Global strategies for a sustainable food supply are to reduce demand and food waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions from production, and increase productivity without expanding agricultural land. This is SL and HL content in IB ESS subtopic 5.2, Agriculture and food.
How the Strategies Work
A sustainable food supply provides accessible food long term without degrading the ecological and social systems required for future production. The three strategies work as follows:
| Global strategy | How it improves sustainability | Named example |
|---|---|---|
| Reduce demand and food waste | Cuts the land, water and energy used in production, transport and disposal; lower-meat diets also reduce demand at high trophic levels. | UN SDG 12.3 targets halving per-capita retail and consumer food waste by 2030. |
| Reduce greenhouse gas emissions | Better fertilizer management, reduced fossil-fuel use and lower methane emissions limit agriculture's contribution to the enhanced greenhouse effect. | Brazil's ABC+ programme promotes low-carbon farming and restoration of degraded pastures. |
| Increase productivity without expanding farmland | Sustainable intensification, precision irrigation, crop breeding and soil conservation raise yields while limiting deforestation and habitat loss. | Drip irrigation in Israel improves water-use efficiency in water-scarce farming. |
These strategies interact as a system. Reducing waste lowers pressure to expand farmland, protecting biodiversity and carbon stores. However, higher yields may increase pollution or inequality when they depend on synthetic fertilizers, costly technology, or unequal access to land and water.
A common misconception is that hunger results only from insufficient production. World agriculture produces enough food for the global population, but loss, waste and inequitable distribution persist. Food security therefore requires physical and economic access to a balanced diet.
Exam Technique
For an explain question, connect each strategy to an environmental mechanism. For evaluate, weigh ecological benefits against economic costs, social access and environmental justice, then give a supported conclusion using named examples.