FAO priorities for 'Big Phil'

When the Government considered candidates to put forward for the role of director-general of the FAO, there were a number of criteria to satisfy. Having experience in senior political leadership and intergovernmental negotiations, and a knowledge of agriculture and food security were some of the requirements. Phil Hogan’s name was the ‘highest ranked’ candidate, according to a Government statement, to tick those boxes – and a few more. “I’m honoured that the Government has nominated me for the role,” he says. “It’s a very important time for food security. We often take it for granted but in parts of the world now there’s a lot of stress in relation to providing sufficient food.

“My experience as a European commissioner, and my interactions with international organisations including the FAO, led me to believe that my pragmatic approach to bringing people together to focus on particular issues could be of value. Also, Ireland has a long engagement with food and agricultural issues around the world. We have a very good reputation over the years through our Missionaries and our research and advisory personnel who have assisted countries and communities in developing food production capabilities and I hope I can build on that," he says.

He would also be keen, he says, to promote greater cooperation between the FAO and the other two UN Rome-based agencies, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP). “First of all, we should try to eliminate the silo mentality. There are three agri-related UN organisations based in Rome and they don’t always work closely together. We haven’t the luxury of people doing their own thing when we could get better outcomes through coordination and cooperation. In my view there’s a lot of money wasted that could be deployed more beneficially to the field of action where the problems are.”

Looming food crisis

One such major problem is a looming food crisis, he says, which must be seriously considered, and addressed, in light of the impact of ongoing wars and conflict. He explains: “When you see what’s happening in Ukraine where 20 per cent of the world’s cereal production is produced, with another 20 per cent produced in Russia, anything that happens there impacts global food supply. If we didn’t have the Black Sea access for product to go out, you’d have a problem. The challenges are further compounded with what has happened in the Strait of Hormuz, which could deteriorate again at any time.” Phil is singing from the same hymn sheet as the current director-general of the FAO, QU Dongyu, who, at the recent 181st Session of the FAO Council, highlighted the importance of this critical chokepoint, which has been impacted by Iran's decision to block it in late February. He noted at the time, that around 35 per cent of global crude oil exports, 20 per cent of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, 20-30 per cent of global fertiliser exports, and approximately 50 per cent of global sulphur exports transit through the strait. These are vital for food production, affecting energy and agricultural inputs significantly.

Phil continues: “Little did we think that Irish farmers were going to be impacted by what’s happening so far away, but that’s the reality. When fertiliser is not produced in sufficient quantities and productivity goes down, starvation and hunger increase. Whatever you think about these conflicts, they have a huge impact in terms of food security. Global agriculture is built on soil fertility, through artificial fertiliser in the main. It’s now both scarce and very expensive and huge population centres, particularly on the African and Asian continents, are particularly vulnerable.”

Producing fertiliser closer to home and easing the reliance on ‘vulnerable sources’ are required, he says. “We have gone through a major shock in recent months in relation to European food security. Up to now, we have taken for granted that our farmers can produce high-quality food for Europe and, additionally, that we can feed a lot of the world. Sometimes, people put restrictions and regulatory burdens on us that hinder our food production capability. We need a balance between sustainability and increased food production.”

Self help

The food security-conflict theme is certainly not a new one, stretching back to the foundation of the FAO in 1945, which was set up to address global food and agricultural challenges after World War II. At that time, Africa and Europe were facing major food scarcity challenges, Phil says. It wasn’t until 1962 that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was launched to help provide affordable, safe and high-quality food to people in Europe. “We have learned from experience that food security is an important issue, and we also have learned that you must have a local dimension to food production. The FAO can play a big role in deploying expertise and mentoring, and agricultural advisory services to countries and farmers, in Africa especially, to ensure that they grow more food locally. The impact of the various conflicts would be lessened, food security would be strengthened, and we wouldn’t have a big starvation and migration crisis resulting from food scarcity. The population of Africa now, as well as one billion more people by 2050, must be fed.”

Optimism

After tenures as both trade and agriculture commissioner in Europe, Phil believes he can drive positive outcomes as head of the FAO. With challenge comes opportunity but also optimism, he says. “Technology, including the advent of gene editing, for instance, is capable of revolutionising food production, and doubling productivity in the coming years. We are going through an agricultural revolution and we must deploy the best possible technological innovations on our farms and help farmers embrace this new reality. It’s not easy and it won’t happen overnight but you have to start somewhere and Africans are already embracing this more than Europeans in many ways. Artificial intelligence is the new great hope for advancement. It worries people but equally it brings potential opportunities to improve quality of life for so many people around the world in the context of food security.”
He continues: “For generations we’ve had fewer farmers and hugely increased productivity. There is less available fertile land than ever. Technology will bring further rationalisation with more farmers getting involved in other aspects of the food sector so it won’t be just farming, per se. Family members might get involved in food processing, distribution and other aspects with the help of technology so it’s an evolving situation where, by 2036, there will be technological innovations currently on the horizon that will revolutionise agriculture.”

CAP reflections

EU political leaders must decide whether they want food security elevated in political discourse and priorities, says Phil, and he believes that the Irish presidency of the Council of the European Union will play a role in the discussion that will dictate the priority to be given to funding for farmers and the food industry in the next seven years. He explains: “The multiannual financial framework (MFF) and CAP funding will be decided by the end of the year or early next year, but the policy should be decided firstly as to whether food security should be higher up the political food chain. If that is the case, that’s the first step.
“Secondly, there’ll be various pots of money for the competitiveness, security and defence funds and the agricultural research funds should add to the traditional income supports for farmers, ultimately providing a good budget for agriculture across all its facets. I have always said that the farmer must be centre-stage. Nobody else can deliver on food security unless farmers are at the heart of the CAP and are incentivised to produce. They must be supported in the technological innovation required as part of our agri-revolution and, finally, farmers should embrace new income opportunities. Whether it is biomethane production or carbon farming, there are new income streams that the farmers should consider. It shouldn’t be just about the traditional commodities. There are other ways of generating income streams for farms.”