23 August 2019 farmer’sweekly 7range of evidence-based policy levers,
addressing issues of both soft and hard
power. Policy mechanisms are also
critical for de-risking investments.- Enhancing institutional capacity.
The need for speed in the adoption of
numerous changes requires greater capacity
everywhere: in governments, companies,
communities, banks and investors, among
others. Government capacity is critical, but
it needs to filter down to individuals and
into enhanced local knowledge systems. - Enabling lifestyle and behavioural
change. Substantial shifts in production
and consumption will require behavioural
change in institutions as well as individuals.
There should be awareness drives to
boost public support for change. - Enabling technology innovation and
transfer. Technology is required for change
at scale, but issues of equity and fairness
are critical. The focus therefore needs to
be on economic incentives for technology
transfer, particularly to smallholder farmers. - Finance and investment. Economic
incentives must be clear, both in terms of the
redirection of existing financial mechanisms
into sectors, companies and technologies
that promote a low-carbon, just
transition, and investment in
new areas. – Staff reporter ▪FW
These practices are typically intensively
output-oriented, practise extensive tilling
and mono-cropping or concentrated animal
feeding, and require heavy machinery,
large-scale irrigation and external inputs
of fuels, chemicals, seed and feed.
The way forward
A projected 50% production increase will
be required to feed the global population of
almost 10 billion people by 2050. Similarly,
in South Africa, a population of as many as
73 million people will double the demand
for most commodities, with meat and
milk demand expected to rise about 200%.
To achieve this goal, government, civil
society and industry leaders will have to
work together to find solutions that allow
progress on all dimensions simultaneously.
South Africa needs to continue to produce
nutritious food to meet the growing demand
and changing dietary preferences of its
inhabitants. However, agricultural practices
are rapidly depleting and degrading the
resource base, so that increased productivity
results in decreased resilience. Focusing only
on production is a zero-sum gain; we need to
solve the food loss and waste challenge, and
mitigate the impact of climate change too.
To transform the food system, progress
must happen across all sectors and on all
levels more or less simultaneously. All
the evidence indicates that focusing on
system-wide change can bring about rapid,
far-reaching and positive change at scale.
WWF focuses on five practical areas for
transformative change in the food system,
namely inclusive regenerative farming,
optimal water use, responsible sourcing,
reducing food waste, and dietary shift.
To achieve urgent, transformative
change, specific enabling conditions
must be in place. These include:
- Strengthening scientific evidence. Effective
action must be time-bound and informed
by evidence, based on scientific consensus.
This requires not just a commitment to
gathering evidence, but also the capacity to
interpret and correctly apply best-available
science in developing policies and scientific
target-setting appropriate to local context. - Enhancing multilevel governance.
The concentration of power in the
agribusiness sector, and the resulting
marginalisation of important stakeholders
in the food system, require mechanisms
to improve engagement and the ability to
co-operate across all scales and sectors. - Strengthening policy instruments.
Change requires application of the full