FAO head urges G20 to invest in a healthy planet for healthy food

In his entreaty to G20 situation ministers, the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Qu Dongyu, highlighted the situation of having to nutrient much nutrient portion reducing greenhouse state emissions. 

“Today, humanity faces a triple planetary situation of biodiversity loss, clime situation and the interaction of the pandemic”, he said. “To person steadfast food, we request a steadfast environment”. 

Better water 

The FAO chief spoke of the need to address water scarcity, which affects much than a cardinal people, by increasing ratio and sustainable management. 

Almost a cardinal hectares of rain-fed cropland and pastureland are besides severely affected by recurring drought. 

Mr. Qu argued that water-related challenges could beryllium addressed through digital innovation, amended oversight and investment. 

He also called for stepping up biodiversity-friendly approaches, including much investments successful related actions and slowing down biodiversity loss. 

“Current levels of concern are highly insufficient”, said the FAO Director-General. 

$1.4 trillion benefit 

He stressed that reversing deforestation “will assistance mitigate against clime change” and prevent disease outbreaks passing from animals to humans, adding that the economical benefits of halting biodiversity nonaccomplishment and land degradation, could magnitude to $1.4 trillion per year. 

The precocious launched UN Decade connected Ecosystem Restoration, led by FAO and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), provides an “excellent accidental to mobilize our corporate efforts”, he said. 

FAO is calling for urgent enactment to reverse the alarming complaint of biodiversity loss, recommending scaled up mitigation approaches and actions across the nutrient and cultivation sectors. 

Mr. Qu emphasized the UN agency’s work was guided by the request to make agri-food systems more efficient, resilient, inclusive and sustainable – all with the purpose of achieving the alleged “four betters”: better production, nutrition, environment and life, leaving nary 1 behind. 

Extreme tech challenge 

The World Food Forum (WFF) – created for and led by the Food and Agriculture’s (FAO) Youth Committee – announced on Thursday the motorboat of an planetary competition in partnership with the non-profit Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) to enactment and showcase entrepreneurs harnessing technology to thrust the sustainable translation of agri-food systems, to end world hunger. 

The WFF Startup Innovation Awards will be presented on 2 October to the successful contestants who have built companies aligned to the “four betters”. 

“The Extreme Tech Challenge AgTech, Food & Water contention class straight addresses FAO’s ngo to decision hunger worldwide and to execute high-quality nutrient information for all”, said FAO Deputy Director-General, Beth Bechdol. 

“We are thrilled to articulation XTC successful this concern and to leverage their bonzer excavation of transformative startups to marque a worldly interaction successful some of our organizations’ sustained efforts to tackle this planetary challenge”. 

Food systems focus 

Meanwhile, the Food Systems Pre-Summit is gearing to tally from Monday to Wednesday adjacent week, up of the major Summit itself, owed to instrumentality place later this year. 

Journalists who have yet to registry for next week’s virtual event, are being encouraged to bash so here. 

It’s being convened as part of the Decade of Action to execute the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.  

The purpose of the high-level meeting is to bring unneurotic cardinal players from the worlds of science, business, policy, healthcare, academia and others to motorboat bold actions towards progress connected each 17 SDGs – each of which relies to immoderate grade connected healthier, much sustainable and equitable nutrient systems.