By 2050, there could be as many as 1.2 billion climate refugees, people who would be displaced due to the rise in weather and natural disasters. 20% of these individuals are expected to migrate from Africa and Asia to other regions, such as Europe or North America. With many more areas of the world being affected by climate change, there is a pressing need to rethink food production.
A common thread throughout several sessions, discussions, and panels at F&A Next 2025 was the topic of food system resilience. Many factors strain the global food supply. The most impactful one is undoubtedly climate change, whose impact is reducing agricultural yields in many ways. A tense geopolitical scenario exacerbates climate instability, further pressuring food security.
To that end, the global food system of the future must be able to withstand these shocks while feeding a steadily growing population. Several of our speakers and panelists explored this topic, providing insightful reflections on how to improve the resiliency of the food supply.
Beyond food security
That the food system’s resilience was one of the main topics of the tenth edition of F&A Next became clear from the very first session: the keynote speech by Lieutenant General Richard Nugee. Touching upon the three main crises affecting the food system – climate change, sustainability, and biodiversity loss – he painted a picture of some of the world’s areas where food security is threatened.
And while climate change is the main driver impacting food security, non-state actors are leveraging the insecurity it creates to generate instability. “Somalia is suffering one of its longest droughts in history, making farmers even more reliant on irrigation systems. Terrorist group Al-Shabaab is destroying these irrigation systems, knowing that if farmers can’t farm, they will move to the cities. This makes it easier for these non-state actors to recruit new resources. A similar pattern is occurring in countries such as Iraq and Bangladesh. In a way, climate change is causing a loss of livelihood.”
According to the Lieutenant General, a way to contain these crises is to establish fully functioning and resilient food systems that can operate in a world confronted by climate change. “If we don’t, we might end up in a world where our democracy is threatened,” he stated.
Regenerative agriculture to enhance resilience
Regenerative agriculture could change the paradigm in the current food production system. This farming approach aims to improve and restore soil health, increase biodiversity, and enhance ecosystem functions while producing food. It focuses on practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage, composting, and rotational grazing to build soil fertility, sequester carbon, and make farms more resilient to climate change.
“Regenerative agriculture reduces atmospheric CO2, restores habitats, produces healthy food, and really changes the water cycle,” underlined on stage speaker and international filmmaker Josh Tickell. “If regenerative farming practices are done properly, plants can help to sequester carbon from the atmosphere,” he added.
Regenerative farming is gaining momentum, as Tickell underlined the fact that now 50 million acres in the U.S. have turned to these practices. To further impel the transformation, the author also touched upon the impact that the voluntary carbon market can have up to 2050, potentially reaching a $1 trillion increase.
Financing resiliency
Financing is indeed a crucial aspect to sustain the establishment of a resilient food system. This was precisely the topic discussed in the session ‘Financing the Future of Food: Enabling a Resilient Agricultural System’. Undoubtedly, the current financing models are not well-suited to accompany the transition to new farming models, such as regenerative agriculture. How can we support farmers’ income?
An interesting example was brought by Béla Jankovich, chair of the non-profit organization Commonland. In his view, farmers should have a stack of income sources.
“The traditional business model for farmers is selling crops. However, that is not the only element of the stack from which farmers can earn an income. The most forward-thinking idea would be to have regenerative farmers selling their carbon credits. It should be a business, but right now it is not the case.”
The power of technology
Technology can enhance the resilience of our food system. The session ‘How AgTech Drives a Sustainable and Resilient Agri-Food System’ took a deep dive into the role of emerging technologies.
Over the past few decades, gene editing techniques, such as CRISPR, have revolutionized the development of new crop varieties that are more resistant to weather conditions. “Now, combining them with AI will allow us to make much smarter decisions and target the exact molecules we want to edit. The convergence of these technologies gives us hope for the future,” stated Darren Logan, VP of research at food company Mars.
