Toward Rio: New Report to Address Scaling Up Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture for a Future with Zero Hunger
(3BL Media) New York - June 8, 2012 - The UN Global Compact today released a new report, Scaling Up Global Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture, in advance of the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum, to be held 15-18 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The report highlights leading-edge practices being implemented by Global Compact participants around the world, in concert with governments and civil society, to dramatically improve food security and sustainable agriculture – seeking to contribute to a future with zero hunger.
The report is aimed to inspire a broader movement of all relevant sectors and industries towards a more food-secure and sustainable future. Five essential components are profiled as the most salient issues requiring innovative and collaborative engagement of the global food and agricultural industries: sustainable sourcing; improving land and water management; enhancing nutrition; effectively using technology; and reducing commodity price volatility.
As the world’s population continues to grow, and natural resources – including land and water – are diminishing in supply and quality, the global food industry is taking efforts to implement sustainable agricultural practices. This not only ensures their own prosperity into the next century, but also the health of the environment and communities on which business rest.
Many companies are setting aggressive sustainability goals that seek to better link smallholder farmers to markets, improve nutrition, reduce water and land use, and better incorporate technology to improve the lives of the poorest families and enhance the communities they live in. The challenge moving forward is to create a movement to scale up these actions across continents to ensure that all men, women and children enjoy their rights to adequate food, to build sustainable and resilient food systems, to manage risks and withstand shocks, and to ensure good nutrition.
Scaling Up Global Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture will be officially introduced at the Innovation & Collaboration for Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture session at the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum, on 16 June at 9:00 a.m.
About the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum:
Innovation and Collaboration for the Future We Want
Hosted by the UN Global Compact, in cooperation with the Rio+20 Secretariat, the UN System and the Global Compact Local Network Brazil, the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum (15-18 June 2012) seeks to bring greater scale and quality to corporate sustainability practices, as a critical contribution to sustainable development. As a showcase for innovation and collaboration, the Forum is designed to be a launching ground for widespread action. With more than 2,000 participants from nearly 100 countries, the Forum features over 120 sessions focused on six themes central to the Rio+20 agenda: Energy & Climate, Water & Ecosystems, Agriculture & Food, Social Development, Urbanization & Cities, and Economics & Finance. www.compact4rio.org
About the UN Global Compact
Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is a both a policy platform and a practical framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. As a multi-stakeholder leadership initiative, it seeks to align business operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With 7,000 corporate signatories in 135 countries, it is the world’s largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative. unglobalcompact.org
