Andrea Meza, Deputy Executive Secretary of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and speaker at Economist Impact’s upcoming Sustainability Week, writes about the need for rapid and drastic transformation within our global food system.

Recent crises have brought into sharp focus the globalised nature of our food systems and their fragility. Conflicts, climate change, growing populations and increasing demand for land and water all put future food security at risk. To feed the world’s population— set to reach 10bn by 2050—embrace systematic change based on the climate-land-nature nexus.

If we are to achieve climate and biodiversity goals and the 2030 sustainable development agenda, then the way we produce, distribute and consume our food needs to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. This will require a system reset—some may even argue dismantlement. But just like with energy, it is more likely to be a transition in the way we manage, protect and restore our land, soil and ecosystems. Equally important, this transition must be just—that is, inclusive and based on human rights.

Unsustainable land use
Our food systems have already taken up 40% of the world’s land surface—an area roughly the size of Asia. They drive 80% of all deforestation and account for 70% of freshwater use. Land use—chiefly forestry and agriculture—releases up to one-third of global greenhouse-gas emissions.

Furthermore, the global food system is a poster child of inequality: just 1% of farms, primarily large agribusinesses, control more than 70% of the world’s agricultural land. Meanwhile, half of all food producers around the world work with less than two hectares.

Land degradation and climate change are placing an ever-growing pressure on food systems and making them ill-prepared for a hotter and more unpredictable climate in the future. Unless there is a major change, experts predict a decline in food production.

For example, maize is a staple food for more than 300m people in Africa, but as early as in the next decade, drought and rising temperatures could render 40% of the continent unsuitable for current varieties. A lot of land, especially in regions such as the Middle East and North Africa, will no longer be productive due to water scarcity and salinisation.

Solutions for a just land transition
The good news is that there are solutions at different levels to support a just land transition. At the national level governments can implement policies, incentives and investments for land and soil conservation and restoration. They can redirect harmful subsidies to incentivise green innovation, payment for ecosystem services, and other measures to recognise the economic value of nature and its condition as a critical asset for prosperity. At the moment more than US$700bn is paid out in agricultural subsidies each year, yet only around 15% of this amount positively impacts natural capital, biodiversity, long-term job stability or livelihoods.

At the landscape level, environmental land-use planning may become a useful tool to identify and optimise areas that can be better used for food production, water and ecosystem conservation, or for implementation of biological corridors.

At the farm and field level, precision agriculture is becoming a big ally to optimise use of irrigation and fertilisers. These measures, combined with less high-tech solutions such as agroforestry, crop rotation or reduced tilling, can increase efficiency and enhance environmental performance.

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