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Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2002 |
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| Interview series  Mr Ian JohnsonVice President, Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development, The World Bank, Washington, DC
Q. Do you think that food security is among the most pressing issues that need to be addressed today? A. I would think so, but I would turn the question around a bit and talk about agriculture, which is central to food security. In many developing countries today, agriculture contributes 30%–40% of the GDP (gross domestic product); in India, it stands at 26% of GDP and 18% of total exports. Agriculture is the central economic factor not only for food security but also for economic growth. I would think of the issue in terms of revitalizing the agricultural sector.
Q. How much should agricultural issues be integrated to promote sustainable development that really benefits the poor? A. It is absolutely central to this challenge. First, most of the poor live in rural areas. Second, farmers are the real stewards of the environment; they are the people who are to manage both food productivity and natural resources, be it issues of watershed management, land degradation, or forestry. The agricultural sector is pivotal to both food security on the one hand and natural resources management on the other.
Q. How far, according to you, are developing countries in particular, hit by the distortions in global agriculture trade? A. It varies from country to country. Some countries are more active than others, particularly those that are able to move their economies very rapidly. However, distortions in trade pose great impediments to many countries. Of what I have seen, if subsidies can be removed completely, the supply response could improve and be as high as 40 billion dollars for developing countries, almost triple the overseas development assistance given to them. To me, the issue of agricultural trade is a very important one.
Q. What are your views on agricultural productivity and ecological responsibility? A. There is a lot of discussion in the corporate world on what is called the triple bottom line—profitability, environmental responsibility, and social obligation. The same concept, I think, can be applied to agriculture where productivity needs to increase over the next 30 years. That productivity must be accompanied by ecological and environmental responsibility and must ensure that agriculture does not destroy environment but supports environment besides becoming socially responsible. The notion of ecological responsibility is a very powerful one; one that will see a rise in public policy debate over the next few years.
Q. You have said, ‘More than ever before, trade and the rules of the trading system intersect with a broad array of other policies and issues—from investment and competition policy, to environmental, developmental, health, and labour standards.’ Could you elaborate? A. The trade issue is central in a number of ways. First, as a barrier to developing countries; I am concerned about the dismantling of pricing elements contained in trade barriers or distortions in trade barriers. Environmental issues are equally important to trade pricing issues but we have to make sure that we have a rationale approach while moving forward in the trade debate.
Q. The CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) is the largest scientific network of its kind. What is its exact role? Could you please refer to this from the perspective of both developed and developing nations? A. The CGIAR is one of the most successful institutions in agriculture that facilitates partnerships between developed and developing countries. We have 57 members, including 25 from developing countries. India has been a long-standing supporter. In a financial sense, it is a global partnership between the North and the South, even more so between developed-country and developing-country institutions. Of its 16 centres, 13 are in developing countries, including one in India, near Hyderabad. The CGIAR promotes agricultural research that can be applied for the benefits of poor farmers and improve productivity, but in a way that is ecologically and environmentally sound. Research at the CGIAR covers a very broad range of issues and topics. Everything done in the CGIAR falls in the public domain.
Q. What do you perceive as the far-reaching impacts of a conference like the DSDS (Delhi Sustainable Development Summit)? A. The DSDS is very important for a number of reasons. First, it deals in a broad way with a whole range of sustainable development issues. Second, a lot of key people from governments and NGOs and academies in the North and the South gather here. Thus, the DSDS is a very useful place to talk about key issues and exchange ideas. Third, it is held in India, which is central to issues of not just national but also global sustainability. To me, the DSDS is a very important forum.
Q. What are your views on TERI as an Institute and an intellectual think tank? A. TERI has been a tremendous intellectual leader both in the Asian and global context bringing to the fore issues, which are critical to developing countries. Dr Pachauri has done a wonderful job in blending the intellectual/academic with issues of pragmatism to explore how we can follow the path of sustainability.
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