October 16, 2022

Growing sustainable and just food systems

topic:	Food Security
located:	Russia, Ukraine
editor:	Bob Koigi

Across the world, tens of millions of people have had to contend with shocks on food prices and the unprecedented crises that have disrupted our food systems. 

At the moment, close to 828 million people face food insecurity, with over 2 billion unable to access healthy diets. This comes partially as a result of the disruption that violent conflicts, COVID-19 and climate change cause on food production and global supply chains.

Food and water-related conflicts are now commonplace and have been exacerbated by changing weather patterns. Prolonged dry spells and failed rains have seen yields plummet to record lows and food prices hit historic highs. 

The pandemic-induced restriction measures and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war have complicated the food security matrix. The domino impacts have reverberated around the world and are likely to be felt for years to come. 

With the growing global population, demand for food is bound to soar. Food producers are disincentivised by the lack of inputs, like seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and support from both governments and the private sector. 

Yet access to healthy, nourishing and affordable food is a human right. As we mark World Food Day guided by the theme “Leave no one behind. Better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life,” there has to be an investment in deliberate, urgent and practical solutions that make global food systems more resilient, sustainable and regenerative. 

Public-private partnership initiatives have worked before in fixing broken food systems and should be harnessed even more. Technologies being championed by young people across the agricultural value chain must be supported to ensure bountiful harvests, and that food systems are streamlined and coordinated from farm to fork. 

In this decade of action and the road to actualising the Sustainable Development Goals, individual and collective responsibility will be our silver bullet to addressing modern hunger in all its forms everywhere. 

Image by Photo by Ella Olsson

Call to Action

Growing futures: Farm Africa

Support now