Agriculture may have been overlooked at the recent UN climate talks in Warsaw, but the world’s farmers are not ready to stand down. Drawing on the momentum built at the Global Landscapes Forum and the unity with which the agriculture community now speaks – attention could now shift to another UN process that could allow agriculture to contribute to future sustainable development challenges ahead.
Next week in New York, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are set to be discussed, which will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) when they expire in 2015.
Turning this post 2015 development agenda on its head – global agriculture coalition Farming First have produced an infographic that looks ahead to 2030, when these SDGs are expected to expire to pose the question: Where are we heading, and what must we do now to prepare for it?
The infographic compiles the most expert global estimates, forecasts and trends with alarming results. For example, by 2030, energy demand could rise 50%, with the demand for biofuel crops increasing as much as five times over.
However it is not just challenges in store, but also opportunities. Agriculture’s carbon mitigation potential could reach as much as 7.5% of total global emissions, if certain productivity measures are adopted and carbon is priced above $50.
By highlighting these 2030 projections, the infographic encourages decision-makers to focus on the end goals that the post-2015 agenda should be designed to address and how agriculture, can play a important role to help achieve them.
Take a look at the full infographic at www.farmingfirst.org/post2015. Share the key statistics and join us in asking policy makers to keep this future picture in mind when shaping the Sustainable Development Goals.
