There was an “official wringing of hands” over the plight of the hungry but no commitment made by the nations of the world at last week’s food summit in Rome, says a member of Canada’s delegation.
Nettie Wiebe, speaking from her Laura, Sask. farm, said the summit focused global attention on food security but failed to create plans for dealing with the 800 million counted as malnourished by the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Wiebe, president of the National Farmers Union, said even the official declaration about every person’s right to enough food was endorsed by most nations but carried no signatures so it is not legally binding.
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Farmers’ forum
She shuttled between two meetings – the summit as a member of Canada’s delegation, and an accompanying non-governmental forum as a delegate for a worldwide peasants and farmers organization.
In the summit meeting the United States took a strong position that more trade in food and a greater emphasis on genetic engineering will increase food production and provide more for the hungry. However, Wiebe said in the NGO forum, there was a different approach to the agenda for profit-making on food.
“It’s clear to us that whoever owns the land and the means to grow food decides who eats and who doesn’t.”
Wiebe anticipates that as governments cut their budgets and are less able to fund overseas aid, there will be more room for NGOs and other groups to participate.
No date was set for another food summit. The last one was held in 1974 and, Wiebe said, “if it’s going to be a long pause … there’s time to plan who will be at the table.”
The next major debate for farmers around the world will be in 1999, at a review of the world trade agreement.
Wiebe said farmers in other countries are worried about the trend under free trade that has exports displacing domestic food production.
