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Where we will solve this challenge
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How to reform urban food systems?
World food production needs to double by 2050 to cater to population growth, while also dealing with the impacts of climate change. The need to develop integrated and sustainable urban food systems, including value chains and consumer behaviour, is an urgent call to action for cities.
Europe is one of the world’s largest food producing blocs. The food supply chain includes agriculture and fisheries production, which involves heavy processing and manufacturing, and remains constant throughout the food and drink industry. At the EU – level, all these activities have an impact on the environment that extends well beyond its borders. Equally, the food system continues to be a major consumer of energy and water, while being a large emitter of greenhouse gases and air pollution. All stakeholders in the supply chain have a vital role to play in fostering the innovation needed to deliver global food and energy security and a zero-carbon economy.
Food systems are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is alarming that the total food sector from ‘Field to Fork’ accounts for up to 36 per cent of global emissions. Attaining food security will require ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources and lowering the environmental impacts of food system activities.
Food production has more than doubled and diets have become more varied, over 800 million people are hungry, over 2 billion suffer from micro nutrient deficiencies and over 2 billion people are overweight or obese. This indicates that today’s food systems are broken. They are not delivering food security and healthy food for everyone nor are they sustainable. With the global population predicted to rise to 9.5 billion by 2050, the food systems require a transformational change.