<strong>WFO</strong> F@rmletterFARMELLANEOUSWe live in a world of paradox: first of all, the fact that amongmore than 800 million people, mostly farmers, suffer fromhunger because of the effects of a globalization without anyrules, that leads to food exploitation and speculation.Markets’ globalization, which was not followed by rules’globalization, has dramatically delegitimised food, to thepoint that we consider food like any other commodities, withthe negative effects that go from speculations on agriculturalraw materials to the theft of millions of hectares of fertilesoils that damages the poorest countries (the so-called LandGrabbing), up to the huge uncertainty about the redeemingpower of the genetically modified organisms (GMOs).The Expo is an opportunity to face this paradox, and tocarefully rethink the food production and distributionsystem. The aim is to create a model of sustainableecofriendly development that guarantees a social protectionand economic system, capable of ensuring a future toagriculture, and safe and accessible food to everyone, in Italyand in the poorest countries of the world.COLDIRETTI’SVISIONABOUTEXPO <strong>2015</strong>Roberto MoncalvoCOLDIRETTI PRESIDENTThe Expo also represents an opportunity to accomplish anadequate social and economic recognition of the labour inthe fields that still lacks in the northern parts of the world aswell as in the southern.That is why Coldiretti has chosen to participate with thisstrong and clear message: “No farmers No party”.Because farmers are the real force of the Expo.It is now time to give the right recognition to the job of 1,5billions of farmers that work hard every day in the worldtrying to guarantee food for everyone and to defend theenvironmental quality and security.There is no Expo, no food and no life without the hard workin the fields.10
<strong>WFO</strong> F@rmletterFARMELLANEOUSCOLDIRETTI’SVISIONABOUTEXPO <strong>2015</strong>Roberto MoncalvoCOLDIRETTI PRESIDENTExpo’s challenge is to feed the World with healthy, safe and enoughfood for everyone, promoting a sustainable development. As theItalian Agricultural Confederation, we have given a concretecontribution to the fulfilment of the “Charter of Milan”, taking partin the various preparatory tables.Also the contribution of the World Farmers’ Organisation will beimportant, through the activities of the General Assembly, that notby chance, this year, it will take place in Milan at the end of June. Wehave really appreciated the commitment established, to make ourCountry the leading of a global renewal path, that recognizes theright to nourishment, that contextually encourages towards thefight against waste that aims at: the biodiversity, the agroenergies,the research and the innovation.Innovation and research are particularly fundamental for theproductive world. In 2050 we will be 9 billion ( two billions morethan today) and we expect that 70% of the global population willmove to an urban context changing consumptions significantly,thanks to the average income per person that will reach 18.900dollars.Therefore, it will be necessary, as also the FAO confirms, toincrease the productions by 60% and to learn how to do it by usingless surface. Technologies can be engaged to improve the quality ofour productions. We farmers, use the water to cultivate the mainprimary good: food. We do not waste water, we use it to produce,but we find ourselves often in the dock. Surely we have to carry outan accurate managerial and economy policy of water resources,and thanks to the research and the innovation, we will be able tooptimise the use of water.Moreover, the research allows to increase plants resistance todiseases, to drought, to salinity of the soils and to floods, providingfood in those Countries where food security is at risk. Producingmore food in a sustainable perspective means to bear in mind,beyond the increasing of the population and the reduction of thesurface, also the effects of markets globalization, industries andcountries competitiveness, the development of pathogens thatinfluence productions, scenarios, economics and society.We will have to learn how to react to those challenges that affectthe current generations and the future ones, in which agricultureplays again a fundamental role. That is why the activity of theresearches is to guarantee a technological and cultural innovationin Italy. Today making innovation as regards to agriculture meansnot to deny technologies, if they are necessary to reach bettereconomic and environmental sustainable levels.It makes sense that it becomes the main objective for researchersas far as the agriculture is concerned. Moreover, doing so, with aperspective view, capable of leading us in the vanguard as factoryfarms, as a system and as a country. In this sense it is interestinga study from the University of California that promotes a form ofsustainable agriculture based either on the engineering geneticpractices, either on the biological agriculture.We are now building the world’s food future: to make the best ofit, we have to rely upon a framework as accurate as possible fromthe scientific point of view, without ideology. With the objective ofrealizing what Expo reminds us: feed the World.11
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