In a rapidly changing world, food systems face substantial challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic acting as a multiplier of food and nutrition insecurity. Over the next 20 years, food systems will need to nourish 10 billion people while preserving and nurturing natural resources and protecting biodiversity, for present and future generations. Globally, 2 billion people are malnourished. More than 700 million adults are obese and while at least 690 million suffer from hunger-a statistic that will no doubt increase as a result of the pandemic. And some one third of the global harvest is lost or waste. Biodiversity is declining, water and land are increasingly degraded, climate change pose adverse impacts on agricultural production and livelihoods.
We must act now to address the impending global food emergency and avoid the worst impacts of the pandemic, while seizing upon the opportunity of resetting food systems.
This is at the core of the 10 Actions Strategy, proposed in June by the Advisory Board of the Barilla Foundation, to transform the food systems through shared and systemic solutions and a global collective commitment.
Resetting the future of food is possible and with this aim, on December 1st, during an international online dialogue, the Barilla Foundation and Food Tank - the leading US think tank for food - presented concrete solutions to rethink our food systems from farm to fork.
"Resetting the Food System from Farm to Fork" highlighted the critical role of farmers in feeding the world and managing natural resources, food business in progressing towards the 2030 Agenda, and chefs in re-designing food experiences. The prospects of technology and innovation, the role of food as prevention and the most recent policy developments, including the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, was also discussed. These discussions has helped set the stage for 2021 United Nations Food System Summit.
