Hunger is measured by the UN as “the prevalence of undernourishment”. Achieving a sustainable food supply is becoming more urgent than ever, as the world’s population continues exponential growth to surpass 10 billion by 2050. Critically, we will not be able to feed a population of this size without major innovation and changes to how we have previously done things.
More critically, as the population increases, the quality and quantity of resources is declining. According to the UN’s definition, this too exacerbates hunger. Certainly, it is not just a case of ensuring there is sufficient food, but also of making sure that global food and agriculture systems provide food that meets nutritional requirements, while allocating it equitably.
Also locked within food and agriculture systems is, of course, the viability of numerous essential industries and substantial flows of capital. As food systems come under strain, prices will fluctuate more rapidly as overdemand takes its toll on agricultural supply chains.
Transforming Agriculture Supply Chains can help accomplish SDG2
The agriculture and Ag-Tech sectors have already been working hard to help the world prepare for the effects of climate change and a growing global population. Marcela Navarro is the CEO of ProjectX, which is dedicated to accelerating the adoption of environmentally sustainable solutions within global supply chains. Their FeedX program aimed to shift 10% of the global food industry, 107,000,000 tonnes, to significantly reduce feed related environmental impacts, by adopting alternative feed ingredients and feed related technologies into value chains for Salmon and Shrimp aquaculture.
Other methods of food production are undergoing profound change, reallocation of agricultural land and rotational practices that had been lost leaving some land unviable have been reintroduced. Many consumers are also changing diets at scale to reduce demand for foods with disproportionate yield-to-land use ratios such as red meat. Enhanced transparency on businesses sustainability objectives will be critical to underpinning the sectors shift towards long-term sustainability with the goal of achieving SDG2 before it is too late.
James Cronan is Co-Founder of Xchainge, the first marketplace for responsible financial services, helping SMEs from all sectors access a greater choice of financial products and services quickly, letting them focus on managing and growing their business.