Recognizing the urgent need for a shift in global food systems to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is taking proactive steps to overcome entrenched barriers hindering progress. The call for transformation comes amid widespread acknowledgment that current food systems are failing, with Indian President Drupadi Murmu characterizing them as “stuck.”
In response, UNDP has convened a Task Team comprising experts from various disciplines within the organization, including governance, gender, climate, biodiversity, inclusive growth, crisis & recovery, energy, and finance. This team is tasked with preparing a White Paper on Resilient Food Systems, set to be released later this year. As a precursor to this comprehensive document, UNDP has initiated a series of introductory blogs to shed light on the multifaceted challenges facing the global food landscape.
The toll exacted by existing food systems on both the planet and society is staggering. Externalities associated with these systems amount to a staggering $13 trillion, encompassing $9.3 trillion in health-related costs, $2.5 trillion in environmental damage, and additional social costs. At 12% of global GDP, these burdens are deemed unsustainable. Moreover, in conflict-ridden and fragile contexts, the impact on food systems exacerbates levels of food insecurity and undermines resilience. In 2023 alone, 280 million people grappled with acute food insecurity, a situation with far-reaching implications for stability and peace.
Yet, amid these challenges, there are glimmers of hope. Interventions in the realms of food and agriculture are identified as pivotal in mitigating climate change, with half of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) top ten mitigation options originating from this sector. Against the backdrop of the intertwined Climate and Nature crises, food and agriculture assume a central role, underscoring the urgency for transformative action.
Jose Luis Chicoma, Senior Advisor at UNDP, emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to addressing the structural challenges inherent in food systems. This approach encompasses governance, poverty alleviation, gender equality, environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and energy considerations. Each dimension is viewed as integral to the overarching goal of system-wide transformation.
The White Paper Task Team has identified four key dimensions requiring attention:
1. Governance: Providing the overarching framework for the entire system, effective governance is deemed essential. UNDP advocates for a holistic, whole-of-government approach to address governance challenges comprehensively.
2. Structural Drivers: Six structural drivers underpin unsustainable food systems: poverty and inequality, health, gender, environment, climate change, and energy. Targeted interventions in each of these areas are imperative for systemic transformation.
3. The Food Value Chain: Inequitable distribution of profits within food value chains underscores the need for a fair, equitable, and resilient system where benefits are proportionate to risks undertaken, particularly by farmers.
4. Sustainable Finance: Financial mechanisms play a crucial role in facilitating systemic change. The Task Team is exploring avenues to reshape global financial architecture to bolster the resilience of food systems.
Andrew Bovarnick, UNDP Global Head of Food & Agricultural Commodity Systems (FACS), highlights the entrenched power dynamics hindering progress in food systems. These dynamics, often unaddressed and unchallenged, impede collective action. UNDP’s strategy involves unpacking and fostering transparency in decision-making processes to build trust among stakeholders, laying the groundwork for overcoming barriers.
Across various regions, UNDP is actively engaged in supporting initiatives aimed at bolstering governance and resilience in food systems. In Thailand, efforts are concentrated on whole-of-government collaboration, while in Jordan, capacity-building initiatives target governance, inclusion, and environmental sustainability. In Peru, multi-stakeholder platforms are driving transformative action in the coffee and cocoa sectors, with an emphasis on sustainable practices and ecosystem protection.
In closing, Jose Luis Chicoma underscores the critical choice facing the global community: continue with business-as-usual practices that perpetuate external costs detrimental to nature, health, and the environment, or embrace a transformative vision for food systems characterized by resilience, sustainability, and equity. UNDP remains committed to defining the necessary steps to realize this vision through its ongoing efforts, including the forthcoming White Paper on Resilient Food Systems.
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