Shaping the Future of Food Security and Agriculture

The world’s food systems play a central role in the health and well-being of both human societies and ecosystems and are a key driver of economic livelihoods. Food systems contribute to the majority of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, and are fundamental to thriving businesses.

Through ongoing dialogues hosted by the World Economic Forum and in collaboration with Deloitte, leaders from all sectors and regions have aligned around four core aspirations for the world’s food systems to be:

• Inclusive, ensuring economic and social inclusion for all food system actors, especially smallholders, women and youth.
• Sustainable, minimizing negative environmental impacts, conserving scarce natural resources and strengthening resiliency against future shocks.
• Efficient, producing adequate quantities of food for global needs while minimizing post-harvest loss and consumer waste; and
• Nutritious and healthy, enabling consumption of a diverse range of healthy, nutritious, and safe foods.

The aspiration for inclusive, sustainable, efficient, and healthy food systems will not be easy to achieve. A number of major global trends will pose both challenges and opportunities in the future. From technology to government, the implications reach across a range of sectors and will require a holistic approach in order to address systemic and interconnected challenges.

For details on the outcomes of the Future of Food Security and Agriculture Initiative, see the joint Deloitte-WEF reports below. Also available are links to Deloitte’s work on key topics related to this initiative as well as leadership perspectives.

Shaping the future of global food systems: A scenarios analysis

This report from Deloitte Global and the World Economic Forum seeks to answer the key question: “How will food systems nutritiously and sustainably feed 8.5 billion people in 2030?” By identifying critical uncertainties that will shape food systems in the next decade and a half, the report draws on scenario planning to paint a set of provocative potential futures to inspire action. The report explores why we’re not on track to meet demand by 2030 and provide business intelligence to executives on this critical topic and serve as a tool for proactive policy-making.

Read the press release to learn more.

Building partnerships for sustainable agriculture and food security: A guide for country-led action

This practical guide from the World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture (NVA) initiative and Deloitte Global, encourages national and global leaders to develop country partnerships in sustainable agriculture and food security. With practical recommendations, it draws on best practices and lessons learned from 21 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where partnerships catalyzed and supported by NVA have benefitted over 10.5 million farmers to date. The approach described in this guide serves as a framework for action that can be adapted to any local context and can evolve over time.

Read the press release to learn more.