Agricultural Biodiversity

UN Food Systems Summit 2021

The Secretary-General of the United Nations has convened a Food Systems Summit to be held in 2021. The UN Food Systems Summit aims to launch bold new actions to transform the way the world produces and consumes food, as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The Summit is scheduled to take place at the margins of the General Assembly in 2021 and will be guided by five Action Tracks that plan to bring together key players and draw on the expertise of actors from across the world’s food systems.

Action Track 1: Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all

Action Track 2: Shift to sustainable consumption patterns

Action Track 3: Boost nature-positive production

Action Track 4: Advance equitable livelihoods

Action Track 5: Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress

A number of Food System Summit Dialogues are planned leading up to the summit, including Member State Dialogues organized by national Governments. The outcomes of these will be of use in developing pathways to sustainable food systems and a valuable contribution to the various work streams in preparing for the Summit.

For more information on the UN Foods Systems Summit visit the following link: https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit

GBO-5 Agriculture Highlights

As outlined in GBO-5, each of the conditions necessary to achieve the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity requires a significant shift away from ‘business as usual’ across a broad range of human activities. The shape and nature of such transformative change can already be identified through a series of transitions under way to a limited extent in key areas. The key transitions to sustainable pathways related to agricultural biodiversity are:

The Sustainable Agriculture Transition
  • This transition recognizes the role of biodiversity, including pollinators, pest and disease control organisms, soil biodiversity and genetic diversity, as well as diversity in the landscape, for productive and resilient agriculture that makes efficient use of land, water and other resources.

The Sustainable Food Systems Transition
  • This transition recognizes the potential nutritional benefits from diverse foods and food systems, and the need to reduce demand-driven pressures globally while ensuring food security in all its dimensions.