“The goals and targets of the SDGs don’t always synergise – there are many trade-offs – and fixation on individual SDGs is a hurdle for progress.”
According to Dr Anne Mullen of the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences and the Ryan Institute, sustainable food systems are a key entry-point to accelerate progress across multiple SDGs. University of Galway is uniquely placed to understand and act on food systems – and our designation as SDG Champion gives us an even greater voice and responsibility to do so.
In 2015, the United Nations shared an ambitious vision for 2030; the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are committed to tackling poverty, health, education, inequality, economic growth, environmental degradation and climate change. We are now mid-way in the 2030 agenda, and the stocktake is sobering; it looks like none of the goals and just 12% of the targets will be met. Progress has been dealt a series of blows from a ‘toxic cocktail’ of COVID-19, regional geopolitical conflicts, a global cost-of-living crisis and the devastating impacts of increasing climate change.
Down but not out, the 17 SDGs and their 169 targets are still recognised as one of humanity’s best shots for a prosperous and resilient future; but to regain ground and accelerate progress towards the 2030 agenda, we need to shift focus from individual SDGs to thematic entry points that span multiple SDGs. The Global Sustainable Development Report identifies six of these themes (1), one of which is sustainable food systems.
Global food systems – the complex, networks of actors and actions involved in food production, processing, distribution and consumption – are currently not sustainable. They are responsible for one-third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, immense biodiversity loss, environmental pollution and natural resource degradation. With 750 million people facing hunger, 3 billion people unable to afford a healthy diet and one third of the world’s population affected by overweight and obesity, it is clear that food systems are also failing human health. Furthermore, they are characterised by gross inequalities, corporate power concentrations and uncoordinated institutions for governance.
So, what do sustainable food systems look like? Sustainable food systems are based on the majority of the SDGs – including zero hunger, life on land, life below water, decent work and economic growth, responsible production and consumption, climate action, gender equity, and peace, justice and strong institutions. But the goals and targets of the SDGs don’t always synergise for food systems.
Professor Charles Spillane, Director of the Ryan Institute highlights that “There is a lot of rhetoric on sustainable food systems at present, but the reality is that there are contested pathways towards more sustainable food systems, that all involve significant trade-offs and co-benefits with other development outcomes. In addition, the evidence base (from local to global) to support sustainable food systems transitions or transformations is lacking. University of Galway’s Ryan Institute is now conducting research and innovation with national partners across Eastern and Southern Africa, South East Asia and Small Island Developing States. These are interdisciplinary research projects, with a strong emphasis on social inclusion to ensure that the most marginalised are not negatively impacted by sustainable food systems transitions.”
Fostering interdisciplinary sciences (life, physical and social), University of Galway is well-placed to broker the difficult conversations on trade-offs in sustainable food systems transitions. The recent designation as national SDG Champion for 2023–24 gives us a unique platform to champion science-based, socially responsible and politically-supported food systems transformation.
The goals and targets of the SDGs don’t always synergise – there are trade-offs – and fixation on individual SDGs is a hurdle for progress. Mechanisms that zone in on achieving zero hunger can compromise targets for sustainable development of life on land and life below water, for example. Sustainable development of food systems and the SDGs was discussed at a recent event held by the School of Biological and Chemical Science during the University of Galway’s inaugural SDG week (1). The Sustainable World Section of the school convened an audience of staff and students from across the University to discuss the risks that today’s food systems pose to human and planetary health, technological and scientific solutions – and the greatest challenge of all, humanity’s willingness to change.
Millions of people are living on the precarious edge of hunger today, even though, globally, we have the resources and the technology to end hunger. Gretta Fitzgerald, Food Security & Nutrition Policy & Advocacy Adviser at Concern Worldwide, explained that what’s missing is a cohesive, coordinated response to the food crisis that will transform food systems for the future. That includes investing in agriculture in low-income settings to ensure sustainable economic returns for farmers and the communities they live in, but also for restoring the environment and biodiversity –a win-win for food security and climate action. David Styles, Associate Professor in Agri-sustainability, also noted a gap in visionary leadership for Ireland’s future with food production. Current land-based food activities are big emitters and responsible for biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. Ireland must look to diversify agricultural activities, shift national land use to increase carbon sinks and substitute GHG-intensive products with biobased value chains. We must steer towards a robust vision that connects technological options for emissions abatement with carbon sinks and land use change – but are Irish citizens, food producers and politicians willing to change?
Regarding the potential of marine biodiscovery and innovation for sustainable food systems and food security, Dr Ronan Sulpice from the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences was cautious. While aquaculture is seen as favourable, cultivating high trophic level species, such as carnivorous fishes, has negative impacts on water quality, the release of nutrients and emissions. Cultivating seaweed captures carbon and decreases nutrient levels in water but, at large scale, may impact phytoplankton biomass essential for functioning marine ecosystems. This is just one many gaps in our knowledge about SDG trade-offs; in this case, we don’t fully yet understand the future impact of large-scale cultivation of seaweeds on the local ecosystems. These questions need to be considered by policy makers and scientists in a concerted effort if we want to develop sustainable marine-based food production.
While Gretta, David and Ronan highlighted gaps at the interface of science and policy, Lecturer in Social Sciences, Rachel McArdle spoke about the interface of science and policy in sustainable food and energy systems. Again, one of the main challenges identified was human agency – our individual and collective willingness to change. That agency was exemplified by Adam Mullins, an Astrophysics student at University of Galway. Aware of the problems for students regarding food costs, skills and waste from supermarkets (food waste alone accounts for 20% of emissions from the food system), Adam set up the Student Pantry, supported by the Students’ Union. The pantry now serves 400–550 University of Galway students per week with food from supermarkets that would otherwise go to waste. Adam’s commitment to food systems transformations in the University of Galway has been recognised by the Irish government, where he was an invited member of Ireland’s Youth Delegation to the FAO’s World Food Forum in 2022. This is precisely the kind of synergy needed to carry through the UN’s ambitious plan for 2030, and sustainable food systems offer a lens through which we can build these synergies.
(1) This event was held by the School of Biological and Chemical Science and facilitated by Anne Mullen.
