Strengthening the Ecological Basis of Food Security through Sustainable Food Systems

This report – Avoiding Future Famines: Strengthening the Ecological Basis of Food Security through Sustainable Food Systems - has been a unique collaboration of 12 leading scientists and experts involved in world food systems including marine and inland fisheries.

The institutions involved include the UN Environment Programme, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, the World Bank, the World Food Programme and the World Resources Institute. 

The report provides detailed analysis of the many factors threatening the world’s food supplies and its ability to continue to generate calories and proteins in the 21st century including from fisheries. Yet it also provides a series of forward-looking recommendations and remedies to the many grim scenarios that often accompany the food security debate.

The debate on food security so far has largely revolved around availability,access, utilization and stability as the four pillars of food security, barely touching on the resource base and ecosystem servicesthat prop up the whole food system. 

The report aims to increase the focus on these crucial environmental aspects, which are being undermined by overfishing, unsustainable water use and other human activities. It also frames the debate in the contextof the Green Economy, calling for food production and consumption practices that ensure productivity without underminingecosystem services.

Final Version to be Available by 28 September 2012