Scientific Group Reports

Achieving Zero Hunger by 2030 A Review of Quantitative Assessments of Synergies and Tradeoffs amongst the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Wed, 26 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Achieving Zero Hunger by 2030 A Review of Quantitative Assessments of Synergies and Tradeoffs amongst the UN Sustainable Development Goals Valin, Hugo; Hertel, Thomas; Bodirsky, Benjamin Leon; Hasegawa, Tomoko; Stehfest, Elke The Sustainable Development Goal 2 “Zero hunger” (SDG2) sets clear global targets for ensuring access to sufficient food and healthy nutrition for all by 2030, while keeping food systems within sustainable boundaries and protecting livelihoods. Yet, the current trends show the level of challenge ahead, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens the global development prospects. Intrinsically, SDG2 presents some points of tension between its internal targets and brings some synergies but also strong trade-offs with other sustainable development goals.
We summarize in this paper the main relations between SDG2 targets and the other development goals and explain how the modelling literature has analyzed the SDG interactions around “Zero hunger”. SDG2 integrates four ambitious objectives – adequate food, no malnutrition, in increased incomes for smallholders, greater sustainability – that will require careful implementation to be conducted in synergy. We show that the compatibility of these objectives will depend on the interplay of future food demand drivers and the contribution of productivity gains across the food system.
Analyzing the SDGs’ interrelations reveals the strong synergies between SDG2 and some other basic subsistence goals, in particular, Goal 1 “No poverty” and Goal 3 “Good health and well- being”. These goals need to be jointly addressed in order to succeed in “Zero hunger”. Several other SDGs have been shown to be key enablers for SDG2, in particular on the socio-economic side. On the other hand, agricultural production substantially contributes to the risks of exceeding critical global sustainability thresholds. We illustrate how recent modelling work has shed light on the interface between future food and nutrition needs, and the various environmental dimensions. Specifically, several important SDGs have been shown to compete directly with SDG2 through their common demands for scarce natural resources – including land for climate (SDG13), for biodiversity (SDG15) and for cities (SDG11), as well as the provision of water, both for the environment and for human needs (SDG6). Quantitative assessments show that more efficient production systems and technologies, pricing of externalities, and integrated resource management can mitigate some of these tradeoffs, but are unlikely to succeed in resolving these altogether.
The success of achieving SDG2 in the face of these challenges will require new investments, smoothly functioning trade and effective markets, as well as changes in consumption patterns. Forward-looking analyses of global food systems indicate that deep transformations combining various measures will be needed to simultaneously achieve SDG2 targets while remaining within the planetary boundaries. These require fundamental changes, both on the supply side and on the demand side, and highlight the importance of SDG12 on “responsible production and consumption”.

Healthy Diet

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Healthy Diet Hendriks, Sheryle; Hugas, Marta; Neufled, Lynnette M. The aim of this document is to propose a definition of healthy diets and related evidence, thus permitting the alignment of terminology for the Food Systems Summit. Diets are combinations of food consumed by individuals of a given time. The specific combination of foods that make up healthy diets, however, is context specific and depends on many cultural, economic, and other factors. In this document, we provide a definition and overview of approaches that have been used to translate this into food-based recommendations. We also provide a brief review to highlight evidence, gaps, and controversies related to defining healthy diets. The evidence of potential solutions to making healthy diets more available, affordable, and their products environmentally sustainable is the subject of much literature.

Food Systems

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Food Systems von Braun, Joachim; Afsana, Koaisar; Fresco, Louise O.; Hassan, Mohamed; Torero, Maximo The UN Food System Summit seeks to alter food systems to be healthier, safer, more sustainable, more efficient, and more equitable. This paper aims to inform the public and stakeholders interested in the Food Systems Summit about concepts and definitions of food systems and determinations of their change. To foster a clear understanding of food systems, especially with regard to the upcoming Food Systems Summit, we first present a general food system concept. We then introduce a concept based on science that provides a definition that the Food System Summit can use with the five goal-oriented Action Tracks (serving SDG2) and their interlinkages. We suggest a food system definition that encompasses food system thinking and the broad set of actors and drivers, embedding the concept of sustainability within it.

Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All Through Transformation of Food Systems

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All Through Transformation of Food Systems Hendriks, Sheryl; Soussana, Jean-François; Martin, Cole; Kambugu, Andrew; Zilberman, David Action Track 1 of the Food Systems Summit offers an opportunity to bring together the crucial elements of food safety, nutrition, poverty and inequalities in the framework of food systems in the context of climate and environmental change to ensure that all people have access to a safe and nutritious diet. Achieving Action Track 1 goal is essential to the achievement of the goals of the other Action Tracks. With less than a decade left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SGD), most countries are not on target to achieve the World Health Organisation’s nutrition targets and SGD 2 targets. The COVID pandemic has exacerbated malnutrition and highlighted the need for food safety. The pandemic has also exposed the deep inequalities in society and food systems. Yet, future food systems can address many of these failings and ensure safe and nutritious food for all. However, structural change is necessary to address the socio-economic drivers behind malnutrition, inequalities and the climate and environmental impacts of food. Adopting a whole-system approach in policy, research and monitoring and evaluation is crucial to manage trade-off and externalities from farm-level to national scales and across multiple sectors and agencies. Supply chain failures will need to be overcome and technology solutions adopted and adapted to specific contexts. A transformation of food systems requires coordinating changes in supply and demand in differentiated ways across world regions: bridging yield gaps and improving livestock feed conversion, largely through agro-ecological practices, deploying at scale soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas mitigation, reducing food losses and wastes, as well as over-nourishment and shifting the diets of wealthy populations. Global food systems sustainability also requires halting the expansion of agriculture into fragile ecosystems, while restoring degraded forests, fisheries, rangelands, peatlands and wetlands. Shifting to more sustainable consumption and production patterns within planetary boundaries will require efforts to influence food demand and diets, diversify food systems, careful land-use planning and management. Integrative policies need to ensure that food prices reflect real costs (including major externalities caused by climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss, and public health impacts of malnutrition), reduce food waste and, at the same time, ensure safe and healthy food affordability, decent incomes and wages for farmers and food system workers. Harnessing science and technology solutions and sharing actionable knowledge with all players in the food system offers many opportunities. Greater coordination of food system stakeholders is crucial for greater inclusion, greater transparency and more accountability. Sharing lessons and experiences will foster adaptive learning and responsive actions. Careful consideration of the trade-offs, externalities and costs of not acting is needed to ensure that the changes we make benefit to all and especially the most vulnerable in society.