Self-sufficiency in food must become a national priority
Experts often warn that the world will face dramatic challenges in achieving stability in global food security, as climate change threatens farming output through higher temperatures, changes in rainfall, more frequent and worsening droughts, floods, stor
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said that with the world’s population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, the world’s agricultural output will need to grow by 70 per cent to feed everyone.
As it is, there are 1.02 billion hungry people in the world today, of whom some 642 million live in Asia. Eradicating hunger and extreme poverty is the first of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) formulated by the UN. To do so, the FAO has advised governments to focus their efforts on achieving food security and to ensure that people have regular access to sufficient high-quality food. This will then enable them to lead active and healthy lives. Asean countries have also been urged to mount coordinated action against surging food and energy prices, which pose threats to the regional bloc’s rapidly expanding population.
In this regard, efforts are also being undertaken by the Brunei government in reviewing the domestic staple food production policy. This is being implemented because our country – with a population of about 400,000 – imports a staggering 80 per cent of its food supplies.
This scenario has prompted our government to urgently improve and enhance Brunei’s agricultural system and policies so as to ensure food security for its people. With Brunei’s admission as a member of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) during the 38th session of the FAO Conference in Rome, Italy, we are very hopeful that our country will benefit from FAO membership, especially in human resource capacity development, technology transfer and technical assistance – as that will allow us to achieve self-sufficiency.
