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Sustainable Development Goals

Agricultural technologies and a drive to achieve global food security can support a number of these Goals. Let's look more closely at five of these Goals.

  • Goal 1: No Poverty - End poverty in all its forms everywhere
  • If a person is in poverty, it usually means that they do not have an income and do not have access to education, shelter, food or water.

2.5 billion people around the world depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. If we can help farming communities prosper by providing tools and training that make their agriculture more productive, profitable and safe, we could have a huge impact on tackling poverty.

  • Goal 2: Zero Hunger - End hunger, achieve food security, and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
  • Today, over 800 million people go hungry or are malnourished. Without concerted efforts, by 2050 this number is expected to be nearer 2 billion.

There are over 450 million smallholder farmers in the world and, along with large farm owners, they play a role in food security. We need to use the right technologies to help them increase the productivity of their farms, protect their environments and reduce waste. By growing more nutritious crops, we can make sure that everyone on the planet has access to healthy food.

  • Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
  • Everything we produce needs to be sustainable, and food is no exception. Roughly 1/3 of all food produced today is wasted - it may get damaged in the field, perish during transportation or thrown away by consumers

Every day, the planet's population grows by 200,000 people. This leads to a greater need for food, water, energy and other resources.

The impact that we have on the world and its natural resources are magnified as more of us share this planet, which is why we need to ensure that we are living in sustainable ways - both individually and as a society.

  • Goal 13: Climate action - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
  • Countries and industries around the world are being challenged to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate climate change and find solutions to adapt to a warming planet.

Emissions from agriculture and the way we use land can contribute to climate change. Climate change is already impacting our ability to produce food: there are more droughts and extreme weather events each year as a result of the changing climate. As the planet warms, there will also be an increased rate of and soil erosion, reducing the amount of land available to grow crops.

world-desert

Farming technologies can help us cope with some of the changes brought about by climate change. As temperatures rise and weather patterns change, it becomes harder to grow crops in some areas. Plant breeders will have a role to play in developing crops that can be resilient to these changing conditions.

The information we collect from satellites, drones and sensors can help us understand soil health and identify sustainable farming methods that preserve soil structure and reduce carbon emissions.

It is vitally important that we limit our impact on the environment now so that we can avoid the worst effects of climate change.

  • Goal 15: Life on land - Protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss
  • Human survival depends upon the land we live on. We need to use this land sustainably in order to benefit from and protect natural resources.

Precision farming helps farmers to use only the resources they need, minimising agriculture's impact on the environment. Innovative farming methods, such as hydroponics and vertical farming, can also reduce our dependence on land, soil and irrigation.

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