World Food, Land Use and Trade

we are living through some interesting, decisive and formative times. We are calling for change – a Great Transformation. On a small scale, civil society and various stakeholders are already mobilising, sometimes quietly, sometimes more vocally. Alliances and partnerships are forming, adopting highly diverse approaches and networking on a national or international scale...

1. YOUR LOW PRICED STEAK IS PRODUCED BY 2. CATTLE FED CHEAP CORN AND SOY, 3. GROWN IN FIELDS WHERE RAINFORESTS WERE SLASHED AND BURNT, 4. MEANING THEY ARE NOT LONGER ABLE TO GENERATE RAINFALL IN DRIER REGIONS, 5. WHERE HIGH TEMPERATURES ACCELERATE DRASTIC DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT!

Germanwatch is convinced that the international mechanism for rainforest conservation and reduction of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - REDDplus - will be only effective in the long-term if conservation activities in the developing countries are linked to measures that help erradicate poverty and support sustainable development.

Climate change threatens to make the already difficult situation of food security in the world even worse. The Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - based on the evaluation of many scientific studies - has made a critical assessment of the possible impacts of climate change on agriculture, livestock and fishing, particularly in the countries of the tropics and sub-tropics.

Within the framework of the initiative "Securing Food - For a Global Paradigm Shift in Agricultural Policies" FIAN, German National Association of Worldshops and Germanwatch support fair rules for international trade in agricultural goods. It is our opinion that a Global Paradigm Shift in Agricultural Policies is necessary to ensure the human right to food for all human beings and to provide agricultural production with a social, ecological and consequently, sustainable profile.