Farming First: Enhancing sustainable development through agriculture

At the heart of the solution are farmers - they are the ones who grow our crops, manage the land, and safeguard biodiversity. The global population has almost tripled since 1950. By 2030, there will be an additional 1.7 billion mouths to feed, most of whom from developing countries. To cope with this reality, the world’s farmers need to double or even triple food production by 2050. However, farming policies have neglected the critical role which farmers, especially smallholder farmers, must play in making sustainable development a reality. The development pressures are acute. The ratio of arable land to population is expected to decline by up to 55% by 2030. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living with acute water scarcity. Simultaneously, climate change will put regional and global food supplies at risk. The basic livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people in developing countries will be threatened.