WWF: balancing food and environmental security
Posted by Helen Dunnett on April 08, 2009 in Environment
At the recent Forum for the Future of Agriculture (see previous posts below), we spoke to Matthias Meissner of the WWF in Berlin.
We asked him for his views on balancing food and environmental security. He sees it as imperative, but that it should be done by encouraging capacity for farming in the developing world, rather than insisting on increasing productivity, say via the use of technology. View the full interview below.
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Comments(0)An expert opinion on African farming: future prospects
Posted by Helen Dunnett on April 06, 2009 in Farming, Global issues
Another interview from the Forum for the Future of Agriculture (see previous posts below), this time with James S. Shikwati, an expert in African agriculture and Managing Director of Inter Region Economic Network (IREN), a think-tank based in Kenya that aims to develop strategies to bring prosperity to the African continent.
We asked Mr Shikwati about the prospects for African farming, the role of technology, and the aftermath of the food prices crisis last year, and he gave us some very insightful answers which generally point to a degree of optimism for the future. Highly recommended.
FAO: Europe’s role as a supplier of food will diminish
Posted by Helen Dunnett on March 24, 2009 in Food & health, Global issues
At the Forum for the Future of Agriculture, organised jointly by Syngenta and the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO) last week, we spoke to Alexander Sarris, Director in the Commodities and Trade Division at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
He gave us some insights into the role of technology in agriculture, the productivity gap that exists in the developing world, and how imperative it is that this gap be diminished (a process which may, in his view, involve the reduction Europe’s role as a supplier of food).
UPDATE: Blogactiv were also present at the event and spoke to Mr Sarris (click below). View all of Blogactiv’s interviews from the event by clicking here.
BirdLife: others should provide training to farmers, not just industry
Posted by Helen Dunnett on January 27, 2009 in Farming
At the Forum for the Future of Agriculture (see previous posts below), we spoke to Ariel Brunner, BirdLife International’s EU Agriculture Policy Officer, about the importance of farmers having the right knowledge when applying technology, and the ways in which farmers can acquire this knowledge (he talks about training, incentives and regulation). He highlights that, so far, industry has perhaps played the biggest roll in providing this training to farmers, but considering their clear vested interest, others should be involved to a greater extent. View his comments by clicking below.
Neil Parish MEP: pesticides & food supply, risk vs. hazard, Week without Pesticides
Posted by Helen Dunnett on January 26, 2009 in Food & health
At the Forum for the Future of Agriculture, which we attended last week (see previous post below), we spoke to Neil Parish, a Member of the European Parliament, where he is Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.
Please click on the video below to hear Mr Parish’s views on the reduction of pesticides available to farmers and the effect this might have on food supply, the shift from a risk to hazard-based assessment of products, and Week without Pesticides, the annual campaign originally launched by Citizen’s Action for Pesticides’ Alternatives.
Former Commissioner Franz Fischler: balancing food and environmental sustainability
Posted by Helen Dunnett on January 17, 2009 in Food & health
In our last interview from the Future of Agriculture series, we have to Franz Fischler, former European Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, and now Chairman of the Rise Foundation, an organisation that supports rural development.
The main focus of his position on the future development of the European agricultural sector is on the prioritisation of environmental concerns above all else, which should involve the promotion of farming methods that do not require technology, as well as the reduction of what he calls “harsh” technologies, including some pesticides.
Agra-facts: European agriculture in the future
Posted by Helen Dunnett on January 10, 2009 in Food & health
Moving on to our penultimate interview from the Forum for the Future of Agriculture (see previous posts below), please find below our interview with Roger Waites, editor of AGRA FACTS, a Brussels-based newsletter that closely monitors EU agriculture policy.
Roger talked to us about the continued threat of the food crisis, the future of European farming policy, and agricultural productivity.
You can view a previous interview with Roger, filmed last October at the “Pesticides in Sustainable Agriculture” event.
Unilever on the future of agriculture: productivity and technology
Posted by Helen Dunnett on January 09, 2009 in Global issues
At the recent Forum for the Future of Agriculture (see previous posts below), we asked Willem-Jan Laan, Director of Global External affairs at Unilever for his views on the future of agriculture and the role of technology within it. View his comments in the video below.