"More Food, Save Food, Safe Food"

The first day at CSD was highlighted by "More Food, Save Food, Safe Food," a side event facilitated by the FAO. Among the speakers was Dr. Hans Herren, President of the Millennium Institute, Co-Chair of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) and 1995 World Food Prize laureate.

In his presentation, Dr. Herren took aim at the current world food system and advocated a shift toward agro-ecology to create a more sustainable food system. The food system today is broken: hundreds of millions of people suffer from chronic hunger, farmers struggle to make a living while food waste remains substantial, and yields in many countries are propped up by use of non-renewable chemical inputs that are harmful to both environmental and human health. A paradigm shift is thus needed to create a sustainable agriculture system that can provide nourishment for a growing population. The IAASTD report – which has been accepted by approximately 60 countries worldwide – identifies organic soil fertilization and integrated pest management as the foundations of a sustainable agriculture system. These initiatives have succeeded in certain localities; the challenge is implementing such practices at scale. Dr. Herren called for political courage from governments to eliminate perverse subsidies that lead to excessive chemical use and suggested making agricultural subsidies conditional on achievement of environmental protections. A greater emphasis on agro-ecology in crop production would benefit farmers, consumers and the environment. 

In the scope of CSD-19, agriculture is mentioned once in the text on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). Global sustainability, however, is inextricably linked to agriculture, and any hopes of achieving SCP are contingent on changes to the world food system. 

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