The International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, Friday, warned against poor treatment and neglect of farmers along various food value chains.

The warning was given by the President, IFAD, Gilbert Houngbo, ahead of the UN Food Systems pre-Summit that will kick off on Monday, July 26, 2021, in Rome, Italy.

According to Houngbo, if the government and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector fail to address the challenges and needs of rural people who are mostly farmers in the poorest countries, any attempt to create a sustainable food system will definitely fail.

Ironically and painfully, rural small-scale farmers produce about a third of global food and supply up to 80 percent of food in parts of Africa and Asia. Although they play a major role in keeping food systems functioning, they themselves often go hungry.

In 2020, this was exacerbated by climate change, conflict, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a dramatic increase in global hunger, according to a report jointly released by five UN agencies including IFAD last week. One in 10 people now goes hungry.

Source: National News Agency