Italian supermarkets are able to ensure spending for families locked at home. This is certainly good news for the European country most affected by the coronavirus. But net of the decisions of individual governments, we are facing a general upheaval of the world food chain. FAO in the G20 videoconference from Rome clearly stated that time is moving in the opposite direction to the needs of the world population. The overall scenario concerns a rewriting of the principles of the food chain, hopefully more sustainable and less separatist between rich and poor nations.
The UN organization is part of this rewrite, so Director General Qu Dongyu was right to ask world leaders to allow access to food for all. Who can feel left out? None, because the virus travels fast in every latitude. “The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting food systems and aspects of food security around the world”Qu Dongyu said. No country is immune from it. The effort is to ensure that food value chains are not interrupted and continue to work well, promoting the production and availability of diversified, safe and nutritious foods for all.
Today's global scare is related to the 2007-2008 global food price crisis. The economic, health and social tsunami from Covid 19 will pass, but we must be ready horizontally. For two reasons mainly.
The first concerns the progressive spread of the epidemic, which when it has subsided in one country or region of the world, will be in full swing in other parts. The second concerns the response to people's needs, starting with nutrition.
There will be a need for well-structured supply chains and constant supply guarantees. A tragic vision, the latter, which could lead the agri-food system to the "accelerated" exploitation of crops using pesticides and substances harmful to the environment.
We must ensure that agricultural trade continues to play its important role in global food security and better nutrition,” Qu Dongyu said. Transparency and an organized response to millions of families devastated by months of deprivation should not stop efforts for environmentally sustainable food chains either. A test, especially for those who have solid roots in the earth.
