2nd World Conference on the Revitalization of the Mediterranean Diet

Palermo 15-17 May 2019

Árni M. Mathiesen,

Assistant Director-General,

Fisheries and Aquaculture Department,

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Humans, Fish &

The Mediterranean

The Human System

Agricultural Revolution

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Industrial Revolution

Survival Instinct

Communication

Capacity to Imagine

“Modern Globalised State Intervention Capitalist Systems”

(MCSs)

What differentiates MCSs: - Liberal democracies - Leadership - Social traditions

Capacities:

Religion

Government

Future of the Human System

Is it sustainable? Probably not!

Can it be sustainable? Yes.. probably!

The Human System depends upon a cornerstone sub-system:Sustainable Food System

Add textFood Security: production,

valueNutrition: healthy diets

Sustainability: planetary boundaries

Distribution:

Geographic Socio-economic

Sustainable Food Systems

The Cornerstone

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Healthy Diets – what does the science say?

Examples which fit the bill:- Nordic Diet- Asian Diet- “Washoku” Japanese culinary practice- Mediterranean Diet- EAT-Lancet Diet (planetary boundaries)

“The exact make-up of a diversified, balanced and

healthy diet will vary depending on the individual,

cultural context, locally available foods and dietary

customs. However, the basic principles of what constitutes a healthy diet remain the same.” -WHO

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The Mediterranean Diet:A Sustainable Diet

- Vegetable oils, cereals, vegetables and pulses, and moderate intake of fish and meat = associated with long and healthy living

- Largely plant-based, the diet is comparatively light on the environment, requiring fewer natural resources than diets heavier in animal-source foods

- Strong candidate for continued development in achieving food security, sustainability, and health in the region

Add textBackground factors:

The Great Divide

The Industrial Revolution

Capitalism (MCSs)

Slavery

Colonialism

Post-colonial development

Drivers of Stress:

Population growth

Increased consumption (demand)

Effects:

Biodiversity decline

Resource depletion

Pollution

Climate change

Poverty (abject & relative)

Urbanization

Migration

Background

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The Way Forward:

- Joint strategy

- A Mediterranean Multistakeholder Sustainable Food Systems Platform

- Mediterranean participation in the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (Country-level commitments & Action Network formulation)

- Improve fisheries and aquaculture data (monitored and reported), AND food consumption data

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Priority projects:

High-Seas

EEZ

Coastal communities & Blue Growth

Aquaculture

The Future in the Oceans

Value Chains

The Port State Measure Agreement

Thank you

FAO web pagehttp://www.fao.org/home/en/