Key Findings from the European Commission Global Food Security 2030 Foresight Study

The humanitarian aspects of food security Despite its multifaceted nature, the debate surrounding food security over the last few decades has largely focused on production and on the challenges facing the agricultural system. Food security, however, encompasses a far broader range of challenges, being directly associated, for example, with humanitarian concerns such as hunger and poverty. Although agriculture and fisheries are fundamental and essential components of the food system, it is misguided to address the future of food security without looking at the system’s many other determinants. The time has come to overcome this conventional approach and to look systemically at food security and its complex nature. The Joint Research Centre’s Foresight study on Global Food Security brought together a group of scientific experts and stakeholders to develop a vision for food security in 2030. This Vision was then challenged in a test of resilience to uncertainty and underestimated trends. The entire process was designed to establish a structured and inclusive discussion that could be useful for guiding future EU policies. The report calls for an evolution of present-day policies on food security and beyond into a Common Food Systems Policy in which both the systemic and the global dimensions of food security are fully incorporated.