This publication highlights how the EU is supporting countries and institutions to address numerous challenges facing food security, improved nutrition, and sustainable agriculture, and to seize opportunities to further their development.
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Why focus on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture? Rural poverty stemming from low agriculture-based incomes and poor public services increases the vulnerability of individuals, communities, and countries to economic downturns, harmful climatic effects, conflicts, resource degradation, population growth, and is strongly correlated with food insecurity and malnutrition.
The EU is committed to achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and has been working with partners to collectively step up support to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
As reaffirmed in the EU Consensus on Development, agricultural and rural development are key to reducing poverty, increasing food and nutrition security, stimulating economic growth, and protecting the environment, all within the context of climate change. They can also play a major role in promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls.
The EU has focused on four priorities for addressing the challenges of food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture:
- Enhancing the resilience of the most vulnerable to food crises, to build sustainable and resilient societies;
- Fostering specific nutrition outcomes, to secure health and wellbeing for present and future generations;
- Increasing responsible investments in agriculture and food systems, to foster inclusive and equitable economic transformations that will assure jobs and growth, particularly for younger generations; and
- Stimulating innovations for sustainable agri-food systems, to produce more and better food against the background of climate change, while preserving natural resources and biodiversity for future generations.
Strengthening sector governance, addressing climate change and promoting gender equality have been integral concepts in all four areas. Further information regarding the EU’s achievements in these fields can be found within the publication.
