A Road Map Ahead

Abstract

Climate change will make the task of feeding a growing global population and providing the basis for economic growth and poverty reduction more difficult under a business-as-usual scenario, due to adverse impacts on agriculture, requiring spiraling adaptation and related costs. No single approach can meet all of the complex challenges, and decisive action is needed across a wide front. This is perhaps unsurprising, given the diversity and scale of the challenges, and the need for the global food system to deliver much more than just food, and food security in the future. The suggested priorities for policy makers include spreading best practices; investing in new knowledge; making sustainable food production central in development; working on the assumption that there is little new land for agriculture; promoting sustainable intensification, including the environment in food system economics; reducing waste both in high- and low-income countries; improving the evidence based upon which decisions are made and developing metrics to assess progress; anticipating major issues with water availability for food production; working to change consumption patterns; and empowering citizens. Ten key dimensions need to be followed for promoting the sustainable agricultural practices by implementing a program of action covering both adaptation and mitigation measures through four functional areas, namely, research and development; technologies, products, and practices; infrastructure; and capacity building.