Shaping a Sustainable Future through Food Systems
This piece originally appeared in Farming First.
Each and every day, in every corner of the world, food systems impacts global progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — the road map to a truly sustainable world.
Today’s food systems contribute substantially to the loss of terrestrial biodiversity and soil degradation, the depletion of commercial fish and aquifer overexploitation and the ever-rising greenhouse gas emissions. The function and impact of our food systems reflect the political, economic and social factors at play, from global trade agreements to individual consumer decisions. And the system’s complexity demands science-driven decision-making and greater engagement from leaders across sectors, both institutionally and individually.
A closer look at the food systems in Switzerland
Switzerland provides a clear example. Based on indicators, it excels in food availability, thus, meeting — or closely meeting — SDG 2, Zero Hunger. But, to draw a more holistic analysis, we must look beyond the indicators. We must look at the broader impacts of the food system, from production and distribution to marketing, purchasing, consumption and waste management.
In Switzerland, food production depends heavily on low-paid migrant labour and the unpaid labour of women on family farms, many of whom are not entitled to social security, accident insurance or maternity leave. Thus, Swiss food production has adverse impacts on the SDGs beyond SDG 2, including gender equality (SDG 5), fair work conditions and economic growth (SDG 8) and inequalities (SDG 10).
And the production of food within Switzerland is only part of the story. With a high population density and little area available for cultivation, Switzerland imports roughly half its food with a self-sufficiency rate of 53 per cent (gross) and 46 per cent (net) in 2022. This dependence on imports, especially of plant products, contributes to Switzerland’s adverse impact on the ability of other countries to achieve the SDGs.
Consequently, on the international spillover index — a measure of a country’s environmental, social, economic, financial and security impacts on other countries — Switzerland ranks 45.3, which is distinctly worse than the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) average of 69.9.
Fortunately, many organisations are working to transform the Swiss food system through research, dialogue, strengthening sustainable and fair value chains and advocacy for healthy nutrition and sustainable culinary practices. For instance, in a recent report, SDSN Switzerland, a member of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), recommended prioritising the adaptation of the Swiss diet on the Planetary Health Diet model and reducing nitrogen and phosphorus losses from agriculture. The report’s findings complement an earlier Swiss National Research Programme on “Healthy nutrition and sustainable food production,” involving several Swiss academic partners, which highlighted the importance of reducing food waste. This led to an action plan to reduce food waste that was adopted by the Swiss government in 2022.
Leading experts also recognise that greater collective action is paramount to driving food system transformation. SDSN Switzerland recently launched the project Avenir Alimentaire (The Future of Food) in 2024, aimed at strengthening sustainable and fair value chains, future-oriented demand and healthy nutrition and dialogue and common understanding among stakeholders. Leveraging a concurrent academic project on True Cost Accounting for Food, Avenir Alimentaire will rally experts across sectors and major decision-makers around these three priorities to identify and implement necessary solutions.
Furthermore, projects like the Future Food Initiative, launched by ETH Zurich and EPFL in collaboration with Swiss food industry leaders, aims to expand research and education in the area of food and nutrition sciences by leveraging the private sector to drive food systems transformation. A number of private sector industry partners also support the World Food System Center at ETH Zurich, including on a project which aims to improve the sustainability of agricultural and food systems in Switzerland across key environmental metrics.
The way forward
The link between our food systems and our environment is unmistakable. If Switzerland, a wealthy European country, cannot invest in a sustainable system that looks beyond the surface level metrics — to the deep impacts of production, distribution and consumption — how can we expect other countries to follow suit?
Industrialised countries, Switzerland included, must revolutionise our food systems, supply chains and consumer habits to mitigate their impacts, locally and globally without delay. We are running out of time and must act now to create a sustainable food system.