Focus on Agriculture and Nutrition

At the opening of the 82nd International Green Week (IGW) - the world's largest trade fair for food and agriculture - Federal Minister of Agriculture Christian Schmidt specifically thanked farmers. They are the ones who provide the basis for our daily bread and who nurture the cultural landscape, he said.

The International Green Week has opened its doors. More than 1,500 exhibitors from the fields of nutrition, agriculture and horticulture will present themselves until 29 January. 300 specialised events are planned. This year's partner country is Hungary.

The Federal Government at the International Green Week

The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is presenting the special exhibition "Agriculture in the middle of society". Visitors can learn about modern and sustainable agriculture and forestry, rural areas as living and working spaces, nutritional competence and clever consumption.
At the opening of the IGW, the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture also presented his plans for a new state animal protection label and announced the establishment of a Federal Nutrition Centre.

The BMEL also invites visitors to the "10th Future Forum on Rural Development" – a forum where a wide range of stakeholders who are committed to strong rural areas can exchange views. The "Organic Farming" federal competition award will be presented during the forum, and the winners of the "Our village has a future" federal competition will be announced.

World without hunger as a common goal

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is also represented at the IGW under the motto "A world without hunger is possible".
Together with dedicated partners from civil society, the business community and churches, the BMZ demonstrates that "A world without hunger" is possible if all actors pull together. It places the focus on the topics of fair purchasing and innovation - two of the ministry's central concerns as it works to achieve sustainable nutrition for future generations and to provide young people in Germany’s partner countries the prospect of a decent living.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUB) is also present at the International Green Week, providing information on the topics of rural infrastructure, sustainability and protection of nature and species.

Berlin World Food Conference

The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) - the 9th Berlin World Food Conference - will take place in parallel with the IGW under the motto "Agriculture and Water - Key to Feeding the World ". The conference is the world's largest agriculture ministers meeting and acts as a major impulse generator at the beginning of each year.

International actors from politics, business, science and civil society will exchange ideas on the sustainable use of water, a resource that is essential for life. At the opening of the forum, State Secretary Peter Bleser said water scarcity was "a central challenge of the future".

Water and soil essential for production

For agriculture, water is the most important production resource besides soil: 70% of the world's fresh water is used for the production of agricultural products. United Nations estimates suggest that global water demand will rise by 20% by 2050. If agriculture is to continue to be a crucial and reliable supplier of food for the growing world population, sufficient clean water will be needed.

The "Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) – the Berlin World Food Conference" was launched in 2008 by the BMEL and takes place annually during the International Green Week. This year, it will meet from 19 to 21 January.

G20 agriculture ministers meeting

Immediately following the GFFA, the G20 agriculture ministers meeting will take place in Berlin on 22 January. Here, too, the focus will be on "Agriculture and Water". Recommendations for action by the GFFA will be addressed and put in concrete terms. "I expect these conferences to provide essential building blocks in order to secure the world’s food supply," said Schmidt.

The G20 agriculture ministers’ summit will be the first ministerial meeting of Germany’s G20 presidency. At the start of the presidency on 1 December 2016, Minister Schmidt had emphasised the importance of agriculture: The three priorities of the German G20 presidency – "Stability - Responsibility - Sustainability" also apply to the role of agriculture. The motto of Germany’s G20 Presidency is "Shaping an interconnected world".

"Without agriculture, issues of global stability such as sustainable food security cannot be solved. This is why we need to strengthen sustainable agriculture and rural areas around the world, and this is what I will strive towards under the G20 presidency", Schmidt declared.

The G20 states represent 60 per cent of the world’s agricultural land.

Friday, 20 January 2017

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