Strengthening the resilience and sustainability of food systems

(MainsGS3:Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.)

Context:

As per the special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), climate change has affected food security due to global warming, changing precipitation patterns and greater frequency of extreme events thus affecting crop yields and lowering animal growth rates and livestock productivity in developing nations.

Sufferings increases:

• With the world population projected to reach 9.1 billion by 2050, the demand for food will grow exponentially, increasing the need for agricultural lands, rangeland for livestock, fertilisers and genetically modified crops.
• Such an increase will affect the health of the global environment as about 800 million are malnourished, 2 billion adults are overweight or obese, and more than 2 billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies.
• Conflict, climate change, extreme weather events and economic slowdowns are the biggest obstacles to progress, especially in regions with high levels of inequality.

Towards climate-smart agriculture:

• Advanced agricultural practices are also threatening the health of the planet as this sector accounts for 16-27 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contributing to freshwater pollution, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss.
• Food accounts for 26 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and livestock (meat, dairy, eggs) and fisheries account for 31 percent of total food-related emissions.
• Thus, a climate-smart agriculture (CSA) will help guide actions to transform agri-food systems towards green and climate-resilient practices to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

Food wastage:

• Food waste comes from a variety of sources as in high-income countries, aesthetic preferences and arbitrary sell-by dates cause food losses during the production and post-harvest stages. while in low-income countries food is lost during processing, distribution, and consumption.
• Combined with unfavourable climatic conditions, lack of infrastructure, and lack of knowledge about proper food storage and handling leads to food spoilage.
• According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the impact of food waste on natural resources is equivalent to approximately 4.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually.
• FAO also found that consumption accounts for only 22 percent of total food waste, even though most food is wasted at the consumption stage (37 percent of the total).

Current dietary trends:

• The trilemma in global nutrition is that nutrition, health, and the environment are closely intertwined, and choosing one comes at the expense of the other.
• An 80-percent increase in global diabetes prevalence and an 860-percent increase in nitrogen fertilizer use can be attributed to diet-related health and environmental impacts.
• Moreover, current dietary trends are responsible for three-quarters of the global disease burden and a sharp increase in the environmental impact of diet-related diseases.

Conclusion:

• Climate change increases the risk of food insecurity for the most vulnerable countries and peoples by affecting livelihoods and incomes in rural areas, marine and coastal ecosystems, and terrestrial and inland ecosystems.
• Food system sustainability can be addressed by adopting sustainable agricultural systems, shifting the focus to sustainable diets, and finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at different levels of the food production supply chain.