Now more than ever, the world is recognizing the fragility of our food systems. From farms to grocery stores, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised the alarm about food insecurity. As the Food and Land Use Coalition’s recent Call to Action highlighted, world leaders must take informed action and invest in resilient, sustainable food systems that can support our most vulnerable. The number of people going hungry, already at 800 million, may double under this pandemic (as reported by The Guardian).
A more food-secure future begins in the field. As any farmer can testify, agriculture is a risky sector and is only getting riskier. This Earth Day, Alliance Climate Action Director Ana María Loboguerrero notes that we should “recognize the more than 500 million small-scale farmers around the world who have suffered from climate extreme events, such as floods and droughts.” Climate change is not slowing down, plaguing farmers with growing challenges that are compounded by market fluctuations and other value chain uncertainties.