The Food Systems Summit opens in New York [fr]

Why a Food Systems Summit?

Food systems correspond to the set of operating rules, organizational modes, technologies and practices that determine the modes of consumption, production, processing, packaging, storage and distribution of food goods. A sustainable food system is thus supposed to ensure food and nutritional security for all, without compromising the economic, social and environmental bases allowing future generations to ensure their food and nutritional security.

Conflicts, effects of climate change and economic crisis are the main structural determinants of food insecurity in the world. This trend has been accentuated by the crisis generated by the COVID-19, which created a shock of major proportions. According to the FAO’s State of World Hunger report, 811 million people were chronically hungry in 2020. Adding malnutrition in all its forms, more than two billion people are under- or malnourished or obese. Other major threats to food systems today include environmental degradation, demographic pressure, changes in diets, changes in international markets, increasing natural disasters and conflicts, and growing socio-economic inequalities.

Food systems can also be the source of these global disturbances. It is estimated that 21% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the agricultural and forestry sectors and 14.5% by livestock production; in 2020, 70% of the world’s freshwater consumption was attributable to agricultural production. The various crises due to zoonoses and pests in recent years have also reminded us of the impact of food systems on the global health situation and the importance of the "One Health" approach that France supports through the PREZODE initiative and the "One Health" High Level Panel of Experts.

Food systems are therefore also carriers of solutions. They must engage in a transformation towards more sustainable models, in environmental terms (preservation of ecosystems and resources, fight against and adaptation to climate change), economic terms (guaranteeing economic prosperity and jobs in a sector that employs the majority of the population in developing countries) and social terms (fight against growing inequalities). The challenge is also to make them more productive, in order to meet world food needs that will increase by 35% by 2030.

At the crossroads of food and nutritional security, health, climate change, preservation of natural resources, fight against poverty and fair remuneration of family farmers, the transition to healthy and sustainable food systems is necessary to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals of the 2030 agenda.

The Summit takes place in a context of increased attention of the international community to these issues, both at the United Nations (Security Council, COPs), but also in the framework of the G7 (Declaration on the Prevention of Famine and Humanitarian Crises, May 5, 2021), the G20 (Matera Declaration on Food Security, June 29, 2021) and the One Planet Summit.

France’s commitment to the transformation of food systems

Aware of these major challenges, France participated actively in the Summit preparation process, with an interministerial mobilization involving also our agricultural research and development institutes.

Alongside Senegal, France has mobilized for the coalition in favor of agroecology, whose main objective is to ensure the food security of territories while contributing to their social sustainability and the well-being of local populations by relying on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Initiatives such as the Great Green Wall Accelerator, announced by the President of the French Republic, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, during the One Planet Summit in January 2021, will be promoted within the framework of this coalition.

Together with Finland, France has supported the creation of the "school feeding" coalition, initiated by the World Food Program (WFP). This commitment contributes to meeting the challenges of the fight against child malnutrition, access to education, especially for girls, health and the development of the local economy - priorities for France threatened by the COVID-19 crisis.

France also supports the coalition of Public Development Banks (PDBs)}. This coalition, led by IFAD in conjunction with Cassa depositi e prestiti (CDP) and the French Development Agency (AFD), aims to create a platform for the BPDs to share their good practices and know-how, facilitate technical cooperation and set up innovative partnerships.