Research, Reports & Publications

Challenges and Opportunities of The Urban Transition: A DuPont Advisory Committee Report

Jun 8, 2016 4:30 PM ET

According to a recent UN report, by 2050, over 60 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas.  What food security opportunities and challenges will this present?

A recently released white paper from the DuPont Advisory Committee on Agricultural Innovation & Productivity, “The Urban Transition: Implications for Global Food Security,” explores the urban growth landscape, the opportunities and challenges of global urbanization, and the implications of urbanization on food and nutrition security.

“Advancing global food security will require recognizing and addressing the impact of urbanization on our global food system.  While urban centers are often associated with economic growth and development, they also present unique economic, social, and environmental opportunities and challenges to sustainably feed the world in the decades ahead.  In particular, urbanization will require new approaches to feeding people further away from where their food is grown and whom, therefore, rely on a global food system that produces food surpluses outside of urban centers.”

The Committee had the following recommendations:

  • Embrace rapid innovation and investment in agriculture;
  • Identify and develop solutions to address urban food system challenges;
  • Promote global trade to advance urban food security;
  • Identify and leverage new opportunities to incentivize the next generation of farmers; and
  • Embrace governance structure and polices that support investment and innovation.

To read the full report and learn more about DuPont and food security, please visit our site. 

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