As 2 billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies and current food systems produce an abundance of energy-rich, nutrient-poor crops, they are not fit for purpose, nor are they sustainable argue leading experts on food security, agro-ecosystems and nutrition.
In the first report by International Sustainable Food Systems Panel (IPES-Food), ‘From Uniformity to Diversity: A paradigm shift from industrial agriculture to diversified agroecological systems’ (pdf), they are calling for intensive and industrial agricultural practices to be left behind to make food systems more ethical and address some of biggest challenges faced by the global community.
Taking an ecological focus to agriculture
Based on a review of the latest evidence, the expert panel identified industrial agriculture as a key contributor to the most urgent problems in food systems.
- Food systems contribute around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- Around 20% of land on earth is now degraded
- More than 50% of human plant-derived foods now depend on three crops (rice, maize and wheat)
- 20% of livestock breeds are at risk of extinction
- The extinction of wild species and the application of insectisides threaten the 35% of global crops dependent on pollination
The experts argue that the solution to the currently unsustainable practices is to diversify agriculture and take an ecological focus. Olivier De Schutter, former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, who leads the panel said: ‘Many of the problems in food systems are linked specifically to the uniformity at the heart of industrial agriculture, and its reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Simply tweaking industrial agriculture will not provide long-term solutions to the multiple problems it generates.’
He added: ‘It is not a lack of evidence holding back the agroecological alternative. It is the mismatch between its huge potential to improve outcomes across food systems, and its much smaller potential to generate profits for agribusiness firms.’
IDS director, Melissa Leach, sits on the panel and argues that ‘this report is on point with its message. Building sustainable food systems needs multiple, diverse pathways. And whether the starting point is highly-industrialised agriculture or subsistence farming in the world’s poorest countries, looking at it from an ecological perspective will help promote solutions that are respectful not only of our environment, but of what we produce, our communities and their livelihoods.’
What are the obstacles to change?
Lead author of the report, Emile Frison, former Director General of Bioversity International explained that some of the key obstacles to change are about who has the power to set the agenda. ‘The way we define food security and the way we measure success in food systems tend to reflect what industrial agriculture is designed to deliver – not what really matters in terms of building sustainable food systems’.
In particular, the ESRC STEPS Centre based at IDS and the Science Policy Research Unit analyses the causes and consequences of agricultural processes in order to identify alternative pathways for agricultural policy that address sustainability and social justice. They highlight the many competing narratives about key science and technology problems and their potential solutions. With each narrative suggesting different pathways to a more sustainable and productive food future, why do certain narratives and pathways come to dominate science policy debates, while others remain marginal or even hidden from view?
IDS projects, publications and stories on sustainable agriculture
The report resonates across IDS where research focuses on food security, food price volatility and the future of food amidst a context of climate change, population growth, diet-related diseases and inequality.
- PROJECT: Strengthening agri-food value chains for nutrition
- PROJECT: Life in a time of food price volatility
- BLOG: Should agribusiness or agroecology be the future of Africa
- BLOG: A future without hunger
- STORIFY: Future of food – burgers or bugs
- NEWS: Rural futures: Issues, pathways and provocations
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