Food heroes: What it will take to achieve zero hunger

Our population is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050.

This week, global leaders are gathered at the United Nations for the final week of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to measure progress on the Sustainable Development Goals two years after they were adopted.

Ahead of the forum, Devex hosted a Twitter chat with CropLife International to highlight SDG 2: The commitment to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

Experts in agriculture, innovation, climate change and more joined a one-hour online discussion on Twitter to share insights on the future of agriculture, and explore how stakeholders from the public and private sector can partner together to achieve zero hunger by 2030.

The expert panelists included:

• Marina Bortoletti, Associate Program Officer for Food Systems and Agriculture, United Nations Environment Programme

• Ruramiso Mashumba, Echoing Green Fellow 2017, Global Farmer Network

• Robert Opp, Director of Innovation and Change Management at the United Nations World Food Programme

• Will Surman, CropLife International

• Stephen Twomlow, Regional Climate and Environmental Specialist, International Fund for Agricultural Development

Read the Twitter chat highlights below:

• @UNEP  Smallholder farmers are vulnerable to climate change & increasing demand for resource-intense food, such as meat.

• @RobertOpp Farmers among most vulnerable to crises & disasters, protecting  livelihoods is key #FightingFamine http://bit.ly/2rbvxka

• @CropLifeIntl Challenges include: #climatechange, soil quality, pests, water... The big issue? Access to solutions https://goo.gl/EmBFYy

• @IFDCnews Access to and knowledge of sustainable #fertilizer use–esp in SSA (only 10% of rec rates applied)  http://bit.ly/2v5jKpX

• @StephenTmowlow It's time we recognized the global farming pop is aging- where is our next generation of farmers?

▶ See all the great answers for question one here.

• @WFPUSA The number of hungry in the world could be reduced by 150 million if female farmers had the same access to resources as men.

• @RuramisoM ROI in agriculture is difficult to measure, but qualitative - healthier communities, decreased mortality.

• @Fintrac Improved seed, proper spacing, weeding and water can yield a return of 400% − example from Kenya: http://bit.ly/2ttVQou

▶ See all the great answers for question two here.

• @Climatelinks In India, farmers are using soil moisture sensors & “dobhas” to save water during drought: http://ow.ly/LFll30doNmk

• @FeedtheFuture Cooling tech like the CoolBot @HortInnovLab ↓ #foodloss & waste & help agribusinesses grow. http://ow.ly/bCSE30doMNp

• @FarmingFirst New mobile banking platforms helping meet the $200 billion deficit in smallholder financing

• @CropLifeIntl Public sector researchers developing cutting-edge bt crops to tackle food security in Africa+Asia https://goo.gl/mNSM8h

• @RobertOpp WFP believes blockchain can help achieve #ZeroHunger faster, saving resources & feeding more people http://reut.rs/2ttjstm

▶ See all the great answers for question three here.

• @UNEP Large businesses can provide training to supply chain to help meet sustainability requirements improve profitability.

• @RobertOpp We cannot end hunger without private sector to drive change & innovation to help rebuild broken food systems

• @CropLifeCanada Industry-government cooperation will be key to modernizing regulatory system for plant biotech & enabling innovation

• @StephenTwomlow Access to affordable and appropriate rural finance helps rural household become both resilient and food secure

▶ See all the great answers for question four here.

• @RobertOpp @MastercardNews & @WFP working together to achieve #ZeroHunger by 2030, providing over 17 million school meals so far

• @CropLifeIntl Plant scientist Titus is part of a PPP to breed vit-A enhanced sorghum to tackle chronic malnutrition https://goo.gl/s5Y56V

• @FeedtheFuture In Honduras, #FeedtheFuture partnership w the private sector helped 30,000 farmers ↑ their income: http://ow.ly/WQmZ30doPOn

▶ See all the great answers for question five here.

• @UNSDSN We hope #SDGindex17 report cards will help countries prioritize action on #SDGs. http://bit.ly/2tR3k83

• @UNEP We need to create a stronger link between what the #GlobalGoals want to achieve & action at the national level

• @FarmingFirst We hope #agriculture is recognised as a common thread linking many of the #sdgs beyond http://bit.ly/2u6ScmF 

▶ See all the great answers for question six here.

• @ChrisPawelski Contact your local Cooperative Extension & FSA office for info on various outreach services & programs available to you.

• @Fintrac Education, women essential to #endhunger. Comprehensive training to enlist men to empower women! http://bit.ly/2sYec3T

• @WFPUSA Investing in #ag and #ZeroHunger contributes to other #SDGs like no poverty, good health, quality education, climate action. 

▶ See all the great answers for question eight here.

• @CropLifeIntl Check out our #FoodHeroes — plant scientists — who are working on ways to ensure farmers can feed the world: https://goo.gl/8wrwSL 

Help CropLife International uncover the men and women that are securing food supplies for future generations. Submit your Food Heroes’ stories or your own story here.