Food Production and Nutrition Security
July 26th, 2024
As the world’s population rises, governments continue to be concerned about global food security. To feed the growing global population, food availability must increase by at least 65% to 75% in the next 25 years. This has a huge impact on our agricultural ecosystem. It is true that in order to meet demand, more arable land needs to be generated in addition to increased food productivity. In truth, especially in poorer countries, land has grown less available as industrialisation has increased. Consequently, there is an increased usage of growth promoters and crop aids, which are mostly derived from synthetic sources. This has negative effects on the food, water, and soil nexus, as well as sustainability and the climate.
Understanding Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture began as a conventional method of growing crops, but it has now grown to incorporate additional activities like forestry and aquaculture, as well as animals. These days, it’s a methodical, integrated approach that stops further deterioration and supports biodiversity while helping to restore the soil ecosystem. It also encourages the use of more naturally occurring resources and aids to restore soil health, while warning against the use of artificially manufactured resources that are detrimental to the ecosystem. This demonstrates the close connection that exists now between efforts to prevent climate change and the evolving food systems and sustainable agriculture.
The Global Support and Linkage
When more than 150 countries signed the UAE Declaration on Climate Action, Resilient Food Systems, and Sustainable Agriculture at the last COP28, this was further brought to light. The declaration highlights nations’ commitment to fostering and ensuring food security, constructing a sustainable agrifood system, and building resilience in line with the SDGs. Promoting integrated water and resource management in all agriculture-related activities is one way to advance circularity at all levels. In order to create an inclusive agrifood ecosystem without sacrificing productivity as they transition from GHG-intensive practices and processes to more sustainable ones throughout the agrifood value chain, it also emphasises the need for increased support to small-scale farmers, retailers, and other stakeholders.
A resilient agrifood ecosystem
Stakeholders in the agri-food sector need to take a proactive approach to the difficult task of building a sustainable and climate-resilient environment. To create an action plan that will reduce environmental degradation, replenish soil ecosystems, and promote biodiversity, research institutions, nodal agencies, international organisations, and industrial stakeholders from various regions and applications must work together to create a resilient agrifood ecosystem. To attain a sustainable agrifood ecosystem, it is imperative to modify policies and enhance protocols to encourage proactive involvement from stakeholders throughout the value chain. Additionally, research and innovation focused on augmenting yield and productivity while mitigating losses must be encouraged, and best practices that have demonstrated efficacy in various regions and industries must be adopted. A comprehensive plan, backed by both national and international organisations, that would encourage the dissemination of information and training on technological innovations that go beyond crop subsidies and involve tracking, monitoring, and interventional methods in addition to financial aids like tax credits, especially for small-scale farmers who want to test, trial, and scale up sustainable practices. This encourages cooperative methods that can greatly aid in the creation of a sustainable agriculture system by reducing losses and waste and creating a connected value chain for a farm-to-fork strategy.
By Riyadh Mohammed, Lead Agricultural Consultant of Tropical Agriculture Consultancy Services (LLM, MBA, MSc., BSc., Dip.)
