100 Million Farmers: Transitioning to Sustainable Food Systems
The expansion of the global population in combination with the rise of climate change has led to widespread scrutiny over the food system and its capacity to operate effectively. The global food system plays a major role in the world economy, representing around 12% of global GDP -- however, the hidden costs of this system now exceed its contributions to the GDP, and has led to increased concerns on its overall effect on the environment. A major reform of this system is necessary in order to ensure that it can appropriately respond to the needs of society, while also being able to continue production in an environmentally friendly way. The World Economic Forum has taken notice of these concerns and in response launched their initiative titled 100 Million Farmers, as a part of their Climate Action Platform, with the goal of creating a food system that centers regenerative and climate-smart agricultural practices.
What Does the Initiative Look Like?
The initiative focuses on three main objectives, all of which are designed to center farmers in the transition as well as empower consumer demand.
Show that food systems can shift away from practices which cause significant emissions and nature degradation by implementing cost effective and practical solutions geared towards climate mitigation, adaptation, and nature restoration.
Initiate a transition which incentivizes farmers to implement regenerative, climate mindful practices alongside empowering consumers to demand and support this transition.
Follow through on the commitment to facilitate the transition to net-zero emissions and maximize residual benefits.
The European Example
100 Million Farmers is led by regional and national ‘lighthouse’ projects, each with their own regional multi-stakeholder coalition. The purpose of this is to see that solutions are created and implemented in a manner which appropriately considers the regional-specific challenges. The European food system has begun this process, taking note that agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. The World Economic Forum has partnered with other organizations in the region to create the European Carbon+ Coalition. This coalition is looking to implement the goals set by the 100 Million Farmers initiative, with a farmer centered approach with sufficient incentivization, while also creating solutions which will bring economic, practical and ecological benefits to society as a whole.
Future of Farming
With the global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, it is imperative that the agriculture sector prepare to meet the increased demand. This transition also must consider the environmental impact of farming in general and be prepared to implement a system which is sustainable and able to operate at net-zero emissions. With the World Economic Forum and the contributions made by regional stakeholders, the process of reforming this sector is already underway and has the potential to create widespread benefits for all.
Learn about our affordable carbon footprint solutions for small and medium-sized businesses
Book a free strategy session to discuss your climate goals with a sustainability manager.
About RyeStrategy
Based in Seattle, RyeStrategy is a CDP-accredited, mission-oriented company specialized in carbon accounting, mitigation coaching, and climate disclosure solutions for organizations at any point in their sustainability journey. Learn how RyeStrategy helped Salesforce, Ideascale, and Wazoku achieve their sustainability goals.
From exhaustive carbon footprinting and mitigation coaching, to setting science-based targets and reporting climate data to CDP, SBTi or custom reporting platforms, RyeStrategy acts as a hands-on extension of the team, custom-tailoring services to fulfill climate disclosure requirements easily and accurately.
Meet with a sustainability specialist to learn more about RyeStrategy solutions.
