The 37th Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) began this Monday in Quito, Ecuador, with the presence of representatives from all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
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The Conference aims to promote the transformation required to face the most complex scenario in recent decades: the effects of climate change on agriculture, added to the rapid increase in food and fertilizer prices, aggravated by the war in Ukraine.
The FAO recalls that a quarter of the regional population lives in conditions of food insecurity, while the Covid-19 pandemic caused 22 million people to fall into poverty in just one year, forcing them to acquire poorer quality food due to down in their income.
The regional representative of the FAO, Julio Berdegué, said in this regard: “We are facing a perfect storm, which is why the FAO has stated that it is necessary to transform the agri-food system. That is essential to get out of the crisis.”
According to Berdegué, the FAO Conference occurs at the right time for countries to share innovations, reach agreements and take decisive steps to strengthen their agri-food systems: “What happens in this region affects the whole world. The steps What we give during the Conference to improve production, nutrition, the environment and the lives of our inhabitants will affect the future of the world, and open the path that others will follow later”.
One of the central issues that the member countries of FAO will discuss during the Regional Conference is the Strategic Framework 2023-2031, which will guide the actions of the Organization and must be adapted to the conditions and priorities of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Another key issue is the need to promote resilient and sustainable agriculture and livestock, adapted to climate change, and with lower greenhouse gas emissions and minimal environmental impact.
The Regional Conference is the highest regional governing body of FAO. There, the member countries meet every two years and establish the regional priorities of the Organization for the following biennium.