Transforming the agriculture and food system into a sustainable one is something some smart and diverse people have been working on for some time. I’ve been talking with them over the past year, and it seems to me that the system is ready for a new stage of development…but there are several blockages that need addressing.
My thoughts are further spurred by the just-released report by the Asia Society and the International Rice Research Institute, titled Sustaining Food Security in Asia.
Collective challenges to transformation
Transforming the food and agriculture system into a sustainable one was an innovative idea in the 1990s. That idea blossomed into many concrete initiatives over the last decade—most of the examples were founded then. They passed the proof of concept stage and many are experiencing rapid growth. However, they are still miniscule in terms of the overall ag-food system. Getting to scale and transforming that system requires a set of skills and strategies that complement and advance those of these examples.
A number of core challenges include:
The definitional challenge: The array of influences on my thinking make me further wonder about how “the ag-food system” is defined. Some speak of “farm to fork”, others from “farm to feces”. Some have big problems with Genetically Modified Organisms and very large farms; others say they can be accommodated. Some strongly emphasize local, others are part of local-to-global. Who are the stakeholders? This might be so controversial that “the system” can’t be big enough to advance.
The financing challenge: the need for mainstream investors to recognize the emerging sustainable ag-food system as an interesting investment, and the ability of those in the system to present it as such.
The scaling systems challenge: the organizing infrastructure that has got the initiatives to their current stage of development is simply inadequate to take them to system transformation.
The public policy challenge: the need to have governments and inter-governmental organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization, develop policy that favors a sustainable ag-food system.
The markets challenge: creating mass markets for sustainable ag-food products.
These challenges will require a much more significant collective effort – the initiatives individually can certainly not do it. And their very low level of interaction today will not generate what is needed.
A modest proposal
To advance development of the system, I’ve suggested in a concept note an action research investigations to produce:
The proposition that I developed resonated with Krijn Poppe who is Chief Science Officer at the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Secretary General at the European Association of Agricultural Economists, and Research Manager at LEI, part of Wageningen UR. He is also co-editor of a very worthwhile read Transitions towards sustainable agriculture and food chains in peri-urban areas.
But so far, I’ve got no firm takers for the proposal. What are some of the possible reasons? Some mixture of the following, I suppose:
The new AS/IRRI report estimates $409 billion/year is needed for investment in agriculture in developing countries’ agriculture. How much of that will be for the sustainable ag-food system? What are your thoughts about current opportunities?