As the global population grows from about 7.4 billion to more than 9 billion by mid-century, there is the potential for the food security crisis to deepen. The food system is under increasing pressure to achieve secure supplies and to meet high standards of nutrition, safety, and availability for a growing population with changing diets. At the same time the food system is responsible for around one third of greenhouse gas emissions. The Agri-food sector must urgently adapt to address these challenges and accelerate the transition to a healthier and sustainable food culture that have a positive impact on both people and planet.
Many people who live in disadvantaged communities in South Africa, lack consistent access to proper nutrition. The current reality for most people living at the bottom of the pyramid is that they are not able to feed themselves and they are significantly dependent on purchased food. An effective way to shift this is to build the capabilities and capacities of people by empowering them with practical knowledge to take charge of their food need and nutrition, through access to a dependable and affordable supply of fresh and nutritious vegetables. Globally, sufficient calories are produced to feed the current population, but access to a safe, sufficient and nutritious diet is unequal around the world. Around 795 million people globally do not have adequate food to meet their basic nutritional needs, and approximately 2 billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiency, affecting their health and life expectancy. We believe that food supply (including production, processing and distribution) must – as far as possible – use the same or less land and fewer inputs, produce less waste and have a lower environmental impact.
Food must be safe, nutritious and affordable, and available to all, with improved equity of distribution, and reflect social and cultural needs. Pressure on production systems needs to be reduced by helping consumers to make better food choices for health and sustainability. There also needs to be a reduction in food waste across the system, and appropriate re-use of waste through the circular economy.
A framework of food security issues and linkages among crop production, climate change, local and provincial trades.
which will lead to growth in demand for food and changing patterns of demand – and can also aggravate food insecurity and exacerbate poverty.
that will have direct or indirect impacts on food production, fisheries, and supplies, including rising carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, leading to rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and increasing incidence of extreme weather events (such as storms, floods, heat waves and droughts), sea level rise and ocean acidification. Indirect changes include socio-economic responses to the physical changes in climate and adaptation or mitigation (e.g. changing crops or livestock systems). A changing climate may also lead to changes in the distribution and/or severity of pests and diseases in crops and animals and has the potential for severe impacts on food production and animal welfare. As well as threats, changes in climate may offer new opportunities for food production in some parts of the world
of farming, fishing, food processing and manufacture, storage, transport, retail, consumption, and waste disposal: negative impacts can include increasing water and land use, soil erosion and degradation, loss of biodiversity, GHG emissions and water pollution. Food production is ultimately dependent on other ecosystem services, so it is essential that these are maintained.
