Chapter 14 – Tying It All Together: Global, Regional, and Local Integrations

One in three individuals on the planet suffers from malnutrition, a major constraint on sustainable development. Poverty alleviation and food security have to be arranged around low food prices (as many of the rural poor are net purchasers of food), efficient production methods, and reliable, profitable farm enterprises. This allows the poor to use their limited cash to invest in better housing, education, and health care. Efficiency and consistency are the guiding principles in developing a productive, commercialized, and profitable agricultural sector. It requires wide and diverse participation, specifically involving the poor and vulnerable, in creating realistic and profitable options for change. The focus is on quality and impact along the value chain, facilitated through enhanced networking and coordination among the various sector stakeholders and international organizations. The objective is to build teams that work systematically and with strong national leadership, to develop solutions to pressing national problems. With imagination, effort, and hard work, change can come about. What is needed is for those in the developing world to be given the opportunity to express themselves as equals, and not as supplicants. This will only happen when we transform values to genuinely respect the dignity and equality of all human beings.