Excerpt from the Report submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council, December 20, 2010 by the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter.

“…Increasing food production to meet future needs, while necessary, is not sufficient. It will not allow significant progress in combating hunger and malnutrition if it is not combined with higher incomes and improved livelihoods for the poorest – particularly small-scale farmers in developing countries. And short-term gains will be offset by long term losses if it leads to further degradation of ecosystems, threatening future ability to maintain current levels of production.

It is possible, however, to significantly improve agricultural productivity where it has been lagging behind, and thus raise production where it needs most to be raised (i.e. in poor, food-deficit countries), while at the same time improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and preserving ecosystems. This would slow the trend towards urbanization in the countries concerned, which is placing stress on public services of these countries. It would contribute to rural development and preserve the ability for the succeeding generation to meet its own needs. It would also contribute to the growth of other sectors of the economy by stimulating demand for non-agricultural products that would result from higher incomes in rural areas.