Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) is a rapidly growing network of over 1000 global innovators and change makers across national governments, non-governmental organisations, and international and private sector organisations. A facilitator for pioneering ideas and cross-continental growth, GODAN aims to impact the lives of at least 12 million smallholders internationally by implementing innovations that help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 – ending global hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and sustainable agriculture by 2030.
Milling and Grain were given the opportunity to speak with GODAN Executive Director, Mr Andre Laperriere, and discuss with him his thoughts concerning agriculture and the COVID-19 crisis.
Could you please tell us more about GODAN and your role in the agriculture industry?
'Established in 2013, the GODAN initiative was developed with the aim of building high-level support among governments, policymakers, international organisations and business. Through the channels of cooperation between stakeholders in the agricultural sphere, GODAN promotes collaboration to harness the growing volume of data generated by new technologies to solve long-standing problems and to benefit farmers and the health of consumers.
'As Executive Director, it is my role to help tackle the challenges we currently face regarding open data. This includes developing and harnessing partnerships with key governments, organisations and policymakers from across the globe. We actively identifying opportunities to enhance the role of open data and pave the way for greater innovation in a market which has untapped potential. So far, GODAN has more than 1,000 partners across all continents and these have been crucial in helping elevate the lives and livelihood of farmers, increase agricultural yield and promote food security.'
What does the threat of COVID-19 mean for the agriculture industry?
'The outbreak of COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns and grounding of industries across the world has arguably created the biggest challenge to agriculture in a generation, especially at a time when it is already under the spotlight.
'The threat of a labour shortage and the subsequent decline in the food supply are of utmost concern and both are of equal importance to mitigate in order to keep the industry going efficiently. The UK's agricultural industry is in a better place than others, due to its advanced mechanisation. However, its reliance on the food supply chain means it is at risk of suffering from any knock-on effects that the outbreak will have or already has had on it, such as price increases. This could potentially make it difficult for people to purchase the right foods for a period of time.
'The longer the pandemic persists, the greater the risk of global food supply disruptions as countries may be tempted to introduce protectionism measures of prohibiting food imports and exports. The fluidity of the global food industry needs to be maintained to avert any shortage.'
What measures would you recommend that governments put into place to help protect members of the agriculture industry during this difficult time?
'As touched upon, as cases grow and we see more tightening measures, there are several things governments need to do to help protect the industry and its workers. It is vital that adequate measures are in place to ensure continuity in the industry, by ensuring supply chain remain robust, the labour force can safely go to work, the necessary economic initiatives are extended, particularly to small and mid-sized farmers and businesses, and the international trade channels are kept open. The UK not only imports a lot of its food, it also depends on other countries for the likes of seeds, fertilisers and packaging material.
'The farming sector has been largely left behind the data revolution and it has clearly left us vulnerable in preparing and mitigating the COVID-19 crisis. Governments needs to urgently prioritise open data policies to help map the national farming and food systems, as data can help us visualise the flow of the system and provide us with a better understanding to take control. Unless we create a smarter system in the sector, we would be unable to recover from another pandemic.'
How can farmers, suppliers and food/feed production staff protect themselves during these times of uncertainty?
'Businesses need to ensure that safety remains the priority during the pandemic. This includes adapting working practices so that social distancing is maintained, and business owners must remain in constant contact with staff to ensure that the government guidelines are being enforced. Maintaining good hygiene is of vital importance in the industry, as the lives of the employees and the consumers depend on this.
'From an economic perspective, farmers should also check on their insurance policies to see what covers them. For example, NFU Mutual has said that dairy farmers will be covered if they already have uncollected milk insurance. Staying protected will be necessary should anything else happen and checking up on what their policy provider will do for them may ease some worries.'
How do we avoid the situation escalating and prevent a food crisis from potentially occurring?
'It must be stressed that there is plenty of food to feed everyone, and any supermarket shortages are a warehousing problem, not a supply problem. Panic buying will only deplete shelves and artificially increase inflation.
'The important next steps are for global governments to work together in maintaining the trade routes. Protectionism and hoarding food supplies will escalate the food crisis and will escalate the current problems. An equitable distribution of food can be ensured if countries urgently support their agricultural industries and ensure they remain robust during this pandemic.
Learning from previous examples of outbreaks such as SARS and MERS will be key as countries such as Singapore and Canada remained resilient due to the large quantities of food they had in reserve providing them with the ability to avoid a crisis. The Ebola outbreak in Africa saw 40 percent of agricultural land not being cultivated because of restrictions in place, which seriously armed the supply chain and left many people without adequate access to food. Using these case studies as a framework, governments will able to protect their citizens and prevent another disaster.
'Strengthening market regulation by ensuring the distribution of food will also help keep prices down and prevent people from panic buying or being unable to purchase food. China set a good example of this with the opening of a 'green channel' to allow fresh agricultural products to be distributed without authorised blocks.'
How would you recommend that we ensure all the food and feed we continue to produce throughout the world remains of a high standard, as well as being both safe and properly sanitised?
'Providing key data and sharing that information is one of the most under used and under-developed methods taken. Sharing key knowledge with one another can enhance businesses and create greater innovation. Agriculture needs to use such data in order to maintain food production of the highest standard. Information regarding weather conditions, soil fertility and previous case studies will help keep farmers in the know and help maintain good practices and learn from previous incidents.
'This can only be made possible if governments and organisations cohesively operate together to allow for a digitally connected industry. Open Data is the key to solving the problem.'
