UNCTAD Paper Calls for Targeted Recovery of Food Systems that Incorporates SDGs

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released a paper that recommends increasing opportunities for sustainable operations, production, trade, and handling of food along the supply chain to minimize harm to both farmers and the environment. The paper proposes using Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) to facilitate transparency and traceability in the production of agri-foods, and argues that combating social inequalities and reducing environmental degradation is critical to achieve food and nutritional security.The paper titled, ‘Build-Back-Better from COVID-19 with the adoption of Sustainability Standards in Food Systems,’ examines the socioeconomic drivers and barriers of globalization and trade in food systems. The paper states food system activities undermine biodiversity, contributing to land degradation and soil loss, loss of species, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air pollution, and other challenges. In particular, the paper stresses, without sufficient adaptation measures, climate change “will negatively impact food production in many areas.” Therefore, sustainable agricultural practices will be key in ensuring future food supplies for an increasing population while also minimizing impacts on the environment.The paper recognizes the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges in the global distribution of food. The paper reflects on supply challenges related to confinement measures, transportation, and logistics; “protectionism direction” that impacts the import and export of food products; farm production implications that impact food supply productivity; and labor shortages and shutdowns. Bottlenecks for farm inputs, such as seed and pesticides, the authors argue, are affecting smallholder farmers in developing countries. In East Africa, for instance, locust swarms have disrupted food production, and COVID-19-related logistics bottlenecks have delayed the provision of means to protect crops. This situation could result in a food security shock in rural areas while also increasing prices for food crops, further exacerbating shocks on those with reduced incomes. The paper cautions all of these challenges could postpone the climate-related global agenda, worsening the already concerning environmental situation. Demand challenges include food availability, pressure on food standards, and risks of higher food prices as a result of COVID-19.