The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has published its ‘Living Planet Report 2024’, which reveals a “system in peril”, with a global wildlife decline of 73%, up 4% from 2022’s estimation.
The report, now in its 15th edition, offers a comprehensive overview of trends in global biodiversity and the health of the planet.
It condemned the current food system model, which it deems “inherently illogical”, due to its undermining of society’s capacity to feed its population now and into the future.
“Paradoxically, our food system is undermining our ability to feed humanity now and into the future,” the report reads.
Food production is driving environmental decline across the globe. According to the report: “It’s the leading cause of habitat loss, accounts for 70% of water use and is responsible for over a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.”
The report found that food production is the largest cause of global environmental change and the main contributor to our rapidly deteriorating environment.
According to the WWF, the current food system is currently responsible for:
- 27% of GHG emissions;
- 70% of freshwater withdrawals;
- 86% of species at risk of extinction;
- 90% of tropical deforestation.
40% of inhabitable land is being used for agriculture purposes to feed the global population, with 71% of this ( 3 billion hectares) being used for livestock grazing and roughly 1.2 billion hectares zoned for crop production.
On top of this, a further 460 million hectares is being sued used to grow feed for livestock, which means 82% of all agricultural land is being used for this objective.
The WWF reports the loss of agricultural diversity, with more than 90% of crop varieties and half of all domestic breeds no longer being farmed.
This means that just 10 major crops: Barley; cassava; maize; oil palm; rapeseed; rice; sorghum; soybean; sugar cane and wheat— account for roughly 83% of all harvested food, depleting agriculture’s resilience and making it more susceptible to pests and extreme weather events.
The report also identifies agriculture as the main threat to habitats and accountable, posing a risk to 80% of all terrestrial bird and mammal species. In addition, its contribution to pollinator extinction jeopardises 5-8% of production.
These risks have not been adequately addressed by the international environmental policy, the WWF surmise, with food production overlooked in both the Paris Agreement and the Global Biodiversity Framework.
It believes a “a coordinated global agenda for food systems transformation with clear, science-based goals and targets for 2030 and beyond”, is required to tackle the crisis, outlining four goals to be prioritised:
- Scale nature-positive production to provide enough food for everyone while also allowing nature to flourish;
- Ensure everyone in the world has a nutritious and healthy diet, produced without triggering tipping points;
- Reduce food loss and waste so that more of the food that’s produced gets eaten.
- Increase financial support and foster good governance for sustainable, resilient,
nature-positive food systems.
Nature-positive production is a sustainable form of farming which optimizes production, increases diversity, restores biodiversity and carbon storage facilities, without hampering natural resources.
It includes s agroecology, regenerative agriculture, conservation agriculture and climate-smart farming.
Early research indicates positive results, with one such study on regenerative farming suggesting that practitioners stand to see increased crop yields and profits with 15–25% return on investment, according to the WWF.
The report also indicates that food consumption trends must be addressed if we are to see benefits from transitioning to a sustainable food production system.
“If everyone in the world adopted the current food consumption patterns of the world’s major economies by 2050, we exceed the 1.5°C climate target for food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 263% and require one to seven Earths to support us,” the report states.
The WWF has also highlighted the “immense environmental, economic and human health opportunities” associated with addressing global food waste, which it estimates to be 30% to 40% of all food produced, representing a quarter of total global calories.
It is calling on greater governance to address the issues outlined in the report while also identifying the “critical role” required from private companies to enshrine sustainability into all stages of the value chain.
“Finally, governments need to step up support, such as development and extension programmes and investment in infrastructure for small-scale farmers and fishers to enable them to participate in and benefit from sustainable, resilient, nature-positive food systems,” it said.