Around the globe, “food systems need to be more sustainable, inclusive and resilient,” says the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. In a speech in Paris, Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said the world grows enough food to feed everyone but chronic hunger still affects 800 million people. “Since food production is not a sufficient condition for food security, it means that the way we are producing is no longer acceptable,” said Graziano da Silva in a FAO release.
“What we are still mostly seeing is a model of production that cannot prevent the degradation of soils and the loss of biodiversity – both of which are essential goods, especially for future generations,: said the FAO chief. “We need a paradigm shift.” He said agriculture could play a large role in adapting to climate change and mitigating its impact, while also providing food security.
Graziano da Silva mentioned two potential new approaches. One is climate-smart agriculture, which adapts farming practices to environmental pressures and reduces the impact of farming on the environment. The other is agro-ecology, which uses ecology theory to manage agricultural systems to make them productive and to conserve natural resources.