The outcome of the ANCs long-awaited KwaZulu-Natal conference was a win for the Thuma Mina crowd. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
NAIROBI, May 25 (ANA) – Food production had increased across the world, yet more than 800 million people remained hungry, scientists at the ongoing United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi have revealed.
The scientists have called for a major overhaul of the global food system if the world was to combat hunger.
More than two billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies – mainly vitamin A, iodine, iron and zinc – and more than two billion people are overweight or obese, the latest report by the International Resource Panel (IRP) reveals.
The report noted that pressure on natural resources was expected to rise as populations grew and demand for food increased.
The IRP – a consortium of 34 internationally-renowned scientists, over 30 national governments and other groups hosted by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) – called for a switch to a “resource-smart” food system that changed the way food was grown, harvested, processed, traded, transported, stored, sold and consumed.
Current food systems, which the IRP said were “inefficient” and “unsustainable”, were responsible for 60 percent of global terrestrial biodiversity loss and about 24 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. They were also responsible for the overfishing of 29 percent of commercial fish populations and the overexploitation of 20 percent of the world’s aquifers.
To combat these problems, the IRP said a “resource-smart” food system should be adopted, a system that adhered to three principles – low environmental impacts, the sustainable use of renewable resources and the efficient use of all resources.
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said: “We have the knowledge and the tools at our disposal to feed all the people in the world while minimizing harm to the environment. A better, more sustainable food system can allow us to produce and consume food without the detrimental effects on our natural resources.
“The environment is not the only beneficiary of this system. More sustainable consumption and production of food will also be a boon to human health and the goal to end hunger throughout the world.”
To help the world shift to a more sustainable food system, the IRP came up with a list of 12 key recommendations for governments, private companies, civil society and citizens. Among them, were reduction of food loss and waste; moving from highly processed foods; investment in
rural-urban food supply chains; use of peri-urban zones around cities for local food production; replacement of some inputs (such as pesticides) with ecosystem services.
The IRP report also recommended removing harmful subsidies, such as fossil fuel subsidies, that encouraged unsustainable production and practices. The scientists blamed the high consumption of animal-based products and highly processed foods for triggering “disproportionate
environmental costs”, while undermining public health due to obesity-related diseases.
Globally, chicken meat and dairy consumption were expected to increase by 20 percent over the next 10 years while the consumption of pig meat and beef was also projected to increase, both by around 14 percent, according to data reviewed in the IRP report.
A combination of the various options listed in the IRP report, at different points of intervention and by diverse actors throughout the system, could lead to resource efficiency gains of up to 30 percent, the IRP report concluded.
– African News Agency (ANA)
Disclaimer: This story is pulled directly from the African News Agency wire, and has not been edited by Mail & Guardian staff. The M&G does not accept responsibility for errors in any statement, quote or extract that may be contained therein.