The agrifood system is essential for global food and nutrition security and economic stability, however, it is also a significant contributor to environmental degradation. To deal with this situation, the World Bank Group released the first comprehensive global strategic framework for addressing emissions from agriculture and food production to mitigate climate change effectively, namely the “Recipe for a Livable Planet: Achieving Net Zero Emissions in the Agrifood System”.
“The food system must be fixed because it is making the planet ill and is a big slice of the climate change pie.” – World Bank Group.
The report, Recipe for a Livable Planet: Achieving Net Zero Emissions in the Agrifood System”, explains how the agrifood system can meet the world’s food needs while cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and identifies solutions to tackling the biggest emissions sources and the most cost-effective mitigation options to trigger quick and significant impacts. As one of the major GHG emitters, the agrifood system will play a crucial role in meeting the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2050.
How can the agrifood system feed a growing population while ensuring a livable planet for future generations?
The agrifood system’s adverse impacts and challenges
The agrifood system has negative impacts on the environment and climate change and has harmful consequences for societies relying on it.
As such, the agrifood system accounts for approximately 31% of the world’s total GHG emissions. Harmful environmental impacts such as soil and natural ecosystem degradation, deforestation, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification and air and water pollution, stem from conventional agriculture and food production. Current diets can also hinder nutrition and human development.
As the global population will grow from 8 to 10 million by 2050, it will trigger additional pressure on the agrifood system to satisfy the demand, leading to more negative impacts on the environment. Furthermore, with global heating deteriorating yields and food security, food producers will intensify their activities releasing even more GHG emissions in a vicious circle.
Despite these worrisome facts and tendencies, it is as much alarming that the world’s action to reduce GHG emissions has not yet focused on the agrifood system due to the scope and complexity of the task. However, it cannot be omitted anymore, otherwise, “the world will be unable to ensure a liveable planet for future generations.”
The current agrifood system exacerbates rural poverty and increases landlessness as it disproportionately and negatively affects poor communities and smallholder farmers who are unable to compete with industrial agriculture. The lack of resilience leads to food price volatility and supply chain disruptions as experienced with COVID-19 and Ukraine war.
Therefore, it is crucial to develop an agrifood system that produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions, causes less overall environmental harm, demonstrates greater resilience, and supplies nutritious food.
Country-level efforts for achieving net zero emissions
Country-driven approaches are essential to create a more sustainable and resilient agrifood system. Indeed, depending on their income level (high (HICs), middle (MICs), and low-income countries (LICs)), countries encounter different issues and their capacity and knowledge vary.
Today, energy demands are the greatest in HICs and energy use is responsible for a third of all agrifood system emissions. While most of these energy needs rely on fossil fuel-based energy, there is a strong opportunity for HICs to deploy renewable energies to curb GHG emissions. HICs hold a substantial role in financially and technically supporting LICs and MICs through grants, loans, climate finance and capacity-building initiatives to promote the effective use of new technologies. HICs should repurpose their subsidies towards low-impact foods, and educate and empower food consumers to shift diets away from meat. As such, moving to healthy, low-emission diets could cut diet-related emissions by as much as 80% and halve the use of land and water.
Responsibles for two-thirds of global agrifood emissions, MICs can make a significant impact in adopting sustainable land use, low-emission farming practices and cleaner pre- and post-production processes. Through policies, financing incentives and the sharing of technical knowledge, governments can develop better production strategies and smarter spatial planning to increase crop yields and limit GHG footprint. In that sense, improved land use practices could capture an additional 85 gigatons of carbon dioxide.
It is important to note that LICs are the most impacted by climate change while they contribute the least. LICs have the capacity to escape from GHG lock-in by enhancing the efficiency and productivity of their agrifood systems, promoting low-emission food options and spurring climate-smart agriculture. Ultimately, this would result in economic gains, climate resilience, and lower GHG emissions.
The recipe of the enabling environment
Below are key elements to implement coordinated global actions and supportive national policies to address climate change impacts while promoting sustainable development goals.
- Global coordination among countries and international levels to address the climate impacts of the agrifood system and bridge the north-south gap for trade, climate, and development by sharing improved agricultural practices, technologies, and knowledge.
- Policy and investment: Policy reforms can redirect subsidies and remove trade barriers to incentivize emissions reduction in the agrifood system, covering a significant portion of the transformation finance. Clear, coherent policies targeting all greenhouse gases are essential for effective implementation. Significant investments are needed in the agrifood system to reduce emissions by 2030. Public and concessional finance, corporate commitments, and carbon pricing are essential for achieving this goal. It is also crucial to invest in and promote technologies and innovations.
- Capacity building and knowledge sharing: Implementing capacity-building initiatives and knowledge-sharing platforms to boost agricultural extension services and empower farmers and agricultural stakeholders with the skills and information to adopt sustainable agricultural practices. Raising awareness and organising training on technological innovations such as precision agriculture, renewable energy integration, and low-emissions infrastructures are cornerstones.
- Inclusive development: Striving for inclusive, equitable and just development strategies that prioritise the needs of smallholder farmers, women, and vulnerable populations
The agrifood system is crucial in achieving the Paris Agreement’s target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2050. Every country, regardless of its income level, must take immediate and effective action to meet this goal. Fortunately, there are existing, affordable measures that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to feed a growing population, bolstering economies, and supporting farmers. The recommendations from this global strategic framework aim to enhance food security and resilience to climate change, ensuring that no one is left behind.