拉美经济委员会-拉丁美洲和加勒比地区的食物系统和新冠疫情转型中的复苏：中期概述（英文）-2021.5-23页_1mb

Summary of "Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean: Recovery with transformation – a mid-term overview"

Core Content

This document provides a mid-term overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, emphasizing the need for recovery with transformation. It outlines the importance of agriculture in the region, the challenges it faces, and the opportunities for sustainable development aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report also discusses financing challenges and proposes strategies for both immediate recovery and long-term transformation of agrifood systems.

Main Points

1. Agriculture and Food Systems in the Region

• Latin America and the Caribbean are a major food producer, contributing over a quarter of the world's agricultural and fishery products.
• Despite this, the region faces significant food and nutrition security issues, including high rates of hunger, obesity, and undernutrition.
• The agrifood system is not sustainable, contributing to 46% of regional greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.
• Natural resources are being overexploited, leading to environmental degradation and threatening future food production.

2. The Need for Recovery with Transformation

• Recovery efforts should not only focus on restoring the economy but also on transforming the agrifood system to make it more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive.
• The pandemic has highlighted the fragility of the region’s food systems and the urgent need to address social, economic, and environmental inequalities.
• The concept of "build back better" has emerged as a guiding principle for transformation, emphasizing the integration of resilience, sustainability, and inclusiveness in food systems.

3. Immediate Recovery Measures

• Immediate actions should prioritize the protection of existing jobs, the creation of new ones, and the strengthening of the social protection network.
• Emergency income support for the poor, including anti-hunger vouchers, is proposed to address food insecurity.
• Special attention is needed for informal sector workers, who are predominantly women, youth, indigenous peoples, and migrants.
• Maintaining feeding programs for vulnerable groups, such as children and the elderly, and supporting small-scale producers and artisanal fishers is essential.
• Policies should ensure equal access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) and provide financial support to MSMEs with conditions for sustainability and resilience.

4. Long-Term Transformation Strategies

• Transformation is a long-term process that must begin alongside recovery, focusing on inclusiveness, diversification, and equality in rural areas.
• The FAO proposes two main focuses for transformation:
  • Healthy Diets for All: Increasing the production and availability of nutritious food, reducing food loss and waste, and improving food distribution systems.
  • Prosperous and Inclusive Rural Societies: Supporting small-scale fishing and family farming, improving rural infrastructure, and promoting sustainable use of natural resources.

5. Sustainability and Climate Resilience

• The region's development model is unsustainable, leading to biodiversity loss, climate vulnerability, and environmental degradation.
• Sustainable agriculture should focus on reducing environmental footprints, integrating ecosystems and biodiversity, and promoting climate-resilient production practices.
• Nature-based solutions (NBS) are proposed to enhance ecosystem services and reduce the costs of climate-related disasters.
• The World Bank suggests shifting towards cleaner energy sources and exploring renewable energy opportunities from agricultural by-products.

6. Financing Challenges

• The pandemic has created a significant fiscal pressure, with rising expenditures and falling tax revenues.
• By the end of 2020, the region is projected to have the largest deficit in 70 years.
• Public funding for agrifood systems is scarce, with most countries spending between 1% and 2% of total expenditure on agriculture.
• New financing mechanisms are needed, including parafiscal charges, payments for environmental services (PES), tax discounts, and a new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) model.

Key Initiatives and Ideas

• Anti-hunger bonuses: Equivalent to 70% of the poverty line for those in extreme poverty.
• Soft loans: A 20% annual increase in soft loans to support the agricultural sector.
• Basic investment kits: One-time, non-reimbursable investments to help small producers and fishers.
• Digital and technological revolution: Leveraged to improve governance, information access, and public-private collaboration.
• Nature-based solutions: Proposed to reduce climate-related disaster costs and enhance ecosystem services.
• Renewable energy: Emphasis on solar and hydro energy, as well as the use of agricultural by-products for energy generation.

Conclusion

The document underscores the critical role of agriculture in the region's economy and environment, while highlighting the urgent need to address the multiple crises affecting food systems. It advocates for a dual approach of recovery and transformation, emphasizing the importance of aligning agrifood systems with the SDGs. The transformation process must be inclusive, sustainable, and resilient, requiring new financing mechanisms and a shift in development paradigms.