The Group of Twenty (G20) agriculture ministers will convene in the Western Cape on Thursday to discuss issues concerning the sustainability of global food security. This will include exploring various themes, such as trade, sustainable production methods and agricultural productivity.
While agricultural policy is ultimately a domestic matter, these discussions often present a chance to help shift the view on climate-smart agricultural practices, finance and trade. They are also a platform for sharing ideas and production methods, helping each country think beyond its borders and adopt a global view, as agricultural markets and food security issues are interconnected globally.
While much of the developed world has a stronger focus on affordability and the climate change impact of farming methods and outputs, much of the African continent, parts of Asia and the Middle East still need to contend with issues of agricultural productivity gains, in an environment where climate change risks and geopolitical tensions present additional risks. This means that in the G20 agricultural ministers’ meetings a specific focus on the issues that primarily affect the African continent’s agriculture and other developing parts of the world is critical.
Key focus areas: trade, resilience, sustainability
The business arm of the G20 countries, the B20, has already made some inroads in this effort. In a recently released report the Sustainable Food & Agricultural Workstream presented three interventions to enhance global food security:
- Increased trade: boosting food production in regions with competitive advantages, to enhance global food availability.
- Resilient supply chains aim to strengthen local and regional sourcing, reducing price volatility and mitigating external shocks.
- Sustainable agricultural practices, in which the focus is on promoting practices that conserve resources and improve soil quality.
These are sound principles that aim to shape the conversation about global agricultural practices positively, and we generally agree with them. The conversations of the G20 agricultural ministers could build on these suggestions and further enrich them, with specific policy considerations that countries could take back to their domestic constituents and reflect further.
Implications for South Africa
The matter of increasing trade resonates well with SA, where the domestic agricultural policy includes promoting exports to various regions, including some G20 members. The challenge SA often faces, particularly in agricultural importing countries such as China and India, is higher import tariffs and nontariff barriers that have constrained SA’s agricultural exports to these countries.
The promotion of such exports in G20 conversations, as a tool for boosting global food security through trade, resonates well with the SA agricultural community and government policy. Beyond this matter, the global trade system is under profound pressure since the US’s policy decision this year to implement higher tariffs against trading partners. A firm commitment to open trade is crucial.
Sustainable practices vs productivity
Regarding sustainable agricultural practices, the SA farming community would also benefit from knowledge sharing by other countries. However, any policy recommendations on climate matters should ensure that agricultural productivity is not unduly sacrificed in the effort to reduce various inputs perceived to harm the environment, as seen in the EU's Green Deal proposals. The focus should be on optimal utilisation of various agricultural inputs to boost productivity, while also ensuring that the environment is improved.
Therefore, the discussion at the G20 meeting of agricultural ministers would do well to focus on climate matters, encouraging information sharing and ensuring that others do not use climate-smart agricultural practices as a nontariff barrier in future. A firm and persuasive signalling of such messaging would be powerful.
Overall, food insecurity in various parts of the world remains a challenge that could be tackled in such forums.
• Sihlobo is chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of SA and a senior fellow in Stellenbosch University’s department of agricultural economics.
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