Reps from multiple countries agreed to work towards better ag sectors
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Canada’s federal minister of agriculture met with international counterparts to discuss agriculture and global food security.
Marie-Claude Bibeau co-chaired a meeting of agriculture ministers and representatives from 38 countries at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France.
The OECD agriculture ministers meet every five or six years to explore opportunities and discuss shared solutions to shared challenges in the ag and food sector.
The nations committed to doing more to feed a growing population, and established a joint declaration of their visions and goals for the agricultural sector.
This includes acknowledging “the need for agricultural policies, including support, to contribute to reducing agricultural emissions and to create positive environmental outcomes” and “providing opportunities for livelihoods for all farmers, including family farmers, and others employed along food supply chains,” the declaration says.
As co-chair of the meeting, Minister Bibeau used that platform to highlight Canadian farmers and agriculture.
Canada can be counted upon as a responsible and sustainable food producer during uncertain times, she said.
“Our farmers are committed to feeding the planet while taking care of their land and their animals,” she said in a statement. “These meetings allow us to showcase Canadian leadership, as external factors continue to have a growing impact on production. Canadians and our economy benefit from a strong, sustainable agriculture sector.”
While at the OECD meetings, Minister Bibeau also participated in multiple bilateral meetings with trading partners.
Minister Bibeau and Marc Fesneau, France’s minister of agriculture and food sovereignty, for example, discussed “knowledge sharing to continue our science-based exchanges and mitigate the effects of climate change, as well as ensure balance along the value chain,” she said in a Nov. 4 tweet. “There are many ways to inspire each other!!”