Growing Better: Ten Critical Transitions to Transform Food and Land Use
FOLU Report assesses the benefits of transforming global food and land use systems as well as costs of inaction, reveals benefits that far outweigh the costs and proposes actionable solutions, many already in existence
New findings reveal that the ways in which people produce and consume food and use land currently account for USD 12 trillion a year in hidden costs to the environment, human health and development, costs that are set to rise to USD 16 trillion by 2050 if current trends continue.
A landmark report by the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), Growing Better: Ten Critical Transitions to Transform Food and Land Use , is the first to assess the benefits of transforming food and land use systems worldwide, as well as the mounting costs of inaction – calling on global leaders to act now and advancing the economic case for change.
The report discloses benefits that far outweigh the costs, proposing a concrete reform agenda centered around ten critical transitions. These stand to unlock USD 4.5 trillion in new business opportunities each year by 2030, at the same time as saving costs of USD 5.7 trillion a year in damage to people and the planet by 2030, more than 15 times the investment cost of up to USD 350 billion a year.
The report’s ten transitions include – but are not limited to – measures to protect and restore nature and climate, empower and protect indigenous communities, finance nature-based solutions, promote a diverse and healthy diet, reduce waste, and strengthen rural economies.
The report calls for collective action to unlock the potential for better food and land use systems, including through policy reform, country-led action and individual engagement in support of the critical transitions. Many solutions are already in existence, in need of support and funding to scale.
Read the Report here.
About FOLU
Established in 2017, the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) is a community of organizations and individuals committed to the urgent need to transform the way we produce and consume food and use our land for people, nature and climate. FOLU supports science-based solutions and help build a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities to unlock collective, ambitious action. FOLU builds on the work of the Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-Use, and Energy (FABLE) Consortium which operates in more than 20 countries and helps develop the data and decision-support tools needed to map out long-term actionable pathways towards sustainable food and land use systems.
Core partners responsible for FOLU currently include: Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA ), EAT , Global alliance for Nutrition ( GAIN ), International Institute for Applied System Analysis ( IIASA ), Sustainable Development Solutions Network ( SDSN ), SYSTEMIQ , World Business Council for Sustainable Development ( WBCSD ) and World Resources Institute ( WRI ).
PRESS CONTACTS:
Natasha Ferrari, [email protected] , +44 (0)778 859 4911
Mark Loong, [email protected] , +44 (0)774 692 3320