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The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization seeks to improve the agricultural production of participating nations. The FAO provides information, technical assistance, and policy recommendations to encourage international collaboration on issues like food insecurity and rural poverty.

 

TOPIC A: The Death of the Peasantry

The most significant societal change of the 20th century was arguably the “death of the peasantry”, where small farmers plummeted to a tiny fraction of the global population. Industrial agriculture, the production of large-scale, high-yield monocultures through intensive chemical and technological inputs, generally outcompetes small farmers. However, smallholder peasants continue to contest their displacement. Smallholders use only 1/4 of global farmland, but they produce 1/3 of the food supply. In 2018, the U.N. “Declaration on the Rights of Peasants” affirmed that changes in land ownership affect biodiversity, climate resilience, gender equality, and food security. How should the FAO respond to the ongoing decline of smallholder production? In what ways does the trend towards industrial agriculture support or undermine national interests? Importantly, who do different nations want to produce the global food supply?​

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TOPIC B: The Sahel Malnutrition Crisis

Africa’s Sahel region is experiencing a food insecurity crisis. Sahel farmland is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including droughts, floods, top-soil erosion, and a shifting growing season. Also, increasing armed conflict in nations like Niger, Mali, and Sudan has displaced millions this decade, leaving many dependent on aid to survive. In 2023, the U.N. estimated that 48 million people in the Sahel lacked regular access to nutritious food, with 45,000 people on the verge of famine. While U.N. organizations like the World Food Programme provide meals as direct aid, the FAO traditionally takes a more structural approach to hunger. How can the nations of the FAO cooperate to ensure robust nutrition for such a volatile region? What specific agricultural strategies can respond best to an unpredictable, warmer future?​​

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CHAIR: Carter McLean

CO-CHAIRs: Emmett Souder, Colin Baird

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Carter is a junior at Princeton majoring in History and minoring in Environmental Studies. His main scholarly interests are United States history and regenerative agriculture. As a resident of Louisiana, he is particularly involved with efforts to combat climate change through a transition to solar energy. Outside of school, Carter enjoys gardening, hiking, and reading biographies. This is his first time chairing at PMUNC.