The COVID-19 pandemic uncovered the vulnerability of agri-food programs to shocks and stresses, and led to elevated world meals insecurity and malnutrition.
Now, nations have to urgently make agri-food programs extra resilient, environment friendly, sustainable and inclusive, in line with the 2021 State of Meals and Agriculture report.
Printed by the Meals and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the report gives an evaluation of the power of nationwide agri-food programs to answer and get well from shock and stressors, akin to excessive climate occasions in addition to plant and animal ailments.
The report gives over 100 country-level indicators of the resilience of agri-food programs by analysing contributing components, together with transport networks, commerce motion and the provision of wholesome and different diets.
The evaluation reveals {that a} nation’s main manufacturing sector is extra resilient when it produces a various mixture of meals and non-food merchandise and sells them to a variety of markets, each home and worldwide. Whereas this favours higher-income nations, the report notes that when it comes to meals availability, lower-income nations have a range that’s corresponding to that of bigger, higher-income nations.
But, one other necessary facet highlighted by the report is that low-income nations face a lot larger challenges in guaranteeing entry to meals by means of transport networks, that are key to protecting agrifood provide chains energetic. If predominant transport routes are disrupted, many low-income nations would have restricted capability for meals distribution which might see the rising meals prices and big portions of contemporary vegatables and fruits left to decay in farmers’ fields, in line with the report.
Moreover, the report warns that three billion individuals can’t afford a nutritious diet and an extra one billion will be part of them if a shock reduces their revenue by one-third. The report argues that “these dangers are unacceptable in a world that produces sufficient meals to feed its total inhabitants.” The report finds that numerous, redundant and well-connected agri-food provide chains are wanted to extend resilience, as they supply a number of pathways for producing, sourcing and distributing meals.
The report recommends that to remain aggressive and shield their livelihoods, small-scale agricultural producers have to be nicely built-in into provide chains for meals, inputs and providers. It additionally recommends that governments make resilience in agri-food programs a strategic a part of nationwide and world responses to ongoing and future challenges.
