G20 Agriculture and Food Security: Building Sustainable Food Systems for a Hungry World
G20 Agriculture and Food Security: Building Sustainable Food Systems for a Hungry World
The Agriculture Working Group stands as one of the most critical forums within the G20 framework, bringing together member nations to strengthen cooperation on agricultural issues that affect billions of people worldwide. As the world grapples with overlapping crises—climate change, conflict, economic instability, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic—ensuring food security has never been more urgent.
The Central Role of Agrifood Systems
The Agriculture Working Group recognizes the central role of agrifood systems for food and nutritional security, rural development, and sustainable management of natural resources. These systems are not merely about producing food; they encompass the entire journey from farm to fork, including production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste management. The health of these systems directly impacts the health of our planet and its people.
One of the main topics under discussion in the Agriculture Working Group is achieving the targets set forth in the United Nations 2030 Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, SDG 2 aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. The G20's work in this area is critical, as member countries represent 85% of global GDP and significant portions of global agricultural production and consumption.
Sustainability in Agrifood Systems: Multiple Paths Forward
Sustainability in agrifood systems encompasses multiple aspects, and the G20 recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. The working group emphasizes multiple paths to achieving sustainable food systems based on local realities and characteristics. This recognition is crucial, as what works in temperate climates may not work in tropical regions, and what succeeds in large-scale commercial agriculture may not be appropriate for smallholder farmers.
Tropical agriculture presents unique challenges and opportunities. Many G20 members, including Brazil, India, Indonesia, and South Africa, have significant tropical agricultural sectors. These regions face distinct challenges, including higher pest pressures, more variable rainfall patterns, and different soil conditions. The working group explores how tropical agriculture can be made more sustainable while maintaining productivity.
Agroecology represents another path forward. This approach integrates ecological principles into agricultural systems, emphasizing biodiversity, natural resource conservation, and the knowledge of local communities. Agroecology has shown promise in improving food security while reducing environmental impacts, particularly for smallholder farmers in developing countries.
Extending International Trade's Contribution to Food Security
International trade is a significant part of the solution to food insecurity. No country is entirely self-sufficient in all food commodities, and trade allows countries to access foods they cannot produce efficiently while exporting their surpluses. However, trade must be conducted in ways that support rather than undermine food security.
The working group emphasizes that international trade measures linked to environmental sustainability objectives must be rooted in international cooperation, based on science, and compatible with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This ensures that environmental goals are achieved without creating unnecessary trade barriers that could exacerbate food insecurity.
Product processing adds value to agricultural commodities and can facilitate market access for family farmers. When farmers can process their products—turning raw milk into cheese, fruits into jams, or grains into flour—they capture more value from their production. This processing can also reduce food loss and waste by extending shelf life and creating products that are easier to transport and store.
International development banks play an important role in mobilizing resources, increasing and improving the quality of investments towards more sustainable and productive agricultural models. These institutions can provide the long-term financing needed for agricultural infrastructure, research and development, and capacity building that private markets may not adequately supply.
The Essential Role of Family Farming
The Agriculture Working Group recognizes the essential role of family farming, peasants, indigenous peoples, and traditional communities for sustainable, healthy, and inclusive food systems. Family farmers—including peasants, indigenous peoples, traditional communities, fishermen, pastoralists, forest gatherers, and agricultural workers—play a key role in the transition to sustainable, healthy, and inclusive food systems.
Family farmers often maintain traditional knowledge about local crops, farming practices, and ecosystems that has been developed over generations. This knowledge is invaluable for developing sustainable agricultural systems adapted to local conditions. Moreover, family farms often employ more people per hectare than large-scale commercial farms, contributing to rural employment and livelihoods.
However, family farmers face numerous challenges, including limited access to land, credit, markets, and technology. The working group emphasizes that family farmers will be able to benefit from targeted and synergistic public policies and customized solutions to facilitate production and their access to markets. This requires coordinated action across multiple policy areas, including land tenure, credit, extension services, infrastructure, and trade.
Special attention must be paid to policies for women, young people, indigenous peoples, and traditional communities. Women play crucial roles in agriculture worldwide, often responsible for food production, processing, and marketing, yet they frequently face discrimination in access to resources and decision-making. Young people represent the future of agriculture but often leave rural areas due to limited opportunities. Indigenous peoples and traditional communities hold valuable knowledge about sustainable resource management but may face marginalization and land dispossession.
Promoting Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture
Aquatic food systems are fundamental to global food security and nutrition, providing essential proteins, micronutrients, and livelihoods for billions of people, particularly in coastal and island communities. The working group emphasizes promoting the sustainable integration of fisheries and aquaculture into local and global supply chains.
The significant expansion of fish production needed to meet growing global demand for food will have to be provided by aquaculture, as wild fish stocks are already heavily exploited. However, aquaculture must be developed sustainably, minimizing environmental impacts while maximizing social and economic benefits.
The working group seeks to strengthen the implementation of international commitments related to fisheries, seeking to reduce market distortions and overexploitation of aquatic resources and asymmetries between developed and developing countries. This includes addressing issues such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which undermines sustainable fisheries management and harms legitimate fishers.
South Africa's Priorities in Agriculture
As G20 president, South Africa brings particular focus to issues affecting African agriculture. The continent has enormous agricultural potential but faces significant challenges, including climate change, limited infrastructure, and access to markets and finance. South Africa emphasizes the importance of supporting smallholder farmers, building climate resilience, promoting agricultural innovation, and improving market access for African agricultural products.
The Agriculture Working Group's work aligns with South Africa's broader G20 priorities of solidarity, equality, and sustainability. By strengthening agricultural cooperation, the G20 can contribute to reducing hunger and malnutrition, supporting rural livelihoods, and building more sustainable food systems that can feed a growing global population while protecting the environment.
Looking Forward
The challenges facing global agriculture are immense, but so is the potential for positive change. Through the Agriculture Working Group, G20 members are working together to develop policies and initiatives that can strengthen food security, support sustainable agriculture, and ensure that the benefits of agricultural development are shared equitably. As the world moves toward 2030, the work of this group will be critical in determining whether we can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and build food systems that are truly sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.