The Road to the SDGs

Future of the agri-food industry PURPOSE X The agri-food sector is fundamental to many MCs. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a new set of challenges and opportunities and reinforced the need to build resilient value chains in the future. X The next decade is likely to be marked by soaring food demand, shifting consumer preferences, resource depletion and rural exodus. X While MCs are significant agricultural producers, many are not very advanced in food processing, causing them to miss out on the most lucrative segments of agri- food value chains. X To respond effectively to global calls for sustainability and quality standards, the agri-food sector needs to transform itself. X IsDB has identified innovation and private sector involvement as crucial to improving the future competitive position of MCs. X Value chains are under pressure to become more sustainable, resource- efficient and transparent. This offers MCs an opportunity to enter new markets and increase the value-add of their products. X Unless decisive action is taken on innovation and more sustainable farming techniques, climate change and resource- depleting agricultural practices will hit MCs hard, limiting output and putting food security at risk. X Shrinking economic opportunities will continue to fuel a steady rural exodus in many IsDB countries. To prevent lasting damage to their agri-food production potential, these economies need investment and innovation in the agri-food sector to provide young workforces with jobs and skills. X The IsDB agri-food programming framework highlights all of these issues and offers solutions and practical steps for MCs. METHOD X Agriculture already contributes in large part to the GDP of IsDB MCs and this is set to increase in future. As demand rises globally due to an expected 800 million increase in the world’s population by 2030, MCs need to take action now to create additional resources, increase their productivity and transform their business models in order to support stable growth and innovation. G rowing populations in many IsDB MCs means that substantial production increases are required going forward Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the need for resilient and robust agri-food value chains An ‘Agri-food’ report addresses these concerns as part of IsDB’s ‘The Future’ publication series, which forecasts economic trends and emerging global priorities for the benefit of MCs IsDB is proactively rolling out a programming framework that aligns MCs with the future of agri-food, leveraging industry 4.0 technologies to meet productivity levels and expectations for the 2030 markets [ 222 ] SDGs