As Dutch humanitarian organisations rally to highlight the plight of victims of the East Africa drought disaster, former agriculture minister Gerda Verburg sets off to Rome to join the UN’s food security team. She will be the Netherlands’ permanent representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Her mission is to spread Dutch agricultural expertise to local farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The FAO’s first and foremost task is to tackle the food problem in the world. But, concedes the ex-minister, “the food situation has actually worsened recently.” The prospects seem disheartening as Millennium Development Goals lag behind their 2015 deadline, famine threatens East Africa and food prices reach untold peaks.

Ms Verburg feels the Netherlands should play a more active role in tackling global food security, citing breakthrough innovations of the Agriculture University in Wageningen – a university dedicated to food production in a healthy environment - as examples. Researcher Siemen van Berkum:

“Dutch agricultural practices enjoy a well-established reputation in the world and are known for their production efficiency. We have advanced knowledge on how to produce food efficiently - which could be used to improve and support global food security.” 

Train the farmers
Ms Verburg stands behind this idea and recalls some success stories in Ethiopia during her term as minister: “You’ll see that if you apply very basic farming principles there, you can triple or even quadruple the yield per hectare, without using extra soil or exploiting the environment. And it’s more sustainable to boot. Just send in a Dutch farmer who can produce six or seven times more in a sustainable way. It’s that simple – educate the farmers (very often women). And give them a chance to organise some credit to buy supplies and sell their produce. That way you’ll achieve more in the long run.”

Sour milk
Knowledge shouldn’t stop with production, says Ms Verburg. Setting up a production and supply chain is crucial: “Suppose a farmer in the tropics has ten dairy cows. At the end of the day, he can throw away his sour milk if it isn’t processed in some way.”

The new FAO representative knows that Dutch businesses would invest in agriculture in developing countries if there were realistic opportunities. She thinks collaboration between Dutch universities, businesses and local farmers is key.

No magic wand
But the FAO is in need of some self-evaluation itself. They’re often accused of being sluggish and functioning too much as a platform for political interests. The criticism is justified, says Ms Verburg:

“No-one can afford not to take criticism on board. Three international themes are going to be in the spotlight in the coming years – water, food and energy. If the FAO doesn’t carry out the task it has been set up to do, then you’ll have to question whether its existence is justified.”

She has hope. With the arrival of the Brazilian José Grazino da Silva, the FAO will be able to focus on its chief task – ensuring food security for all. Gerda Verburg is setting off for Rome with her sleeves rolled up, ready for the challenge ahead. “But there’s no magic wand,” she says.