Today the Global Food Security programme has published a scenarios report exploring potential transformation pathways to align the UK food system with the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The main findings in the full report The role of the UK food system in meeting global agreements: potential scenarios have also been peer-reviewed and published today in the journal Nature Food.
Food systems could play a central role in addressing global challenges such as the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, rising inequality, and the obesity epidemic. However, the idea of radically changing the way we live and do business was difficult to imagine until recently.
The global Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated our adaptation capability when we are united by a common goal, as well as the importance of multi-lateral cooperation alongside the strong leadership of individual states.
Through stimulating thought and discussion about the future of the UK food system, this scenarios report aims to help policymakers navigate uncertainty, facilitate long-term decision-making, and inspire immediate action.
The report explores four plausible futures where the UK food system has been radically transformed to meet our global agreements:
- In the Carbon-neutral scenario the UK food system has been transformed to meet climate mitigation goals (i.e. the Paris Agreement), and is more localised than in 2020
- In the Communal scenario the transformation of the food system focussed on wider sustainability goals alongside bold climate mitigation (i.e. the SDGs), also in a more localised context
- In the Commercial scenario the UK food system has been transformed to meet climate mitigation goals, but is more globalised than in 2020
- And in the Collaborative scenario food system transformation focussed on wider metrics of sustainability, also in a more globalised context.
An analysis of the scenarios highlighted the potential opportunities, challenges and trade-offs that could arise from food system transformation, giving rise to a research agenda to support the transition.
The report also sets out five key messages for policymakers, including the importance of ensuring that future food systems deliver against wider metrics of sustainability alongside ambitious climate mitigation.
Director of the Global Food Security Programme, Dr Riaz Bhunnoo, said:
“Redesigning a system as complex as our food system to align with global agreements is arguably one of the biggest challenges of our time, requiring a clear vision of what we want our food system to deliver. Through stimulating thought and discussion about the uncertainties facing our food system, this work aims to support stakeholders in developing a shared vision of the future.”
The scenarios report is available to download below.
The role of the UK food system in meeting global agreements: potential scenarios
This scenarios report is based on the outputs of a cross-stakeholder scenarios exercise exploring the role of the UK food system in meeting global agreements. The four plausible food system scenarios highlight the potential opportunities, challenges and trade-offs that could arise during food system transformation, with the aim of stimulating thought and discussion about the future of the UK food system to inform long-term decision-making.
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