Food security and sustainable agriculture was one of the most important topics at the recent Rio+20 Summit, for the simple reason that all of us have to eat to survive, and agriculture has to be ecologically sustainable for production to continue into the future.

While the negotiators were busily hammering out a quite satisfactory text on this topic in a small room, a more interesting discussion was taking place on Food and Nutrition Security in the huge plenary hall sitting 2,000 people.

I was one of the 10 panellists in this debate, part of the seven Sustainable Development Dialogues that were organised by the Brazilian government as part of the official summit programme.

Other topics in the dialogue series included the global financial crisis, unemployment, energy, oceans, cities, forests and, production and consumption patterns.

In the food dialogue, the panellists included former prime minister of Mozambique Luisa Dias Diogo, former UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson, Indian ecologist Vandana Shiva, Slow Food Movement founder Carlo Petrini, World Economic Forum vice-president Josette Sheeran, Brazilian academic Renato Maluf and several representatives of farmers organisations.

Before the dialogue, there was a months-long Internet-based interactive discussion open to all, and the thousands that took part proposed solutions to the food problem.

The panel was to discuss which proposals were most important, and forward them to the heads of states meeting a few days later.

There was significant agreement among the panellists that small farmers in developing countries, and especially women, were the key to both the present and the future of agriculture.

Empowering small farmers through access to land, credit, subsidies, storage facilities and transport were thus essential.

The expansion of national budgets and aid allocation to small-scale agriculture is thus a priority, as is the strengthening of farmers organisations that can fight for their interests.

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Food issues in the spotlight