Global Food Security and International Cooperation
The BLE intends to face the major challenges of the international community regarding food security for a growing global population. For this reason, BLE in-creases its commitment in this area and established the division "International Cooperation and Global Food Security" which pools various activities of BLE in the field of international cooperation.
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The topic global food security increasingly attracts international attention. Rises of food prices during 2008 and 2010 emphasised the focus on global hunger as well as the so-called fuel or food discussion on biofuel.
The central objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to halve the number of people that were suffering from hunger in 1990 /1992 (800 million) until 2015 can presumably not be met. Today 870 million people still suffer hunger. Due to population growth, decline of natural resources, changes in consumption patterns in emerging economies, continuous destruction of the environment and increasing production risks under the impact of climate change, it is expected that the maintenance of food security will meet many problems in the future.
BLE wants to contribute to an amelioration of food security. This is also the objective of the division "International Cooperation and Global Food Security".
The new project group pools existing BLE expertise. The tasks of the project team include, among others:
- Support of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV), of national and international bodies and networks in general issues of international cooperation on global food security.
- Management of the BMELV’s Bilateral Trust Fund (BTF) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- Information and knowledge management for international cooperation in the field of agricultural research, global food security and rural development.
- Placement of German experts and Associate Professional Officers (APO) to the FAO.
- Management of the scientists exchange program within the frame of bilateral memoranda.
- Organization of the biannual International Leadership Workshop for Rural Youth which brings together leaders of rural youth associations from all around the world to provide them with theoretical support and ideas for practical measures to implement rural youth work (International Leadership Workshop for Rural Youth).
