New alliance for food security

The New Alliance for Food Security is an initiative of the G8 countries founded at the G8 summit in Camp David in 2012 . Its goal is to lift 50 million people out of poverty and hunger by 2020.

structure

The New Alliance is led by the G8 states, with the respective G8 presidencies playing a leading and coordinating role. Since the beginning of 2014, the New Alliance has been formally detached from the structure of the G8 states. In addition to the G8 countries, the New Alliance consists of actors from the private sector, international organizations and civil society. So far, the New Alliance has cooperated with Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Benin, Nigeria, Malawi and Senegal.

Below the level of heads of state, the Leadership Council has been created as an operational management body. It consists of representatives from five groups:

1. Representatives of African governments and institutions,
2. Donor representatives,
3. three multilateral institutions ( IFAD President Nwanze, IFC CEO Kaldany, FAO Director General Graziano da Silva),
4. five representatives from civil society and African farmers' organizations ( Oxfam America CEO Ray Offenheiser, representative of the pan-African farmers' organization and two regional African farmers' associations, representative of an African non-governmental organization),
5. seven representatives from the private sector ( Syngenta CEO Mack, Yara CEO Haslestad, Unilever CEO Polman, Cargill CEO Page, Equity Bank CEO Mwangi, Omega Farms CEO Gad, Ghana Premium Foods CEO Gambrah).

The Leadership Council has three co-chairs consisting of the Chair of the African Union , the respective G8 Presidency and the World Economic Forum . Germany is represented in this body by employees from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development . The Leadership Council meets twice a year on the occasion of the World Economic Forum in May and in September on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). The partnerships that are made between corporations and countries are often based on existing partnerships such as the American government's “Scaling Seeds and other Technology Partnership”. The German government has earmarked an amount of 50.2 million euros for the new alliance between 2012 and 2014. The UK government plans to invest £ 600 million in the project.

Projects

The national partnerships are intended to promote the spread of a modern industrial agricultural model. To this end, the partner countries' existing agricultural development strategies are to be reformed. These reforms essentially relate to four areas:

1. Reforms to promote private-sector investments in the field of agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and pesticides : The point here is that certain laws affecting the agricultural sector can be changed or even introduced through the cooperation agreements. In Tanzania z. For example, in the course of the New Alliance, the government is obliged to pass a UPOV 91-compliant Seed Act, which can restrict the free exchange or reproduction of seeds .
2. Reforms in the area of ​​land use and other natural resources : As part of this reform, the legislation governing the management and leasing of land can be changed to facilitate large-scale land sales and leases. The investment projects are specifically based on growth corridors in Tanzania and Mozambique. Here, by combining public infrastructure investments and private agricultural investments, larger zones for agricultural industrial use are to be created.
3. Reforms in the area of ​​international trade : The reform via the cooperation partnerships is intended to simplify the conditions for international investment and trade. For example, in the course of this agreement, Ethiopia has undertaken not to impose any export quotas for agricultural products.
4. Reforms in the area of ​​provision of services : In some countries that have signed partnership agreements, (state) agencies are being set up to facilitate access to investments for corporations from the agricultural industry.

criticism

The New Alliance for Food Security is heavily criticized by German non-governmental organizations such as Oxfam Germany , Forum Environment and Development , FIAN and Inkota and the opposition (Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen, Die Linke). The main focus is on the implementation of the reform plans and their consequences, since, according to the NGOs, the rights of small farmers are not taken into account and are in some cases even damaged by the reform plans. It is feared z. B. that contract farming , which is a central instrument for integrating smallholders in the value chain within the framework of the New Alliance , can lead to debt, deterioration in food security, the cultivation of monocultures and the move away from mixed production.

In addition, the land investments planned by corporations can lead to the local population losing their informal right to use the land. The British non-governmental organization World Development Movement calls this the post-colonial appropriation of African resources. This is particularly evident in the two growth corridors in Mozambique and Tanzania, the use of which could lead to land conflicts.

Another disadvantage is the orientation towards existing partnership agreements such as the “Scaling Seeds and Other Technologies Partnership” within the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa , which includes the commercialization, distribution and use of certified seeds and other technologies. In Mozambique, for example, this means that the distribution of free and natural seeds is banned in order to create investment incentives for the private sector in this area.

The opening of the seed market through the New Alliance is also a major point of criticism from the NGOs. As a result of the liberalization of the market, the producers would become dependent on the supply of the corporations, since they would have to buy new seeds every year or pay replication fees to corporations. The non-governmental organizations are calling for the Committee for Food Security (CFS) to be involved, as it represents general principles for responsible investments in the agricultural sector. In addition, a greater separation of private sector investments and the formulation of political rules as well as greater involvement of local farmers' organizations.

swell

1. ^ Cooperation countries answer to the short question of the federal government of the parliamentary group Die Linke of August 16, 2013.
2. ↑ Composition of the Leadership Council Response to the minor question from the Federal Government of the Die Linke parliamentary group of August 16, 2013.
3. ↑ Agreement with Ethiopia ( Memento of the original dated November 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Country Cooperation Framework of the New Alliance of Ethiopia. 
4. ↑ Cooperation agreement with Burkina Faso ( Memento of the original dated February 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Country Cooperation Framework of the New Alliance of Burkina Faso. 
5. ↑ Dangers of the Alliance ( Memento of the original from May 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Environment and Development Forum (2013), position paper. 
6. ↑ Criticism ( Memento of the original from May 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. World Development Movement (2014) A New Wave of Colonialism. 
7. ^ Landkonflücke , Econexus (2012), African Agricultural Growth Corridors, who benefits, who loses?
8. ↑ Investment incentives in response to the short question from the federal government of the Die Linke parliamentary group of August 16, 2013.
9. ↑ Claims ( Memento of the original from May 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Environment and Development Forum (2013), position paper.