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31. Defining the Path to Zero Hunger in an Equitable World

Author:
Catherine Bertini, Peggy Tsai Yih, Roger Thurow, and Gloria Dabek
Publication Date:
03-2023
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Abstract:
During the 2022 World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogues, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and The Rockefeller Foundation gathered experts and stakeholders from climate, agriculture, food security, and humanitarian backgrounds to discuss a bold vision for a 21st Century of zero hunger in a healthier and more equitable world. The white paper, “Defining the Path to Zero Hunger in an Equitable World,” reflects a summary of their views and offers a framework to reimagine a hunger-free world. The quickened pace of extreme weather events, disruptions to agricultural markets from the war in Ukraine and other conflicts, and a fragile post-pandemic international economy rattled the global food chain. A culmination of these realities is complicating the dual imperative to both nourish the planet and preserve it from environmental threats. According to the 2022 IPCC report, without immediate changes, extreme weather will likely render large areas of crop and livestock land unsuitable by 2050, potentially pushing millions of people into food insecurity. The newly outlined white paper tackles some of the greatest obstacles facing the nexus of food security, climate, and humanitarian spaces, and ultimately voices hope for a better food future. It amplifies this message by providing an analysis of three major obstacles—silos, myopic priorities, and top-down decision-making—in conjunction with catalyzing ideas that address these challenges.
Topic:
Agriculture, Climate Change, Humanitarian Aid, Food, Food Security, Hunger, Equity, and Russia-Ukraine War
Political Geography:
Global Focus

32. Bridging the Gap: A "Sustainable Food Seal"

Author:
Paul E. III Schickler, Francesca Debiase, Sally Rockey, Jennifer Goldston, Peggy Tsai Yih, and Natalie Burdsall
Publication Date:
05-2023
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Abstract:
Climate change is wrecking havoc on the global food supply chain, drawing attention to the benefits of sustainable practices for preserving the food system. As a result, consumers are starting to shift their purchasing behaviors, opting for more sustainable food options that might have a smaller carbon footprint or use fewer resources. To help inform their purchasing decisions, consumers are demanding more information on how and where their food is produced, but they are largely unable to find a labeling system with clear and comprehensive standards; existing "green" and "eco" labels are often private certification schemes that focus on only one aspect of sustainability. A "sustainable food seal" is a potential solution. A label that would standardize a food product’s eco-score to reduce consumer confusion, sustainable food seals take an inclusive approach to food labeling that use comparable metrics that involve all parts of the food value chain—from farm to fork—and offer the opportunity to validate practices and empower stakeholders to support a more sustainable food supply chain. Based on a November 2022 roundtable, the first in a series of regular convenings, the white paper “Bridging the Gap: A ‘Sustainable Food Seal’ Needed to Improve Transparency between Farmers and Consumers about Sustainable Food Production” explores current food labeling practices, identifies challenges to label standardization and voluntary adoption, and proposes potential actions and strategies to provide insight into the role a “sustainable food seal” can play in enhancing sustainability through food.
Topic:
Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, Food, Food Security, Sustainability, Farming, and Supply Chains
Political Geography:
Global Focus

33. Climate Adaptation in Africa: Locally Led and Nature Based Solutions

Author:
Jamal Saghir and Ede Jorge Ijjasz-Vasquez
Publication Date:
01-2023
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University (ISID)
Abstract:
Climate change continues to cause damage in Africa. It triggers food insecurity, poverty and displacement. The impacts of climate change are being exacerbated by rapid urbanization, geopolitical tensions, headwinds caused by the invasion of Ukraine and its impacts on agricultural exports and fertilizers. Equally important, inflationary pressures, risks of global and regional economic recession, and unsustainable debt levels for many countries are amplifying the impacts of climate shocks on African economies and communities. Our recent analysis by the Global Center for Adaptation (GCA)1 shows that Africa is ground zero for the climate emergency. The climate is changing, and Africa needs to adapt. It must adapt to rising temperatures, more extreme storms, and floods, rising sea levels, more intense heatwaves, and longer and more severe droughts. However, an enormous funding gap on adaptation is holding Africa back. This policy brief analyses climate adaptation financial flows to Africa and argues that the limited resources available to Africa for adaptation need to be used in the most efficient and productive manner to dampen the combined impacts of climate shocks and economic downturns. Nature-based solutions (NbS) and Locally Led Adaptation programs (LLA) are critical in this respect. Moreover, multilateralism and collaboration between governments, international organizations, international financial institutions, civil society, and the private sector are critical to ensure more support for adaptation in Africa.
Topic:
Climate Change, Development, Food Security, Nature, and Adaptation
Political Geography:
Africa

34. Mission Strategic Plans: A Neglected Developmental Tool

Author:
Mark Wentling
Publication Date:
08-2023
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
American Diplomacy
Institution:
American Diplomacy
Abstract:
US missions are required to prepare Integrated Country Strategies (ICS) every three years. In addition, missions with USAID programs are required to prepare Country Development Cooperation Strategies (CDSS) every five years. In developing countries, the strategies usually focus on increasing food crops and nutritional levels. I found during fifty years of work in a dozen missions that few read these strategies and even fewer apply them in their work. Missions go through a stressful period of completing these documents, but once Washington approves them they are often forgotten in a flurry of competing action requirements. Missions are usually engaged with applying the latest U.S. policy or assistance directives. And work priorities and budgetary allocations can shift dramatically with the installation of a new US administration.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Agriculture, Development, International Cooperation, and Food Security
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

35. Evaluating The Social and Economic Consequences of Global Warming On African Women

Author:
Eyesiere-Hope Essien
Publication Date:
04-2023
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS)
Abstract:
By Eyesiere-Hope Essien of the Climate Change Working Group Global warming is significantly impacting developing countries and the effects are far-reaching which is having a devastating impact on African women and their communities, leading to adverse social and economic consequences. Climate change has resulted in an increase in temperature, more extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and a decrease in water availability. As a result, African women are facing a growing number of challenges related to food insecurity, water scarcity, and healthcare access. They are at greater risk of poverty, displacement, and exploitation. These issues can be further exacerbated by a lack of access to education and employment opportunities. It is essential to understand the nature of these impacts and to take action to mitigate them and ensure African women have the resources and skills to adapt to the changing environment.
Topic:
Climate Change, Development, Health, Water, Women, and Food Security
Political Geography:
Africa

36. The geopolitics of European wheat

Author:
Sébastien Abis
Publication Date:
05-2023
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Robert Schuman Foundation (RSF)
Abstract:
With its twenty-seven Member States, the European Union is a major agricultural and cereal-producing power. And with 450 million inhabitants, it is the world's second largest consumer of wheat after China[1]. More than just a single market, the EU has also become the world's largest wheat producer, although the Middle Kingdom regularly challenges this position[2] , especially when the harvests on the Old Continent are not as good. The European Union is also now the world's second largest wheat exporter, behind Russia but ahead of the United States[3] . These geo-economic advantages are based on a political project: union. The figures on European wheat, disaggregated and observed by member state, would not be so comforting. But is the European Union aware of its agricultural strengths and does it want to maintain them in the 21st century? Why does wheat embody both power as well as a dose of experimentation?[4]
Topic:
Agriculture, Markets, European Union, Food Security, Geopolitics, Economic Competition, and Wheat
Political Geography:
Europe

37. New biotechnologies, allies for food safety in the face of climate change. Where does Europe stand?

Author:
Agnès Ricroch
Publication Date:
09-2023
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Robert Schuman Foundation (RSF)
Abstract:
The food market is currently marked by soaring prices and shortages due to supply shocks in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also to repeated extreme weather events linked to climate change; and finally, to geopolitical conflicts, in particular Russia's invasion of Ukraine. All innovations must be used to ensure food security, particularly for the European Union.
Topic:
Climate Change, Markets, European Union, Food Security, Innovation, and Biotechnology
Political Geography:
Europe

38. Effective Shareholder Engagement to Address the Food Sector’s SDG-Related Impacts in Mexico

Author:
Nora Mardirossian
Publication Date:
11-2023
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
Abstract:
Globally, there is growing investor engagement on environmental and social issues. Over 550 financial institutions participate in net zero alliances,1 the largest-ever number of ESG-related resolutions was filed in 2023 (over 500),2 and global sustainable fund assets hit nearly $2.8 trillion at the end of June 2023.3 Corporate sustainability reporting standards and regulations – many of which are international, have extraterritorial reach, or cover global value chains – have proliferated and are reinforcing the larger trend. Traditional investing has historically focused on mitigating financial risk without being cognizant of other important external risks. Sustainable investing takes a wider view that is explicitly interested in sustainability issues, but some approaches are more progressive than others. Some sustainability or ESG investment efforts focus on sustainability impacts only to the extent they are linked to or overlap with financial materiality. Some large institutional investors, particularly those considered to be universal owners, express an understanding that system-level issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and inequality present risks to the entire economic system, and thus to their entire portfolios.4 Some mainstream investors have acknowledged they have a responsibility to manage severe environmental and social risks, in line with international standards.5 Other smaller and philanthropic funds use an impact investing strategy that focuses more on driving sustainability impacts, with a less explicit focus on returns.6 Rather than investment decision making (i.e., deciding what to invest in either by screening or excluding companies or entire sectors that are seen as high risk or by targeting investments in areas that have some kind of positive sustainability potential through impact investing), this report focuses on the more effective strategy for public equity investors to influence companies’ SDG-related impacts: active ownership through shareholder engagement and advancing and voting on resolutions.7 Through active ownership, investors use their leverage to influence the conduct and decision-making of the firms they own, to avoid sustainability and human rights risks or to capitalize on sustainability and human rights opportunities. This report considers how active investors can best exercise their leverage in the particular context of Mexico’s food sector. Although active ownership efforts have grown globally, they remain limited in Mexico and other emerging markets. Investors have an opportunity to do more to help address critical SDG-related issues in these contexts through their active ownership efforts. By doing so, they can be more responsible in ensuring respect for human rights, protecting shared systems, and supporting their long-term financial interests. Importantly, they can also ensure they comply with – and support their portfolio companies in complying with – emerging legal frameworks requiring reporting and due diligence on the impacts of their global value chains, including in Mexico.8 This report summarizes key opportunities and barriers facing investors who wish to more actively drive positive SDG outcomes in Mexico’s food sector through shareholder engagement. First, this report discusses the food sector-related SDG challenges globally and then those that are most important in Mexico. It identifies influential companies investors can engage with and surveys benchmarks on those companies’ SDG disclosure. Next, the report provides an overview of the status of and legal context for sustainable investing in Mexico. Then, it considers the extent and nature of investor influence over companies in Mexico. Based on this analysis, the report concludes by providing recommendations for investors on influencing portfolio food sector companies’ management of their SDG-related impacts in Mexico. The recommendations draw upon existing standards and guidance that bear on the roles and responsibilities of investors. This report’s primary aim is to provide guidance to Mexican and foreign institutional investors who can use their shareholdings to engage with food sector companies with a footprint in Mexico. Other stakeholders may also find this report valuable, including those interested in opportunities for the financial sector to advance the SDG-alignment in the Mexican food sector or any sector in any comparable emerging market.
Topic:
Markets, Food Security, Sustainable Development Goals, Investment, Sustainability, and Shareholder Value
Political Geography:
North America and Mexico

39. Supporting the Farmers of America, Feeding the People of the World: Kansas Leadership in Food Aid

Author:
Tracey Mann
Publication Date:
08-2023
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Ambassadors Review
Institution:
Council of American Ambassadors
Abstract:
Farmers deserve our gratitude and support. The United States is the most food-secure country in the world, thanks to the strength and determination of American farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers. With America’s robust resources, we have been committed to ensuring food security at home and around the world, and Kansas has been on the cutting edge of that effort for nearly a century. In September 1953, Peter O’Brien, a farmer from Cheyenne County, Kansas, stood up at his local county Farm Bureau meeting to share an idea. He wanted to donate surplus Kansas grain to hungry people around the world. Over the course of the next several months, today’s Food for Peace program was crafted. The following year, one of Kansas’ favorite sons, President Dwight Eisenhower, signed parts of the program into law. That was the beginning of what is now a longstanding Kansas tradition of commitment, care and leadership in the international effort to address global hunger.
Topic:
Agriculture, Foreign Aid, Food Security, Leadership, and Farming
Political Geography:
North America, United States of America, and Kansas

40. Food insecurity: What can the world trading system do about it?

Author:
Alan Wm. Wolff
Publication Date:
10-2023
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)
Abstract:
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a major supplier of grain to the Middle East and Africa, has triggered deep concerns over access to affordable food across the globe. The alarming rise in food insecurity across the world due to conflicts makes it increasingly urgent to set ground rules for sharing food in global markets and getting food to places most in need to avoid starvation and famine. The most glaring and relevant gap in the rules of the world trading system pertains to sharing food in times of scarcity. The authors recommend using the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) long-standing accords on agriculture as a basis to provide guidelines for supplying food to global markets, especially areas in need. The most obvious shortcoming in the rules is that WTO members are largely free to restrict exports of food. The WTO rules need to be updated to take into account climate change, extreme weather, military conflicts, pandemics, and other factors that interfere with food production. The WTO can specify factors that an exporting country must take into account when imposing an export restriction on food, and it can require consultations to deal with severe disruptions in world food trade. It can also serve to mediate the interests of food exporters and importers in enhancing food security.
Topic:
Agriculture, World Trade Organization, Food Security, and Trade Policy
Political Geography:
Global Focus