In light of the expectation that 600 million people will suffer from chronic hunger by 2030 and a worsening global climate crisis, FAO has identified a road map for a transitional transformation in agricultural and food systems to improve production efficiency in parallel with the goals of mitigation, adaptation and resilience to achieve the second goal of the Sustainable Development Goals without exceeding The 1.5°C threshold at COP 28 sets out a comprehensive strategy spanning the next three years and includes a diverse menu of solutions across ten distinct areas of action. The roadmap identifies 120 key actions and achievements across ten areas including clean energy, crops, aquaculture and fisheries. Fish, forests, wetlands, food loss and waste, livestock, healthy diets, soils, water, and comprehensive data and policies.
The map aims to reduce methane emissions from agricultural and food systems by 25% by 2030 compared to what they were in 2020, achieve carbon neutrality by 2035, and convert those systems to carbon absorbers by 2050, so that they absorb 1.5 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. .
It also sets a path to eliminate chronic undernutrition by 2030 and ensure that everyone enjoys healthy diets by 2050. Additional achievements include halving food waste per capita by 2030, modernizing countries’ supply chains and stressing the importance of climate finance to transform agricultural systems. And the food sector aims to provide quality food for all, now and in the future. It aspires to a just transition and calls for adopting alternative production methods, modifying consumption patterns, improving forest management, and using innovative technologies such as carbon capture.
It also proposes improving the use of global resources beyond crop production, rebalancing consumption patterns, and promoting healthy diets for all. It also stresses that the ability to adapt to each individual context is crucial, and warns against using solutions that fit all contexts and aligning the organization's advocacy with its mandate and organizational capabilities. The organization is also committed to supporting countries in fully implementing the UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action, by expanding the scope of agricultural and food systems solutions that are guided by the new roadmap drawn up by the organization.
  FAO, together with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Bank and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, will launch the Sharm El Sheikh Agri-Food Support Programme, a three-year support package consistent with the Roadmap to help accelerate and operationalize the Sharm El Sheikh Joint Action and its outcomes. However, Common definitions, consistency and complementarity in actions and policy frameworks implemented by partners should be established.
Achieving these goals, by implementing the appropriate set of actions, is consistent with making agricultural and food systems a carbon sink