According to a new report released by the FAO and OECD, governments need to accelerate their efforts in order to meet global food security and environmental targets within 10 years until the 2030 deadline for achieving SDGs.
The report titled ‘OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030’ also describe expected trends based on existing policies, highlighting key areas where additional effort is required to meet the SDGs.
Key Takeaways
• The challenges of eradicating hunger will differ among countries. According to the report, average global food availability per person is projected to grow by 4% over the next decade.
• Consumers in middle-income countries could increase their food intake, while diets in low-income countries will remain largely same.
• The report suggests that the biofuel sector would expand at a much slower pace than over the past two decades. It further adds that biofuel production may use a falling share of the main feedstock commodities, except for sugarcane.
• Investments in improving yields and improved farm management will drive growth in global crop production.
• The report states that future demand for food is directly influenced by several factors, including population, income growth-cum-distribution, demographic changes, and food prices.
• The publication assumes that food demand will be additionally shaped by socio-cultural and lifestyle-driven changes in consumption patterns, including continuing urbanization and rising female participation in the workforce, plus rising consumer awareness.
• Trade remains especially significant for resource-constrained countries, which are highly reliant on importing basic and high-value food commodities.
• By 2030, over 33% of the agricultural production of Latin America and the Caribbean is likely to be exported. Given growing regional imbalances, using trade restrictive policies could have adverse effects on global food security, nutrition and farm livelihoods.