Topic: 2024-Famine in Conflict Zones
Country: Ethiopia
Delegate Name: Sundos Hejazi
Famine is not a naturally occurring issue, and a factor that majorly affects famine and hunger within a population is conflict. For this reason, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia firmly believes in the necessity of working to encourage sustainable and self-sufficient food production in areas like Ukraine and Gaza, reducing the possibility of famine in these conflict zones. Possible solutions for the long term include plans to find methods of sustainably planting and growing food like by optimizing farming knowledge, specifically in regions overcome by conflict and the threat of famine. Ethiopia strongly urges prioritizing famine in conflict zones as a major world problem and developing solutions for the future using sustainable agriculture.
Famine in conflict zones is a major-scale issue, as it threatens entire populations. A 2018 UN report recognized hunger as a leading cause of forced displacement, which in turn, damages agricultural production. Current examples include the Ukraine and Gaza situations, and they are prime examples of why we must prioritize the threat of famine, as it could wipe out millions of people in those regions and many others around the world. Ethiopia strongly believes that members of the United Nations should put more funding and importance towards solutions like implementing soil maps, as they are proven to improve the effectiveness of fertilizer and the overall efficiency of food production. In Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Soil Information System led to the production of soil maps and a national soil database, both of which yielded incredibly beneficial results for the Ethiopian agriculture sector by revealing needed information about the soil and the fertilizers it needed. Since this has been proven to work, we encourage the implementation of these soil maps across the region, especially in conflict areas like Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.
In order to foster these systems, we require an agreement between two opposing nations in conflict areas that allows for these soil maps to be created and used peacefully, without being targeted. The FAO cannot tackle this roadblock alone; we need the funding and support of other government agencies. Ethiopia urges the UN to involve organizations like the WFP in conversations about fighting famine, especially by increasing the presence of soil maps to maximize fertilizer use and knowledge. Soil maps provide relevant information about soil fertility and advise farmers on what kind of fertilizer to use and where, which means land would be optimized and used to its full potential, allowing for more food production and less threat of famine, specifically in conflict areas that are unable to survive off of humanitarian aid or global assistance as their food production slows or stops. UN member Maria Hega reported that “Small-scale farming is key to food systems that contribute to peaceful and healthy communities.” Since smaller farms allow for sustainability and agricultural independence, it is the UN’s duty to turn its attention to any helpful resources, like soil maps, to encourage small-scale farmers and improve food security levels in conflict areas.
For these reasons, Ethiopia stands in firm belief that famine in conflict zones is a global threat, and the most effective way to combat it is through the application of soil maps to maximize farming and agriculture opportunities for those in conflict areas.
Sources:https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/95f9832f-2ebf-46ce-9208-f9f29b1fa902/content
https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/news/breaking-vicious-circle-hunger-and-conflict
