On Tuesday 12 April, France mobilised international organisations based in Rome to organise the implementation of the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission (FARM) initiative to combat food insecurity in the most vulnerable third countries.
Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the press after meetings in Rome that the objective was to reach agreement, by the end of June, on the three pillars (trade, solidarity and production) of the FARM initiative, “a clearly identified partnership agreement with all the actors who will contribute to each of these pillars” (see EUROPE 12927/2).
Le Drian said that the most difficult issue related to the World Food Programme (WFP), namely “solidarity”, would have to be clarified. It will be necessary to ensure that “sufficient quantities arrive in the most vulnerable countries, at a price that is acceptable, while not disrupting the world cereals market in particular”.
Julien Denormandie, the French Minister of Agriculture, explained that the aim was to create a “political dynamic” at the level of the European Commission, Member States and international organisations such as the WFP, FAO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), “with very concrete solutions”.
“The tools available to each of them are not the same”, added the French Minister. The FARM initiative is not just about emergency aid. It provides above all for “medium and long-term solutions” (investments) to avoid a famine that could occur in 12 to 18 months, said Julien Denormandie.
FAO will help fight speculation (through transparency in stocks), IFAD will help invest in countries that may be in trouble and WFP is “committed” to fighting this food crisis, Mr Denormandie summarised.
David Beasley, the WFP’s Executive Director, said the problem was global and likely to last for years.
High food prices will create “destabilisation and mass migration”, Mr Beasley warned. According to him, solutions must be found to support the people in the world who need it most. There is a funding gap of eight to nine billion dollars, the WFP Director estimated. 280 million people are on the verge of starvation after the various crises (Covid-19, war in Ukraine...), said Mr Beasley.
He recalled that Ukraine can feed 400 million people in normal times, whereas at the moment, due to the war, more than 30 million metric tons of grain are blocked in the Black Sea region. The supply of fertiliser is also problematic.
So we need to act now to compensate for this lack of grain, concluded David Beasley.
The European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, recalled that last week in Paris, a billion dollars in aid was announced to combat food insecurity in the Sahel. Other measures will be organised to support the countries of the Horn of Africa, he said. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)