The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of agri-food systems to shocks and stresses and led to increased global food insecurity and malnutrition. Action is needed to make agri-food systems more resilient, efficient, sustainable and inclusive.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2021 presents country-level indicators of the resilience of agri-food systems. The indicators measure the robustness of primary production and food availability, as well as physical and economic access to food. They can thus help assess the capacity of national agri-food systems to absorb shocks and stresses, a key aspect of resilience.

The report analyses the vulnerabilities of food supply chains and how rural households cope with risks and shocks. It discusses options to minimize trade-offs that building resilience may have with efficiency and inclusivity. The aim is to offer guidance on policies to enhance food supply chain resilience, support livelihoods in the agri-food system and, in the face of disruption, ensure sustainable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to all.

Facts and Figures

# We know that any challenges to agrifood systems can affect large numbers of people. Currently, 41.9% of the global population are unable to afford a healthy diet. That’s over 3 billion people.
# The fragility of agri-food systems can affect large numbers of people: already 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet and an additional 1 billion would join their ranks if a shock reduced their income by one-third. Food costs could increase for up to 845 million people if a disruption to critical transport links were to occur.
# Agri-food systems produce 11 billion tonnes of food a year, employing 4 billion people directly or indirectly. The agri-food sector, including forestry and fisheries, also accounts for one-third of the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change and occupies 37 percent of the Earth’s land area. Agri-food systems have, therefore, an essential role to play in realizing other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to poverty, resource and energy efficiency, cleaner economies, and healthy aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, among others.

The report analyses the absorptive capacity of agri-food systems at the national level using a series of indicators linked to four key systems’ functions, that is, to ensure: (i) robust primary production; (ii) availability of food; (iii) physical access to food; and (iv) economic access to food. Each national system is unique, comprising numerous components and actors, operating on several interlinked levels, and often including international trade. Policymakers need to understand systems’ functioning and be aware of potential vulnerabilities