A/HRC/16/49 I. Introduction 1. In this annual report submitted to the Human Rights Council in accordance with Council resolution 13/4, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food shows why agriculture should be fundamentally redirected towards modes of production that are more environmentally sustainable and socially just, and how this can be achieved. The report is based on a large range of submissions received from experts from all regions, as well as on an international expert seminar on agroecology convened by the Special Rapporteur in Brussels, Belgium, on 21-22 June 2010, with support from the King Baudouin Foundation. 2. Agriculture is at a crossroads. For almost thirty years, since the early 1980s, neither the private sector nor governments were interested in investing in agriculture. This is now changing. Over the last few years, agri-food companies have seen an increase in direct investment as a means to lower costs and ensure the long-term viability of supplies:1 Foreign direct investment in agriculture went from an average US$ 600 million annually in the 1990s to an average US$ 3 billion in 2005-2007.2 The shock created by the 2007-2008 global food price crisis led to the establishment or strengthening of further initiatives, such as the Aquila Food Security Initiative, the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) or NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) in Africa. Governments are paying greater attention to agriculture than in the past. 3. But increasing food production to meet future needs, while necessary, is not sufficient. It will not allow significant progress in combating hunger and malnutrition if it is not combined with higher incomes and improved livelihoods for the poorest – particularly small-scale farmers in developing countries. And short-term gains will be offset by longterm losses if it leads to further degradation of ecosystems, threatening future ability to maintain current levels of production. It is possible, however, to significantly improve agricultural productivity where it has been lagging behind, and thus raise production where it needs most to be raised (i.e. in poor, food-deficit countries3), while at the same time improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and preserving ecosystems. This would slow the trend towards urbanisation in the countries concerned, which is placing stress on public services of these countries. It would contribute to rural development and preserve the ability for the succeeding generation to meet its own needs. It would also contribute to the growth of other sectors of the economy by stimulating demand for non-agricultural products that would result from higher incomes in rural areas. 4. To achieve this, however, pouring money into agriculture will not be sufficient; what is most important is to take steps that facilitate the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-preserving type of agriculture that benefits the poorest farmers. This will not happen by chance. It can only happen by design, through strategies and programmes backed by strong political will, and informed by a right-to-food approach. This report explores how agroecology, a mode of agricultural development that has shown notable success in the last decade (see Section III), can play a central role in achieving this goal. 1 2 3 See A/HRC/13/33. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Investment Report 2009. Transnational Corporations, Agricultural Production and Development, New York/Geneva, 2009. Although this report focuses on these countries, the Special Rapporteur is convinced that the transition towards low external input and sustainable agriculture is needed in all regions, including industrialized countries. 3