A Road Map Ahead - Climate Resilient Agriculture for Ensuring Food Security - page 341

system may negatively affect the environment and
hence harm the same ecosystem services it relies
upon or affect those that benefi t other sectors.
Understanding the economics of ecosystem ser-
vices is a very active area of current research, and
incorporating the true costs (or benefi ts) of differ-
ent productions systems on ecosystem services is a
powerful way to incentivize sustainability. It also
helps identify situations where moves to increased
sustainability impact upon the poorest people who
will require help and support.

Incentives to encourage greater effi ciency of
water use and the development of integrated water
management plans need to be given high priority.

14.2.1.10 Work to Change
Consumption Patterns
The informed consumer can effect change in the
food system by choosing to purchase items that
promote sustainability, equitability, or other
desirable goals. Clear labeling and information is
essential for this to happen. Governments are
likely to need to consider the full range of options
to change consumption patterns including raising
citizen awareness, approaches based on behav-
ioral psychology, voluntary agreements with the
private sector, and regulatory and fi scal measures.
Building a societal consensus for action will be a
key to modifying demand.

14.2.1.7 Reduce Waste - Particularly
in High- and Low-Income
Countries
Food is wasted at all stages of the food chain: in
high-income countries, waste tends to be concen-
trated at the consumer end and in low-income coun-
tries more towards the producer's. Reducing food
waste is an obvious priority and should be accorded
very high priority. It is also an area where individual
citizens and businesses, particularly in high-income
countries, can make a clear contribution.

14.2.1.11 Empower Citizens
Investment is needed in the tools to help citizens
hold all other actors (and themselves) to account
for their efforts to improve the global food sys-
tem. Examples include the better provision and
publication of information on the commitments
of different groups, the extent to which they have
acted on their commitments, and through infor-
mation on a food system “dashboard,” a measure
of their effectiveness. Modern ITC needs to be
mobilized to provide, for example, real-time hun-
ger surveillance and to allow farmers and con-
sumers to give feedback on what is working and
not working in hunger reduction efforts.
These priorities will need to be pursued by a
wide range of actors in the global food system,
often acting in concert. These include UN and
other international organizations, governments,
the private sector, non-governmental organiza-
tions, and the research community. Indeed, indi-
vidual consumers could also play an important
role, as outlined above.

14.2.1.8 Improve the Evidence Base
upon Which Decisions Are
Made and Develop Metrics
to Assess Progress
Specifi c recommendations are needed for the cre-
ation of a global, spatially explicit, open-source
data base for the analysis of agriculture, the food
system, and the environment and the setting up of
an International Food System Modeling Forum to
enable a more systematic comparison of different
models, to share results, and to integrate their
work better to meet the needs of policy makers.

14.2.1.9 Anticipate Major Issues
with Water Availability
for Food Production
While a series of issues concerning competition
for the inputs for food production has been high-
lighted, it is growing pressure on water supplies
that is likely to be experienced fi rst. The dangers
come from higher demand for water from other
sectors, the exhaustion of aquifers, and changes in
precipitation patterns, higher sea levels, and
altered river fl ows caused by climate change.

14.3 Program of Action (PoA)

The following ten key dimensions (Fig. 14.1 )
have been identifi ed for promoting the sustain-
able agricultural practices by implementing a