The guidelines set an aspirational target towards which we should all be working. However, we need more than guidelines for SSM, we need action on the ground. On ground action is occuring in some more developed areas of the world but a range of pressures in less developed areas make SSM a virtual impossibility. Poverty/starvation, drought/flood, conflict/politics, population growth all impose constraints on the ability of governments and people to implement even the guidelines let alone on ground action. Achieving SSM may be impossible in some areas of the world and, in others, may result in a reduction of the productive capacity of the land thereby leading to other issues of short term food supply.
Need a means for measuring and documenting how implementation of the guidelines results in improved SSM. Need to identify factors that are indicative of improved SSM that can be measured and monitored. Need some case studies that demonstrate how implementing the guidelines can result in real improvement to SSM. Such case studies should not be confined to better developed areas but should include more challenging parts of the globe where conflicting priorities of SSM, drought and the immediate need for short term food production occur.
While the guidelines do outline a way to achieve SSM they are unlikely to achieve SDGs as, for reasons discussed above, they are unlikely to be effectively implemented in large parts of the world. I applaud the foresight and vision of the guideline developers but my cynical hat would suggest that there are far greater world issues to be resolved before SSM is achievable.
The guidelines set an aspirational target towards which we should all be working. However, we need more than guidelines for SSM, we need action on the ground. On ground action is occuring in some more developed areas of the world but a range of pressures in less developed areas make SSM a virtual impossibility. Poverty/starvation, drought/flood, conflict/politics, population growth all impose constraints on the ability of governments and people to implement even the guidelines let alone on ground action. Achieving SSM may be impossible in some areas of the world and, in others, may result in a reduction of the productive capacity of the land thereby leading to other issues of short term food supply.
Need a means for measuring and documenting how implementation of the guidelines results in improved SSM. Need to identify factors that are indicative of improved SSM that can be measured and monitored. Need some case studies that demonstrate how implementing the guidelines can result in real improvement to SSM. Such case studies should not be confined to better developed areas but should include more challenging parts of the globe where conflicting priorities of SSM, drought and the immediate need for short term food production occur.
While the guidelines do outline a way to achieve SSM they are unlikely to achieve SDGs as, for reasons discussed above, they are unlikely to be effectively implemented in large parts of the world. I applaud the foresight and vision of the guideline developers but my cynical hat would suggest that there are far greater world issues to be resolved before SSM is achievable.