UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The sustainable development of agriculture is the key to ending hunger, said Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu on Wednesday.
Speaking at a UN interactive dialogue on South-South and Triangular cooperation for transforming agriculture, the FAO chief pointed out the world is facing a critical situation.
More than 820 million people in the world suffer from hunger and 2 billion people experience moderate or severe food insecurity, and the numbers are not improving over the past year, he said.
To reverse this trend, Qu said the answer "lies in our ability to transform the agricultural sector." "We need to overcome the challenges that face us, in order to make agriculture an engine of sustainable development."
He added the approach to agriculture must confront the realities of growing land pressure, the impact of climate change, the degradation or depletion of water and soil resources, and the dramatic loss of biodiversity.
Qu said "we need smarter agriculture that works with, not against, nature; that properly values and remunerates the contributions of small-scale producers, fishers, pastoralists, and indigenous peoples not only to food but to preserving biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem services."
According to the the UN official website, global hunger has been rising for the fourth consecutive year. Recent figures show that over 820 million people suffer from hunger. More than 60 percent (approximately 500 million) of these people live in Asia, while another 30 percent (approximately 250 million) in Africa.
