Food Security: a priority of Europe Aid

In her opening speech of the High Level Policy Dialogue on Technology Transfer for Smallholder Farmers (13 February 2013), Ms. Adelina Nicolaie, Programme Manager, Technology Transfer for Food Security in Asia, European Commission, emphasized the commitment of the European Union (EU) to fight food insecurity and malnutrition.

The European Union contributes to food security, agriculture and rural development of the least developed countries all over the world.  To this end, in the past few years 2010-2012, the European Union committed almost 3 billion euro through the bilateral country programmes. With the Technology Transfer Programme, EuropeAid provides 22 million Euro for enhancing technology transfer on food security for poor farmers in most food insecure countries of South and Southeast Asia.

The EU has also a great engagement in the global fight against malnutrition and its coordination mechanisms, and it is the main initiator for The Global Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (SUN). 

Ms. Nicolaie highlighted the importance of the High Level Policy Dialogue initiated by SATNET Asia, to bring together and engage policymakers, scientists and development practitioners in a constructive dialogue to better reach smallholders with improved technologies and to promote sustainable agriculture.

“The problems can’t be solved within a day but this meeting can contribute to answer at least few questions,“ Ms. Nicolaie pointed out.

Reporter : Zuziana Susanti, Indonesian Center for Rice Research (ICRR), Indonesia, zuzianasusanti@yahoo.com