May 2014: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released the seventh in its series of Post-2015 Briefing Notes, titled ‘Environmental Drivers of Food and Nutrition Insecurity.’ The note addresses the challenges of ecosystem degradation, food waste and political barriers to sustainable food systems.

The note highlights the ongoing deterioration of ecosystems due to increased pressures to satisfy global food demands. At the same time, one-third of food produced is wasted or lost, according to the authors. They outline political and institutional obstacles to addressing the situation, including subsidies, unfair trade barriers and inadequate market structures. They also discuss health issues related to current consumption patterns and inequity, including under-nutrition, malnutrition and obesity.

The authors recommend an integrated, four-pronged approach to addressing these challenges: shifting to a diversified, resilient, eco-agricultural system; optimizing the efficiency of water, food and energy production; addressing harmful subsidies and unequal rights to land and resources; and shifting towards sustainable diets and consumption patterns. They emphasize the need for responsible governance of tenure of land, water, fisheries and forests and for empowering smallholders and rural women as critical agents of food security. The note provides examples of how a shift towards sustainable diets might take place, such as through sustainable pastoralism, an approach the authors argue would reduce the use of cereals in animal feed and promote range-fed meats. [Publication: Environmental Drivers of Food and Nutrition Insecurity] [UNEP Series of Post-2015 Briefing Notes]