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International rice congress discusses food security
Food security is a global challenge that can only be overcome if all nations are involved in finding a solution.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the statement as he adressed the third International Rice Congress 2010 (IRC2010), "Rice for Future Generations", held in Ha Noi yesterday.
Dung said rice played a particularly important role in global food security as it helped feed more than half the world's population. In 2009, the world rice area reached 161 million hectares, producing 679 million tonnes of rice.
"Its importance is especially significant in Asian countries-the world's largest rice producers and consumers and home to over 60 per cent of the world's poor," he said.
Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Robert Zeigler said the conference, which attracted 1,300 participants from more than 66 countries, would provide a forum for hundreds of the world's top rice scientists to discuss the latest breakthroughs.
"Projected demands for rice will surpass supply in the near to medium term unless something is done to reverse current trends of slow productivity growth and the inefficient, often unsustainable, management of natural resources," he said.
Agricultural Science Advisor for the World Bank Eija Pehu said 21st century research needed to be more collaborative than it had been to cope with diverse impacts on food production due to changes in rainfall patterns and the increased frequency and intensity of droughts and floods.
President of the United Nations' International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Kanayo Nwanze urged every nation to take immediate action by dramatically increasing their investment in agriculture to promote production growth.
Acting director of the Cornell University Institute of Public Administration Norman Uphoff said the Green Revolution, developed to industrialise agriculture over the later half of the 20th century, had lost momentum and that millions of poor people had been by-passed by the Green Revolution technologies that were input-dependent.
"Post-modern agriculture in the new century must be different in many ways from the last century because of many factual changes and trends, including the decline of arable land and water available for agriculture and rising energy costs," he said.
"It has to transform from energy-intensive and capital-intensive to science-based approaches," Uphoff said.
IRRI's Zeigler said the International Rice Policy and Investment Conference was incorporated in this year's programme for the first time to highlight the importance of sound policy and wise investment to future global food security.
Deputy director of Agricultural Development under the Bill & Melida Gates Foundation, Prabhu Pingali, said, "Technologies are important but what is really important when looking at the rice economy is how to encourage good policy-making to make sustainable production a reality."
People saw the 2008 food crisis as a wake up call, he said.
"Many nations in this region suddenly realized that they needed to do a lot more to enhance the future rice supply," said Pingali.
IFAD's Nwanze called for a commitment from young people of the developing world because if the groundwork for profitable rural enterprises is not laid, they will be driven to search for other opportunities in urban areas.
"If we allow this to happen, we will be left with no one to plough the fields that will feed the future," he said.
Viet Nam's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said that although Viet Nam was the world's second largest rice exporter, it still faced the challenge of food security as the population grows, the area for agricultural production declines, and the threat of climate change rises.
Prime Minister Dung called for support from the international community to help Viet Nam achieve efficient and sustainable rice production.
"This also means helping the world to achieve food security, since each year Viet Nam contributes about one-fifth of the total global rice export."
Coinciding with the IRRI's 50th anniversary, IRC2010 in Viet Nam was the largest and likely to be the most successful congress following the two preceding congresses in New Delhi 2006 and Beijing 2002.
IFAD president
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met with Kanayo F. Nwanze, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), who is in Viet Nam to attend the third International Rice Congress and examine IFAD's projects that have been implemented in the country's provinces.
Dung expressed his pleasure at the development of the mutually beneficial relationship between Viet Nam and IFAD and thanked the organization for its support.
He said Viet Nam considered agriculture and rural development key elements of sustainable growth that would not only contribute to national food security and political stability, but would also improve farmers' lives.
As forecasted, Viet Nam was one of the countries severely hit by climate change, evidenced by the rising sea level, which was predicted to inundate 30 per cent of farming land, he said.
Thus, Viet Nam needed the support of the international community, including IFAD, to focus investments on agricultural development, Dung said.
Nwanze said he was impressed by Viet Nam's socio-economic development and saw the country as a model for other developing nations.
He said IFAD would invest US$150 million in agricultural development projects in Viet Nam.
The same day, Prime Minister Dung welcomed Professor Veer Man, the Netherlands's former Minister of Agriculture, who has agreed to advise the Vietnamese Government as it implements its programme to combat climate change and the rising sea level.
Dung thanked Professor Veer Man for agreeing to advise the Government. He applauded Veer Man's visit to Viet Nam immediately after the two Prime Ministers signed an agreement on climate change response and water resource management.
Dung said the new agreement would further strengthen the countries' relations.
He said Viet Nam was one of five countries expected to be most severely affected by these issues, which is why the Government considered it the biggest challenge for sustainable development.
Dung suggested Professor Veer Man co-ordinate with Viet Nam's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other ministries and agencies to make plans for implementing the agreement.
Veer Man expressed his honor to help Viet Nam and eagerness to work with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
He proposed that the agreement should first be applied in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, where the effects of climate change and the rising sea level were most apparent.
Dung agreed with Veer Man's suggestion and asked that he draft plans to lead experts in this endeavor.
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