UN: Small Scale Agriculture for Food Security

Last week, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs released the 2011 World Economic and Social Survey, calling for a “radical true-green revolution in agriculture,” in order to address the 1 billion people around the world today who are feeling the effects of food insecurity.

The United Nations has specifically identified “unsustainable natural resource management as a threat to both food security and the environment.” According to this report, in the case of social benefits, food production, and environmental protection, small-scale diversified agriculture has a benefit over large-scale monocultures, particularly in developing countries, such as Brazil, India, and China. Relevant to research done by Brighter Green, this report suggests that movement towards industrial agriculture in these countries is inappropriate and misguided.

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What can these nations do to improve their food security, while not jeopardizing the environmental and public health of their nation? The United Nations suggests taking a long-term agroecological approach focused on holistic, cross-sectional strategies. These suggestions include improving local innovation, adopting traditional agricultural practices, investing in rural infrastructure, and providing more technical support and education to small farmers. Additionally, the report pushes for more robust partnerships among relevant actors involved.