bikyamasr.com that “the economy simply is not allowing our farmers to make the changes we would all like, but hopefully in Hanoi they will figure something out to better assist smaller farmers.” The FAO warned that sustainable intensification of agricultural production was needed to stop poverty and hunger leading to social and political instability. “Increasing investments in agriculture and promoting household food security is the way to overcome hunger and the instabilities it causes,” Konuma said. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/5IAtY Tags: FAO, Farming, Hanoi, UN Section: East Asia, Environment, Food, Going Green, Latest News
