The role of food technology in achieving zero hunger

Geneva – As part of its efforts to increase engagement with local networks and initiatives led by and for youth, the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva (LOG) took part in the “Think & Drink” May event organized by Foraus, the Swiss Forum for Foreign Policy. The monthly series aimed at an audience of students and young professionals features speakers from different organizations present in Geneva to elaborate on topics relevant to the international agenda and spark dialogue and exchange. As the theme of the event in May focused on “Food Technology in Achieving Zero Hunger”, LOG participated as a speaker to present FAO’s work on achieving SDG 2.

According to the FAO Report The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2023, around 735 million people in the world faced hunger in 2022. In this context, discussions on the role of technological advancements and innovations in addressing hunger took place. To set the scene, LOG unpacked the definitions of “hunger” and “food insecurity”, including “acute food insecurity”, and provided information on the drivers of food insecurity, trends and data from the SOFI report, and how they are measured. Benefits and limitations of different types of food and agriculture-related technologies were discussed, such as nuclear techniques, vertical farming in urban areas, alternative proteins, 3D food printing, and more. LOG also shared relevant FAO initiatives supporting the development as well as implementation of innovative technologies in the agrifood sectors, such as the FAO flagship Hand-in-Hand initiative, the Green Cities Initiative, as well as other ones including Farmer Field Schools, the e-Agriculture Programme, Agroecology, and Climate Smart Agriculture.

The audience also brought up topics such as the role of governments, international organizations and private sector in promoting and regulating food technologies, and the reconciliation between the need to produce more food to meet the growing demands with the preservation of biodiversity and environmental sustainability. LOG, together with the audience, also explored the limitations of the role of technology in addressing food security, as well as ethical and environmental challenges. While there has been progress made in technologies and innovations for the agrifood sector, LOG reminded that there is no “silver bullet” that can meet all needs in all contexts and stressed the need to increase access to technologies in developing countries and emerging economies. Additionally, while technology can be critical in agrifood systems transformation, underlying factors that contribute to food insecurity, such as inequality, conflict, climate extremes, economic shocks also need to be addressed.

Overall, the Foraus event provided an opportunity to encourage young people to participate in debates and exchanges on food and agriculture. It was clear that the youth are eager to be involved in the discussions and lead action to address the different issues the world faces today, from hunger to climate change. The LOG youth focal point also raised awareness on the FAO sponsored World Food Forum (WFF) platform, and how they can take part practically in the transformation of agrifood systems.