Iowa farmer discusses ag tech and price volatility at United Nations
Churdan, IA: Iowa farmer Patti Naylor of Churdan participated in events at the United Nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in Rome, Italy. The 51st Plenary of the CFS took place on October 23 – 27, 2023 at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Her presentations focused on agriculture technology and price volatility in relation to food security.
Ms. Naylor was there as a member of the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples Mechanism (CSIPM), an open and inclusive space for farmers, fishers, women, youth, and others from social movements around the world to bring their voices to member states of CFS. She was supported by the National Family Farm Coalition and ActionAid USA, both based in Washington, DC.
Agriculture technology and the digitalization of the entire food chain is an issue of growing concern with the advancements of autonomous tractors, sensors, robotics, and artificial intelligence. A CFS process that had been initiated by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation concluded with policy recommendations on data collection and analysis, with an emphasis on digital tools. During the Plenary session in which member states endorsed these recommendations, Ms. Naylor presented the conclusions of the CSIPM, stating, “The serious risks arising from data-based technologies were not adequately addressed. Risks we identified range from surveillance and privacy violations to monopolistic control of intellectual property rights and patents to corporate control of the global food system.”
Ms. Naylor was also one of the organizers and panelists of a side event titled Data governance in the digitalization of the food system. The Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Michael Fakhri, moderated the discussion. Other panelists were from the governments of Mexico and South Africa, a farmer in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and an Indigenous woman farmer from Panama. This event brought together governments and farmers to discuss their concerns surrounding data and digital technologies.
Food price volatility was also addressed in a Plenary session. As a panelist, Ms. Naylor first pointed to the negative effects of an unregulated free market and the chronic state of economic crisis experienced by farmers and food producers worldwide. She continued, “Until governments put in place market regulations of supply management mechanisms and fair price floors tied to food reserves, the production treadmill will continue to drive down incomes for family-scale producers, destroy the environment, and benefit corporate interests.”
More information about the CSIPM and full statements presented during the Plenary can be found on its website: https://www.csm4cfs.org/