Global Governance and Food Security as Global Public Good

8• Growth of commercialized production of naturalresources;• Input and production subsidies to the agriculturalsector, such as for energy, fertilizer, water andgovernment purchase of production (which aimto promote production and food security but maypromote the expansion of agricultural lands).28. Most of the additional 70 percent in food productionnecessary to address population growth will haveto come from agricultural intensification. Increasingproductivity requires investment, technologicalinnovation and policies, but crop intensification ishighly dependent on fossil fuels, and most probablyunaffordable to the majority of small farmers indeveloping countries. This will be a risk to the supplyside of food security.29. Commercial investments in food production areexpected to focus on prime agriculture land orfisheries. Where formal property rights are weak,people using that land or fishery may be dispossessedand forced to use less productive resources, creatingoften-ignored social costs. Social safeguards arenecessary to manage trade-offs between measures foreconomic growth and the need to protect vulnerablegroups.30. The expected population increases in poorer and lessdiversified developing economies, where agriculturewill remain predominant, will put further pressureon natural resources, particularly in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. This could also accelerate internationalmigration.31. Agriculture uses about 70 percent of the waterresources of the planet. With the need to increaseagricultural production to meet growing demand,pressure on water resources will increase. Competitionbetween agriculture and non-agricultural uses ofwater will increasingly become an issue.32. Reduction of post-harvest losses is seen by FAO as acompensating strategy to deal with the impact ofreducing natural resources on overall production.d) Agriculture and energy33. Agriculture requires energy. Modern agriculture relieson chemical fertilizers derived from fossil fuels andmachinery. Food storage, processing and distributionare also energy intensive. Higher energy costs directlyimpact agricultural production costs and food prices.34. Bioenergy can also be an output of the agrifood chain.Biofuel production is stimulated through governmentsubsidies, tax incentives and mandates (particularly inthe G20 countries), which remain important drivers formost types of biofuels. Agricultural land that is usedfor bioenergy is not available for food production.e) Research and Development (R&D)35. The gap between average farm yields and the yieldsobtained in experimental fields is considerable, butreaching this potential requires that farmers operatein well-functioning input and output markets; haveaccess to efficient infrastructures; have better financeand risk management tools; and work under aframework of appropriate policies and institutions.36. Global investment in agricultural R&D has increasedin the last three decades, with a rising share investedby the private sector. Private investment in R&D isconcentrated in a few developed countries and ahandful of rapidly emerging countries. The emergenceof biotechnology as a major source of innovationin agriculture will have major consequences forsmall farmers. Intellectual protection instruments,particularly in the seed sector, are increasinglyimportant. The role of public extension servicesis declining, while the role of the private sector inthe dissemination of technologies and practices isgrowing.37. With these changes, Africa is of special concern. Therewill be an increasing need for public policies, publicinvestments and partnerships with the private sectorto ensure a more universal utilization of innovationsfor increasing food production and povertyreduction. Yield gains, food security, and sustainableNYUCICGlobal Governance and Food Security as Global Public Good