Miller Magazine Issue: 140 August 2021

49 COVER STORY MILLER / august 2021 Productivity improvements will be key to feeding a growing global population - pro- jected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 - sustain- ably. Of the increases in global crop pro- duction expected in 2030, 87 percent are projected to come from yield growth, while 6 percent to come from expanded land use and 7 percent from increases in cropping intensity. Trade will also continue to be crit- ical for global food security, nutrition, farm incomes and tackling rural poverty. The agri-food system covers the journey of food (for example, cereals, vegetables, fish, fruits and livestock) from farm to table – including when it is grown, harvest- ed, processed, packaged, transported, distributed, traded, bought, prepared, eaten and disposed of. It also encom- passes non-food products (for example forestry, animal rearing, use of feedstock, biomass to produce biofuels, and fibres) that also constitute livelihoods and all of the people as well as the activities, investments and choices that play a part in getting us these food and agricultural products. Agri-food systems are the largest economic system, measured in terms of employment, livelihoods, and plane- tary impact. Globally, they employ 4 billion people, directly and indirectly. Poverty and inequality are also endemic in agri-food systems. 690 million people go to bed hungry every night, even though the world produces enough food for everyone. About 80 percent of the extreme poor live in rural areas, working in agri-food systems. With less than 10 years until the 2030 deadline for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), governments need to step up their efforts to meet global food security and environmental targets, according to a new report released by the Food and Agricultural Organi- Creating sustainable food systems and supply chain