An old woman in Burkina Faso with harvested vegetable: chickpeas, okra and wax beans. © von Lingen.

The Ten Point Plan: Demands of the Welthungerhilfe to overcome the global food crisis

Point 1:
Food aid has to be linked to development measures ensuring food security. Short-term food aid measures have to open out into sustainable self-sufficiency according to the principle of help towards self-help. The concept called for is: emergency aid is followed by reconstruction and then subsequent long-term development cooperation.

In the context of food aid, work as well as social programs have to be planned (such as food-for-work), thus helping to improve the rural infrastructure (roads, wells etc.), to increase the crop yield, and to open new markets in the long term. Food aid must not do damage to local markets and therefore has to be purchased - wherever necessary and possible - preferably in the region.

Point 2:
Rural development has to become a focal point of development cooperation once again, more money has to be provided for agriculture. The focus of development measures which has been directed towards city inhabitants in recent years has to be diverted back to the rural population. Two out of three people suffering from hunger live in rural areas. While 25 years ago 17 percent of development aid by OECD states was spent on farming, in 2007 it was less than 4 percent.

In Germany, also the expenditures in development cooperation for agriculture in the past 10 years have been almost halved and now amount to only 0.7 percent of development funds. The Washington based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) estimates that it would be necessary to invest 20 to 30 percent of the international development cooperation funds in farming and food security. Development aid must be increased to this portion urgently.

Point 3:
The increase of food prices has to be used as an opportunity to boost the local production of crops and their marketing in the developing countries, to make rural areas profitable again and thus more attractive. Not only donor countries are called for here, in fact particularly governments of the developing countries need to take over their responsibility to building up and advancing their agriculture. This means investing in their rural infrastructure, promoting farmers organisations, allowing access to land and agricultural inputs (fertilizer, seed, credits), improving further processing, promoting transportation and store keeping.

Point 4:
More weight has to be put again on rural research and technical advice in order to increase the worldwide production and productivity and to replenish the reserves of foodstuffs. Local crop growing practices and cultivation methods have to be factored in, and on this basis researchers and experts have to develop solutions for crop growing and yield, adapted to the local region and consistent with the criteria of sustainability and the principle of help towards self-help.

Point 5:
Investment in education and health is necessary. Improving education opportunities is one of the most effective ways to fight hunger; the higher the level of education, the better the nutritional status. Investing in the education of women leads to smaller families and thus reduces the population growth. Only healthy people are able to take their development into their own hands.

Point 6:
Fair Trade is a must for developing countries. In order to promote the rural production in developing countries import restrictions by the EU and other industrialised countries have to be cancelled. Moreover, agricultural export subsidies in the industrialised countries have to be abolished entirely in order to no longer artificially cut the prices on the global market. For a transition period, the developing countries should be permitted to protect their domestic production. Promoting the regional trade helps to buffer local and seasonal fluctuations.
 

Point 7:
Social security systems have to be established to protect the needy in times of crisis. Whereas people in countries like Germany are protected against destitution by social security systems, crises or crop failures in developing countries mean poverty and hunger most of the time. The traditional security system based mainly on family solidarity is not sufficient. In order to avoid that natural disasters or conflicts lead to food crises, preventive measures must be taken, for instance micro-insurances or the introduction of a basic social care system to cover the basic need.
 

Point 8:
Biofuel production in the industrialised countries based on imports from developing countries should be deferred and reconsidered. Energy plants should not compete with food plants in view of empty grain stores and rising food prices. Climate protection goals must be achieved rather through energy saving, increase of efficiency and innovative processes of energy generation in the consumer countries.


Point 9:
Consumers in industrialised countries have to attune to higher food prices. Farming has to pay for itself without subsidies. That is the only way to diminish market distortions and to strengthen agriculture in the developing countries. Besides, fair traded products, as e.g. coffee or cocoa, are an effective contribution towards a better income for farmers in developing countries.

Point 10:
Non-governmental organisations have to be strengthened. They contribute to a better organisation of farmers, for example farmers cooperatives. They also plead their cases with governments which often show no interest for the needs of the rural population. In states without a functioning government NGOs take over the tasks of government institutions in rural areas.