"Food security, as defined by the <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/forestry/13128-0e6f36f27e0091055bec28ebe830f46b3.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Food and Agriculture Organization</a> of the United Nations (FAO), \"exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.\"&nbsp;Over the past decades, global hunger conditions have generally improved as food insecurity has <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">steadily declined</a>. However, from 2015 to 2016, the global number of undernourished people increased <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">4.9 percent</a>, from 777 million to 815 million. This is in part <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">due to</a> the 10-year rise in the global number of violent conflicts, which is hitting rural agricultural communities the hardest. A majority of food-insecure people live in regions struggling with conflict, where wasting in children under 5 reached <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">75 percent</a> in 2016. Impacts of conflict can be <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">intensified</a> by droughts, floods, and other climate-related phenomena such as El Niño. Even in peaceful settings, economic stagnation <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">can result</a> in reduced food imports and the inability to protect poorer households against rising food prices."

Food security, as defined by the <a href="http://www.fao.org/forestry/13128-0e6f36f27e0091055bec28ebe830f46b3.pdf" target="_blank">Food and Agriculture Organization</a> of the United Nations (FAO), "exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life."&nbsp;Over the past decades, global hunger conditions have generally improved as food insecurity has <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/" target="_blank">steadily declined</a>. However, from 2015 to 2016, the global number of undernourished people increased <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/" target="_blank">4.9 percent</a>, from 777 million to 815 million. This is in part <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/" target="_blank">due to</a> the 10-year rise in the global number of violent conflicts, which is hitting rural agricultural communities the hardest. A majority of food-insecure people live in regions struggling with conflict, where wasting in children under 5 reached <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/" target="_blank">75 percent</a> in 2016. Impacts of conflict can be <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/" target="_blank">intensified</a> by droughts, floods, and other climate-related phenomena such as El Niño. Even in peaceful settings, economic stagnation <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/" target="_blank">can result</a> in reduced food imports and the inability to protect poorer households against rising food prices.

<h2>Stunting and Wasting</h2>The recent rise in undernourishment includes approximately <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">1 in 4 children</a> under 5 who suffer from stunting. Stunting, or limited growth relative to the median height of one’s age group, is largely a result of poor nutrition. <a href="http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/globaltargets_stunting_policybrief.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">Long-term effects</a> include poor cognitive and physical development, depreciated school performance, and increased risk of degenerative disease. Contributing factors <a href="http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/globaltargets_stunting_policybrief.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">include</a> low birth weight, poor maternal health, exclusive breastfeeding without complementary nutrition, and wasting. Wasting, or very low weight relative to height, results from many of the same factors that contribute to stunting. The year 2016 saw a 5-year low in the global prevalence of wasting, around <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">7.7 percent</a>. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), wasting accounts for <a href="http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/globaltargets_wasting_policybrief.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">4.7 percent</a> of all deaths in children under 5. Severe wasting increases the likelihood of death by a <a href="http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/globaltargets_wasting_policybrief.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">factor of 11</a> for children under 5, and is even greater when children are both stunted and severely wasted. <h2>Obesity</h2>While the number of people undernourished is declining, the number of people overweight or obese is on the rise. In 2013, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24880830" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">2.1 billion</a> people were overweight or obese—more than two and a half times the number of chronically undernourished people in the world. Once considered a high-income country problem, the number of obese and overweight people is now rising in low- and middle-income countries. This manifests particularly in urban areas, although obesity is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257829/" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">on the rise</a> in rural areas and among poor populations as well.

Agriculture is a source of livelihood for <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS?end=2017&amp;start=1991&amp;view=chart" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">more than 2 billion</a> people around the world. Although agriculture directly accounts for only <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">3.8 percent</a> of global gross domestic product (GDP), it makes up a significant proportion of the total economic output of many developing countries. Growth originating in the agricultural sector can often <a href="https://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2008/Resources/WDR_00_book.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">reduce poverty</a> more effectively than growth originating in other economic sectors.

"From 1960 to 2015, global food production more than <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/3/a-i6583e.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">tripled</a> to feed a growing world population. This period also witnessed enormous growth in agricultural productivity. However, the expansion of agriculture has also strained the world’s ecosystems and biodiversity, freshwater supplies, and climate. As the global population climbs toward a projected <a href=\"https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Graphs/Probabilistic/POP/TOT/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">9.8 billion</a> people in 2050, world food demand is projected to increase by another <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">70 percent</a> relative to the year 2006. Ensuring that agriculture continues to contribute to social and economic development, while also reducing agriculture’s pressure on natural resources and the environment, will be one of the world’s foremost challenges."

From 1960 to 2015, global food production more than <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i6583e.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">tripled</a> to feed a growing world population. This period also witnessed enormous growth in agricultural productivity. However, the expansion of agriculture has also strained the world’s ecosystems and biodiversity, freshwater supplies, and climate. As the global population climbs toward a projected <a href="https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Graphs/Probabilistic/POP/TOT/" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">9.8 billion</a> people in 2050, world food demand is projected to increase by another <a href="http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">70 percent</a> relative to the year 2006. Ensuring that agriculture continues to contribute to social and economic development, while also reducing agriculture’s pressure on natural resources and the environment, will be one of the world’s foremost challenges.

<h2>Land Use and Impacts on Ecosystems</h2>

Since the invention of agriculture 8,000–10,000 years ago, growing crops and raising livestock have been the <a href="https://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.356.aspx.pdf" target="_blank">primary causes</a> of ecosystem loss and degradation. Today agriculture remains the dominant driver of tropical deforestation and associated impacts on biodiversity. Agricultural land makes up more than <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.AGRI.ZS" target="_blank">one-third</a> of the Earth’s land outside of Antarctica, but arable land represents only <a href="http://www.fao.org/nr/solaw/solaw-home/en/" target="_blank">10 percent</a> of the total land area. Cropland productivity <a href="http://www.wri.org/publication/creating-sustainable-food-future-interim-findings" target="_blank">must therefore increase</a> in order to help close a calorie gap of approximately <a href="http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets" target="_blank">70 percent</a> by 2050 without further expansion of cropland into native ecosystems. Excluding Antarctica, <a href="http://www.fao.org/nr/solaw/solaw-home/en/" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">one-quarter</a> of the Earth's landmass is used as pasture. While the world’s drier pasture lands are not suitable for growing crops, beef production remains a leading driver of tropical deforestation as areas are cleared to expand grazing area, and beef demand is expected to nearly <a href="http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">double</a> between 2006 and 2050. Sustainably boosting pasture productivity will be important to help meet that demand while reducing pressure on forests.

"<h2>Water Use</h2>Agriculture accounts for <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/tables/WorldData-Withdrawal_eng.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">70 percent</a> of all freshwater withdrawn from rivers, lakes, and aquifers, and for <a href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/109/9/3232\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">80-90 percent</a> of freshwater that human activities consume. Agriculture is also the <a href=\"http://pdf.wri.org/eutrophication_policies_actions_and_strategies.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">primary source</a> of nutrient runoff from farm fields, which creates “dead zones” and toxic algal blooms in coastal waters and aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, water stress on cropping, already substantial in some areas, is <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/applications/maps/aqueduct-atlas/#x=8.00&amp;y=0.32&amp;s=ws!40!28!c&amp;t=waterrisk&amp;w=def&amp;g=0&amp;i=BWS-16!WSV-4!SV-2!HFO-4!DRO-4!STOR-8!GW-8!WRI-4!ECOS-2!MC-4!WCG-8!ECOV-2!&amp;tr=ind-1!prj-1&amp;l=3&amp;b=terrain&amp;m=projected\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">likely to increase</a> due both to growing water demand and climate change."

<h2>Water Use</h2>Agriculture accounts for <a href="http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/tables/WorldData-Withdrawal_eng.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">70 percent</a> of all freshwater withdrawn from rivers, lakes, and aquifers, and for <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/109/9/3232" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">80-90 percent</a> of freshwater that human activities consume. Agriculture is also the <a href="http://pdf.wri.org/eutrophication_policies_actions_and_strategies.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">primary source</a> of nutrient runoff from farm fields, which creates “dead zones” and toxic algal blooms in coastal waters and aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, water stress on cropping, already substantial in some areas, is <a href="http://www.wri.org/applications/maps/aqueduct-atlas/#x=8.00&amp;y=0.32&amp;s=ws!40!28!c&amp;t=waterrisk&amp;w=def&amp;g=0&amp;i=BWS-16!WSV-4!SV-2!HFO-4!DRO-4!STOR-8!GW-8!WRI-4!ECOS-2!MC-4!WCG-8!ECOV-2!&amp;tr=ind-1!prj-1&amp;l=3&amp;b=terrain&amp;m=projected" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">likely to increase</a> due both to growing water demand and climate change.

"<h2>Greenhouse Gas Emissions</h2>Agriculture is the second-largest contributor to total greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions from agricultural production <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/creating-sustainable-food-future-interim-findings\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(57, 63, 68);\">result</a> from soil fertilization, on-farm energy consumption (excluding food transport), ruminant wastes, and ruminant digestion through enteric fermentation, which produces methane. Emissions also result from net land-use conversion, where the primary driver is the conversion of forests, woody savannas, and grasslands into crops and pastures, and the draining of peatlands for agriculture. When accounting for all energy emissions from food production, and when fully accounting for ongoing peatland emissions, greenhouse gases from agriculture and land-use change rise to <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/creating-sustainable-food-future-interim-findings\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(57, 63, 68);\">nearly a quarter</a> of total GHG emissions.&nbsp;A 2016 World Resources Institute study found that the land-use-change emissions resulting from adding one additional person eating an average American diet in 2009 would be about<a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(57, 63, 68);\"> 300 tons</a> of CO₂e, an amount equivalent to 17 years' worth of an average American's energy-related CO₂ emissions."

<h2>Greenhouse Gas Emissions</h2>Agriculture is the second-largest contributor to total greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions from agricultural production <a href="http://www.wri.org/publication/creating-sustainable-food-future-interim-findings" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(57, 63, 68);">result</a> from soil fertilization, on-farm energy consumption (excluding food transport), ruminant wastes, and ruminant digestion through enteric fermentation, which produces methane. Emissions also result from net land-use conversion, where the primary driver is the conversion of forests, woody savannas, and grasslands into crops and pastures, and the draining of peatlands for agriculture. When accounting for all energy emissions from food production, and when fully accounting for ongoing peatland emissions, greenhouse gases from agriculture and land-use change rise to <a href="http://www.wri.org/publication/creating-sustainable-food-future-interim-findings" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(57, 63, 68);">nearly a quarter</a> of total GHG emissions.&nbsp;A 2016 World Resources Institute study found that the land-use-change emissions resulting from adding one additional person eating an average American diet in 2009 would be about<a href="http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(57, 63, 68);"> 300 tons</a> of CO₂e, an amount equivalent to 17 years' worth of an average American's energy-related CO₂ emissions.

The top four agricultural emissions producers—China, India, Brazil, and the United States—account for approximately 60% of global non-CO2 agricultural emissions. These emissions include methane, which remains in the atmosphere for only a decade but has a warming effect <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-bad-of-a-greenhouse-gas-is-methane/" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">86 times</a> greater than that of carbon dioxide.

Climate change is also projected to have <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg2/WGIIAR5-Chap7_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent;">large adverse effects</a> on yields due to higher temperatures, extended heat waves, flooding, shifting precipitation patterns, and saltwater inundation or intrusion of coastal fields. For example, by 2050, under the SRES A1FI global high-emissions scenario, maize production is expected to decline by an average of 7.7 percent, a potential loss of 150 million tons of maize.

"Climate change will be consequential for smallholder farms—which provide <a href=\"https://www.ifad.org/web/guest/crops\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">60-80 percent</a> of food for developing countries—and small family farms among the rural poor. Both are particularly <a href=\"https://www.ifad.org/web/guest/climate-and-environment\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">vulnerable</a> to extreme weather events and degraded natural resources, which result from rising emissions and unsustainable resource use."

"Although the world currently produces <a href=\"https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2313foodandagriculture.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">enough calories</a> for everyone on the planet, more than <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">800 million</a> people go hungry. One important reason for this apparent paradox is the unequal distribution of food, but another reason is the large amount of food loss and waste. Approximately <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/reducing-food-loss-and-waste\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">one-third</a> of all food produced in 2009, measured by weight, was lost or wasted. Converted to calories, this amount equates to 24 percent. Of this loss, <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/reducing-food-loss-and-waste\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">56 percent</a> occurs in the industrialized world, including North America, Oceania, and Europe. ﻿The distribution of food loss and waste along the food value chain varies significantly by region. More than <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/reducing-food-loss-and-waste\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">half</a> of the food loss and waste in North America, Oceania, and Europe occurs at the consumption stage. In contrast, the two stages closest to the farm―production and storage―account for more than <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/reducing-food-loss-and-waste\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">two-thirds</a> of food loss and waste in South and Southeast Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa. Reducing food loss and waste can help feed a growing world population while reducing the need for additional food production. "

"As nations urbanize and citizens become wealthier, people generally increase their calorie intake and the share of resource-intensive foods—such as meats and dairy—in their diets. The world is on track to consume <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">70 percent</a> more calories, close to <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">80 percent</a> more animal-based foods, and <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">95 percent</a> more beef by 2050, as compared to 2006. This increase in animal-based foods comes at a steep cost, with significant greenhouse gas emissions and land use required for their production. Production of animal-based foods is generally more resource-intensive and has a higher impact on the environment. <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Two-thirds</a> of agricultural production emissions in 2009 were related to animal-based foods: in fact, almost <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">half</a> were related to raising ruminants (cattle, sheep, and goats) for meat and dairy products. Beef and other ruminant meats are by far the most resource-intensive of foods, requiring <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">4-6 times</a> more land and generating that many more times greenhouse gas emissions than dairy per calorie or gram of protein. Beef production is also more than <a href=\"http://www.wri.org/publication/shifting-diets\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">20 times</a> as land- and greenhouse-gas-intensive as the production of beans. Among populations that consume high amounts of animal-based foods, shifting diets away from meat (especially beef and other ruminant meats) and toward plant-based foods can help reduce agriculture’s pressure on natural resources while feeding a growing world population."

"The UN’s <a href=\"http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">Sustainable Development Goal 2</a> sets targets for achieving universal access to safe and nutritious food, ending malnourishment, increasing productivity of sustainable agriculture, lifting incomes of small-scale farmers, and stabilizing food markets. Building on SDG 2, the <a href=\"http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/2_Why-it-Matters_ZeroHunger_2p.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">Zero Hunger Challenge</a> aims to eradicate food waste and eliminate the prevalence of stunting in children under two years old. <a href=\"https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">Sustainable Development Goal 12</a> also sets targets for sustainable use of natural resources, reduction of waste, and innovation of technologies for sustainable consumption and production. SDG 12’s Target 12.3 sets goals for halving food waste by producers and consumers, and reducing food loss along production and supply chains. Several agencies associated with the United Nations invest in and support developing regions to ensure food security and resilience:<ul><li><a href=\"http://www1.wfp.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">World Food Programme (WFP)</a></li><li><a href=\"http://www.worldbank.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">World Bank Group (WBG)</a></li><li><a href=\"http://www.fao.org/home/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.ifad.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)</a></li></ul> The World Health Organization (WHO) has also <a href=\"http://www.who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\">specified</a> 2025 targets for reducing all forms of malnourishment."

Food

Food is a constant and vital necessity for every person on the planet. Food and agriculture underpin many of the Sustainable Development Goals and are also closely linked to global resource issues such as ecosystems and biodiversity, water, energy, and climate change.

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Food

Food is a constant and vital necessity for every person on the planet. Food and agriculture underpin many of the Sustainable Development Goals and are also closely linked to global resource issues such as ecosystems and biodiversity, water, energy, and climate change.

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