Call for more responsible investments in agriculture to eradicate hunger and poverty

German Agriculture Minister Aigner and FAO head Graziano da Silva urge international community to develop principles for responsible investments

19 January 2013, Berlin

The German Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Ilse Aigner, and the Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General José Graziano da Silva have called for a significant increase in responsible investments in agriculture to eradicate hunger and feed a growing world population.

Investments in agriculture are still too low in those regions where rural poverty and hunger are most severe, Aigner and Graziano da Silva stressed today after meeting ahead of the Agriculture Ministers' Berlin Summit 2013.

"We need to concentrate our efforts on the farmers. Farmers are the key players in the rural environment and here lies the greatest potential for generating added value – both in terms of economic development and in guaranteeing food security in these countries," said Aigner. "The German government spends over 700 million euros each year on food security and rural development in developing countries. One of the goals here is to achieve sustainable yield increases. This is done by promoting locally based training and education, for example, and we have initiated a number of important agricultural training schemes."...

Source: Call for more responsible investments in agriculture to eradicate hunger and poverty
Author: FAO

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