Securing the Future Through Sustainable Food Systems
Our food systems are under pressure: resource consumption, climate change, and a growing population are threatening food security. At the 16th qualityaustria Food Forum in Vienna, environmental scientist and ECH co-director Thilo Hofmann showed how sustainable food systems, technological innovations, and more conscious consumption can point the way out of the crisis - for the health of people and the planet.
The world faces a double challenge: a growing population, climate change, and resource scarcity are colliding with an agricultural sector that places a heavy burden on planetary boundaries. And despite state-of-the-art farming methods, food insecurity is on the rise again. In his presentation “Securing the future through sustainable food systems” at the 16th qualityaustria Food Forum, Thilo Hofmann, head of the Environment and Climate Research Network at the University of Vienna, outlined the key challenges facing global food systems and possible solutions.
Global food systems in crisis
“Modern food systems consume too many resources, and our civilization is permanently exceeding planetary boundaries,” warned environmental scientist Hofmann in his presentation, thereby setting a clear tone for the discussion on sustainable food systems. By 2050, the world population will grow to almost 10 billion people, “and 70 percent of them will live in urban areas,” said Hofmann. “At the same time, agriculture contributes 19 to 29 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, consumes 70 percent of water resources, and wastes a third of all food produced - while millions of people go hungry.”
“Our food systems are no longer working,” explained the scientist. Agricultural practices that once guaranteed food security are now damaging the planet. At the same time, farmers around the world are under pressure from volatile markets, rising costs, and climate uncertainty. Hofmann's analysis made it clear that without fundamental change, not only food security but also the health of people and the planet is at stake.
Conflicting goals in food systems
Hofmann made it clear that different interests collide in existing food systems. At the consumer level, the questions “What should we eat?”, “What do we want to eat?” and “What can we afford?” clash with each other. One example: in food production, industrial fertilizers are indispensable for ensuring food security, “but overfertilization throws the global nitrogen cycle out of balance.” Plastics also have important applications in agriculture, Hofmann explained, “because they save water and pesticides and increase harvests, but they create new problems such as plastic pollution.” Only with creative approaches can these complex challenges be solved holistically, the environmental scientist concluded.
Solutions for a sustainable future
Despite the enormous challenges of reconciling nutrition and the environment, Hofmann pointed out ways out of the crisis. The focus is on a transformation toward sustainable food systems. According to Hofmann, one promising approach on the consumer side is the “Planetary Health Diet,” “because it combines healthy eating with planetary sustainability and offers approaches for making the cultivation of food directly for human consumption more efficient.” Technological innovations and resilient plant systems could also contribute to producing food more efficiently and in a more environmentally friendly way. Fundamentally, global trading systems and incentive structures would have to change in order to make food systems more resilient, fair, and sustainable.
According to Hofmann, reducing food waste is also important. “And there is another uncomfortable and widely known truth that I don't want to leave unmentioned,” says Hofmann, “meat consumption is too high in all Western countries and is associated with significant health problems and environmental consequences.” The solution is obvious and would have only advantages for everyone, the researcher explained, because “if we manage to reduce meat consumption, we will eat healthier and cheaper and help the environment at the same time.”
“Even if we use farmland more efficiently to produce food directly for human consumption rather than animal feed, we could feed up to four billion additional people,” explained the scientist. However, the same applies here: solutions must be considered in a regional context, because not every region of the world allows this. For example, animals can produce high-quality proteins from grasses and shrubs, which the human stomach cannot do. “Animal-based foods therefore continue to play an important role in global nutrition,” said Hofmann, “but it's about ‘how’ and ‘moderation,’ because less is more.”
Food systems at the heart of sustainability
In his presentation, Hofmann also made it clear that all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals are directly or indirectly linked to food systems. Fundamental reforms of these systems are therefore necessary to get the global food crisis under control. “This crisis is not just a problem for agriculture, but a central challenge for society as a whole,” the researcher concluded.
Under the motto “The future is now – responsibility for safe food,” the qualityaustria Food Forum at Wolke19 in Vienna offers space for reflection, exchange, and innovation.
Experts from business, science, politics, and practice will highlight ways to make the food industry more resilient, sustainable, and future-proof.