Policy and implementation strategies for the future of food and agriculture

In spite of the uncertainties which surround the future of food and agricultural systems, there is clarity in one respect: the choices made by policy makers, businesses and consumers today will be pivotal in determining the extent to which global food and agriculture systems will be impacted by the challenges discussed in the previous chapters. This chapter identifies and discusses five key strategies for action by public actors – and indeed other stakeholders, where relevant: i) accelerated movement towards more sustainable lifestyles and consumption patterns, ii) increased coherence of food market regulations, iii) sustainable productivity growth and climate resilience, iv) strengthened infrastructure, and v) improved and broadened risk management systems. The majority of these would enable the management of risks and seizing of opportunities across different scenarios with no or limited side-effects, even if the magnitude of the benefits may vary.