10-point programme

© Colin Smith, Wikicommons

The German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has published a ten-point food security programme. The Federal Government’s support at EU level for the abolition of agricultural export subsidies has been well received by many development and farming organisations. However, as the director of Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) points out, the report fails to mention that state subsidies will  continue to flow into the food sector to ensure that European products can still be sold cheaply on the world market.  The organisation Welthungerhilfe (World Hunger Aid) also sees the programme as a step in the right direction, but stresses that its success will depend on how the ten steps are implemented. In addition, it is feared that the FPD wants to achieve the programme’s undefined “increase in sustainable production” by means of genetic engineering.