Amid food and agriculture production systems globally facing unprecedented challenges from increasing demand for food, the chief agriculture scientists from G20 countries will meet for three days starting Monday in Varanasi to discuss and find solution to address rising hunger and malnutrition, adverse effects of climate changes and loss of biodiversity among several other issues.

The platform -- G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) -- will be instrumental in exploring joint actions towards science-based solutions to achieve sustainable and profitable agri-food systems.

According to a discussion paper released for the G20 event, nearly 670 million people (8 per cent of the world population) will still be facing hunger in 2030, “if the current trend continues”. It said that between 702 million and 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021 and the number is higher by about 150 million from the pre-pandemic period before outbreak of the COVID-19.

One of the Sustainable Development Goals agreed upon by all countries is to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. However, the projected number is the same as in 2015 when the 2030 SDG Agenda was launched.

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Priority areas

The paper said that the increase in global hunger in 2021 reflects exacerbated inequalities across and within countries due to an unequal pattern of economic recovery among countries and unrecovered income losses among those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 12th MACS meeting under India’s presidency has identified four priority areas on which focused discussion will take place. First, Food Security and Nutrition followed by One Health, Digitalisation for agricultural transformation and Public-Private Partnerships in agri research.

How can the G20 countries help sharing science-based technological and innovative solutions for achieving sustainable agri-food systems and food security and nutrition is one of several key issues to be deliberated in the meeting. Also, some common points among G20 countries to be agreed upon so that the frontiers in science and technology could meaningfully play a role in transforming agri-food systems and help achieve food security and nutrition. On India’s initiative MACS will try to find ways that research and awareness on millets and other nutri-cereal crops can be improved.

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