U.N. food and agriculture agencies urge G20 to increase efforts to fight hunger; G20 launches AgResults initiative

As G20 leaders wrapped up their meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico, on Tuesday, the U.N. food and agriculture agencies -- the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) -- issued a joint statement "call[ing] on them to redouble their efforts to fight hunger" and "welcom[ing] the priority given to food and nutrition security at the summit," the U.N. News Centre reports. The agencies "noted that food security is closely linked to other issues on the agenda of G20 -- such as infrastructure development and restoring growth in countries in crisis" -- and emphasized the role of partnerships in improving food security, according to the news agency. The "agencies also welcomed the continuing recognition by the G20 of the pivotal role of smallholder agriculture to global food security and to boosting productivity in a sustainable manner," the news agency writes (6/19).

"On Monday, the [G20] officially launched AgResults, which will reward private sector actors that can develop products and services addressing some of the pressing challenges in food security and agriculture and ensure uptake of these innovative agricultural technologies," Devex reports (Villarino, 6/19). "The initiative is supported by Britain, Canada, the United States, Italy and Australia, as well as the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation," AlertNet notes, adding, "The aim is to provide funding of up to $100 million to bring tried and tested products to a wider market by providing incentives for the private sector, including grain traders, cereal millers and food processing firms" (Rowling, 6/19).