Sustainable Food Systems as a Driver for the Implementation of the SDGs

Taking Stock of SDG 2 and Future Perspectives 

SDG2 (Zero Hunger) aims to achieve food security and productive and sustainable agri-food systems. It also underpins the achievement of many other SDGs, including the goals related to health, climate action and biodiversity among others. According to many international studies, SDG2 is particularly off-track in Europe and globally and many targets might not be achieved by 2030 including those related to healthy diets and sustainable agri-food systems. In Europe, multiple crises have impacted food security and the livelihoods of farmers, small-scale food producers and other stakeholders and the impact of climate change might further exacerbate these trends. 

This study presents new insights to promote the transformation of the EU’s agri-food system building on three principal instruments: (1) SDSN’s SDG Index indicators and dashboards; (2) model-based scenarios oriented toward 2030 and 2050 using the methodology developed by the Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-Use and Energy (FABLE) Consortium and (3) New survey data collected for this study from experts and practitioners in the European agri-food industry in collaboration with the EESC. 

The study makes four overarching recommendations, and calls above all, for more effective multistakeholder engagement mechanisms at the EU and member states’ level to define long-term pathways and specific policies to advance the sustainability of agri-food systems in Europe. We also emphasize the importance of concerted international action and demand-side measures, including incentives to move toward healthier diets, to achieve simultaneously several SDGs related to agri-food systems, climate mitigation and biodiversity.