The task of feeding more than nine billion people by 2050, enabling them to eat well and live well without depleting the planet’s resources, will require profound transformations from the farm to the table. The challenges are compounded: climate change and biodiversity loss pose risks to global food production, while healthy eating is linked to access to income, making it urgent to reduce social inequalities.
A look at where we are, where we want to go and what steps are necessary on this journey is an exercise proposed by Vision 2050, a roadmap produced by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) with the participation of more than 4,000 experts from the private, public and academic sectors. Divided into eight central themes, the Food chapter provides some clues about the changes that
we want to promote.
Today we know that food systems contribute up to 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions and are extremely vulnerable to climate change due to their dependence on rainfall and climate stability. In terms of species diversity, 75% of the food consumed globally currently comes from just 12 plants and five animal species, and although we know of between 250,000 and 300,000 plant species, we only use 150 to 200, of which three (rice, cassava and wheat) account for 60% of the proteins obtained by humans from plants.
In Brazil, the imperative to assist in the transition to resilient food systems is, first and foremost, to curb illegal deforestation and invest in low-carbon agriculture, which, thanks to Embrapa's research efforts over the past few decades, has provided us with techniques that allow Brazil to have high agricultural productivity without the need to deforest a single hectare of forest. In addition, the compass points to the construction of business chains that generate a positive and regenerative impact on our sociobiodiversity. Brazil could generate US$17 billion and 2 million new jobs by 2030 with nature-based solutions. The recently approved Payment for Environmental Services policy, which regulates remuneration for companies and landowners who preserve areas of ecological interest, should pave the way for businesses with this profile as well. As a private sector, we want to move forward on this path and we already have a map. The future has already begun.
Article originally published in Ground Radar, May 2021.
