The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched a transformative Global Roadmap at COP28, outlining a comprehensive strategy to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) without exceeding the 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement. In the face of an escalating global climate crisis and a projected 600 million people facing chronic hunger by 2030, the roadmap charts a course for a paradigm shift in agrifood systems. It challenges the notion that increased production inevitably leads to higher emissions, advocating for efficiency improvements aligned with climate objectives. The roadmap encompasses ten domains of action, presenting 120 actions and milestones over the next three years.
KEY DOMAINS OF ACTION: A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH
- Clean Energy: Emphasizes the transition to clean energy sources within agrifood systems.
- Crops: Focuses on sustainable crop management practices for enhanced production efficiency.
- Fisheries and Aquaculture: Promotes sustainable practices in fisheries and aquaculture.
- Food Loss and Waste: Targets a 50% reduction in global food waste by 2030.
- Forests and Wetlands: Advocates for refined forestry management and conservation of wetlands.
- Healthy Diets: Aims to ensure access to healthy diets for all by 2050.
- Livestock: Encourages sustainable and efficient livestock management practices.
- Soil and Water: Promotes conservation and sustainable use of soil and water resources.
- Data and Inclusive Policies: Identifies as systemic enablers, emphasizing the role of data and inclusive policies.
- Overall System Transformation: Envisions the transformation of agrifood systems into a carbon sink.
EMISSIONS REDUCTION TARGETS: A CLIMATE-POSITIVE AGRIFOOD SYSTEM
- Methane Emissions: Aims to reduce agrifood systems’ methane emissions by 25% by 2030.
- Carbon Neutrality: Targets carbon neutrality by 2035.
- Carbon Sink: Envisions transforming agrifood systems into a carbon sink by 2050, capturing 1.5 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
FOOD AND NUTRITION GOALS: ELIMINATING HUNGER AND ENSURING HEALTHY DIETS
- Chronic Undernourishment: Sets a path to eliminate chronic undernourishment by 2030.
- Healthy Diets: Ensures access to healthy diets for all by 2050.
- Food Waste: Aims to halve per capita global food waste by 2030.
- Dietary Guidelines: Proposes updating Food-based dietary guidelines (FBSG) to provide context-appropriate recommendations.
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH CLIMATE ACTIONS: FINANCE AND ADAPTABILITY
- Climate Finance: Urges the mobilization of climate finance for implementing agrifood systems transformation.
- Adaptability: Highlights the symbiotic relationship between agrifood systems transformation and climate actions, emphasizing the need for global resource optimization.
JUST TRANSITION AND GLOBAL COLLABORATION: CORE PRINCIPLES
- Core Vision: Envisions transforming agrifood systems from a net emitter to a carbon sink.
- Alternative Production Methods: Advocates for alternative production methods, adjusted consumption patterns, and innovative technologies.
- Resource Optimization: Stresses the importance of global resource optimization beyond crop production.
- Context-specific Solutions: Emphasizes the adaptability of solutions to specific contexts, cautioning against one-size-fits-all approaches.
IMPLEMENTATION AND COLLABORATION: NEXT STEPS
- Fine-tuning Process: The roadmap, launched as a concrete package of solutions, will undergo extensive fine-tuning and elaboration over the next three years.
- COP29 and COP30: COP29 will delve into regional adaptation and financial options, while COP30 will outline concrete investment and policy packages at the country level.
FAO’S COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVES: SUPPORTING THE EMIRATES DECLARATION
Emirates Declaration Support: FAO commits to supporting countries in translating the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food System, and Climate Action into full implementation.
Agrifood Sharm-El Sheikh Support Programme: FAO, along with IFAD, the World Bank, and CGIAR, will launch a three-year support package consistent with the roadmap to advance and operationalize the Sharm el Sheikh joint work and its outcomes.
COORDINATED EFFORT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
FAO’s Global Roadmap emerges as a comprehensive and ambitious strategy to address hunger, malnutrition, and climate change within the 1.5°C limit. The roadmap’s emphasis on collaborative, adaptive, and climate-positive agrifood systems sets the stage for a transformative shift in global food production and consumption. As the world faces unprecedented challenges, FAO’s call for coordinated action and global collaboration reflects a commitment to building a sustainable and resilient future for all.