http://www.firab.it

1. FIRAB
Via Piave 14
00187 Roma
 0645437485
0645437486
 firab@firab.it
FIRAB contribution to the e-consultation on the V0 draft of the Report
on Food Security and Climate Change
Luca Colombo
Fondazione Italiana per la Ricerca in Agricoltura Biologica e Biodinamica (FIRAB)
Italian Foundation on Research for Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture1
The Fondazione Italiana per la Ricerca in Agricoltura Biologica e Biodinamica (FIRAB) follows the
HLPE work since its establishment and is pleased to contribute to the e-consultation on the V0
draft of the Report on Food Security (FS) and Climate Change (CC). FIRAB further recognizes the
relevance of the topic and the importance of a pertinent deliberation from the Committee on
World Food Security (CFS).
Given the significance of the subject FIRAB notes with disappointment that the V0 draft was
incompletely delivered for the e-consultation, thus disabling a thorough comment: the unfinished
section on agrofuels’ pros and cons (ref. page 39 of the V0 draft) offers a valid explanation for this
disappointment.
Overall considerations
The document presents a useful summary of the available scientific information on CC impacts and
the relevant implications on FS. The specific impact on already food insecure constituencies
(smallholder farmers, women, the elders and children) is usefully highlighted indicating the
urgency of targeted measures and policies, as well as the necessity to empower small scale
farmers. Similarly, the relevance of ‘local lessons’ is reckoned showing that a global phenomenon
such as CC can be resourcefully addressed if community efforts are valued and supported.
Despite this recognition, no adequate and pertinent policy recommendations are suggested in the
document. Viceversa, while the climatic situation and its effects are depicted in their dramatic
dimension, recommendations for policies and actions do not seem to be inspired by a comparable
sense of urgency and by the radical need to reverse business as usual and the current economic
1
The Fondazione Italiana per la Ricerca in Agricoltura Biologica e Biodinamica (English name: Italian Foundation for
Research in Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture) was set up in 2007 by organic and biodynamic farmer, environmental
and labor associations to promote applied research through a participatory approach and operates technical and
scientific dissemination.

2. FIRAB
Via Piave 14
00187 Roma
 0645437485
0645437486
 firab@firab.it
and productive mainstream system. FIRAB considers and suggests that the document be fed by a
mostly needed policy courage enabling the CFS to deliberate accordingly.
The attention to the food security pillars, as indicated in the project team mandate, is certainly
useful as analytical tool. These dimensions show radically different dynamics in rural and urban
areas and in different sociocultural contexts and these aspects are not sufficiently taken into
account. A good example is given by the World Bank reference to global poverty, mentioned in the
V0 draft, that appears useless and misleading, as well as the claimed progress from the early 80’s
to current times on absolute deprivation (based on % of population living below the $1.25 or $2
poverty lines) that ignores the change in purchasing power, thus being quite pointless, if not
annoying.
FIRAB positively notes that the IAASTD experience is conveniently recalled and that there is no
trite endorsement for any role to be played on CC by biotechnology. Viceversa, FIRAB highlights
that the actual and factual contribution offered by organic farming is not recalled and recognized
neither as a suitable agricultural model able to respond to CC challenges and to mitigate climate
chaos nor as a knowledge- and biodiversity- rich practice to adapt to it, hampering a wider
adoption of agricultural and research policies that efficiently target CC.
FIRAB finally welcomes the final recommendation to substantially invest in public research and
extension and the call to urgently act in this direction, with a clear focus on small-scale farms and
farmers that provide “important productivity, resiliency and poverty-reduction benefits”. More
generally, though, it has to be noted that the final recommendations appear to be too mild and
vague to respond to the urgency of the climatic and food insecurity situation. Moreover, it cannot
be accepted that mitigation activities should be targeted to areas with cost effectiveness, i.e.
developing countries, or left to “market based mechanisms”. These activities should rather be
adopted immediately and everywhere under clear political responsibility.
Detailed comments
More specifically, while CC and the human responsibilities are definitely given as a matter of fact,
impact scenarios seem to be poor and limited to already available ‘evidence’ integrated by
predictions derived from a few models.
Chapter 3 on adaptation is hardly debatable being more an index than a thorough reasoning; most
of the considerations made in the introduction do not add significant value or inspire substantial
changes to current policies and practices. The sectoral approaches to adaptation seem to be

3. FIRAB
Via Piave 14
00187 Roma
 0645437485
0645437486
 firab@firab.it
tailored to mitigate business risks rather than to responsibilize actors in order to respond to
societal and climatic impacts of the development model. The whole financial sector section is
inspired by a disguised market mechanism that already proved to be ineffective in shielding poor
and food insecure people. It is finally unclear whether ‘civil society’ is considered as a further
player or not. In any case, FIRAB rejects the idea to include ‘major foundations’ (that we intend as
supposedly philanthropic foundations) within the civil society constituency, particularly if
projected to develop partnerships “with the private sector to translate advances in science into
products and interventions (…)”.
Policy messages in chapter 3 clearly positively focus on the building/strengthening of resilient food
systems and on the need to make ample use of existing and new knowledge about social,
economic and biophysical aspects: while a wide range of knowledge and techniques is mentioned,
FIRAB notes that agroecological and participatory approaches proved to be far more performing
and this should be acknowledged in the document.
Chapter 4 on mitigation focuses on crop- and livestock-specific responsibilities on GHG emissions
and on their management, thus failing to highlight the accountability of the industrial and
agrochemical food and farming system. It is not a matter of blaming specific culprits, but this
omissions hinder the identification of clear policy areas for interventions either through taxes and
incentives or through climate friendly regulations for the agrifood sector.
Final remarks
FIRAB wishes that the HLPE work and the consequent CFS deliberations constructively operates to
respond to societal needs and to orientate State and non-State actors in order to fulfill the right to
food.
In order to do that, a HLPE document on the interlinked relationship between climate change and
food insecurity should loudly call for a drastic and immediate reduction of GHG emissions, for a
radical change in the growth and development paradigms and for a thorough redefinition of food
and agriculture systems towards more sustainable and socially responsible policies and practices.