The government is effectively arguing that damaging the planet is a price worth paying for short-term productivity gains. This is wrong, because not only are millions of people going hungry, the planet is also suffering.
Chemical seeds and fertilisers may increase productivity, but this has not eradicated hunger. On the contrary, hunger levels are on the rise with the UN estimating almost 350 million people going hungry, double the number from 2020.
Furthermore, industrial seeds are expensive. This can create financial problems for poor smallholder farmers who may not be able to afford them and who are hit hard when prices increase, such as the recent spike in prices following the war in Ukraine. This can leave some farmers even more food insecure as they no longer have access to their own freely available seeds.
These chemical inputs can have detrimental impacts on soil health, air quality and water. We don’t agree that this is a price worth paying for short-term productivity gains as the long-term environmental impacts will be devastating, and it will be smallholder farmers who will be hit first and hardest.
A growing body of evidence shows that agroecological approaches that focus on working in harmony with nature are a proven way to increase productivity, incomes, food security and overall long-term resilience. Climate resilience is mentioned repeatedly in the letter as being a UK government priority, so we want to see the UK put this in to action and start to listen to smallholder farmers across the global south who want to grow food in environmentally friendly ways.
We really need your support to keep the pressure on the government so that they act in favour of smallholder farmers.
The government’ response is not good enough, but we are not going to give up. We need to keep the pressure up and we urge you to Email the UK representative at the World Bank
For more detail on the evidence presented in our report listen to a recent podcast by The Tablet.
