รายละเอียดเอกสาร

Challenges of Current Agrifood Systems The future of humanity depends on the sustainable provision of essential resources such as food, energy, and water. The total global food demand is expected to increase by 35–56% by 2050, (1) yet agriculture and food systems face a multitude of intertwined challenges, ranging from food and nutritional insecurity and a largely fragmented and tiered supply chain to climate change-related challenges and unsustainable farming practices. Intensifying food production has in the past often come at the cost of natural ecosystems and biodiversity and has proven to be insufficient to transform agrifood systems toward sustainability. (2) Reducing or preventing crop loss and food waste and switching to more plant-based diets are essential elements of a healthy agrifood system. (3) Current agriculture and farming practices, for instance, use ∼72% of global freshwater resources, which severely limits water access in regions facing scarcity. Meanwhile, a 5-fold increase in fossil fuel consumption for operating agricultural machinery complicates global energy access, and nearly one-third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted while more than 820 million people suffer from hunger. (4) It is imperative to tackle these barriers and achieve a true win–win situation in which augmented, healthy food production and reduced environmental impacts from agriculture can be achieved synergistically.