Agriculture has been around for more than 10 000 years. In that time, it has not only given us food, shelter, and livelihoods, but also knowledge, traditions, innovations and ecosystem services. However, with many ecosystems pushed beyond their capacity, agriculture now needs to provide all these benefits – and more – while being more responsive to the environment.
Without heeding our natural resources and respecting the environment, we put food and agriculture at risk. That is why FAO has always been at the forefront of supporting producers of food and other rural products while safeguarding our planet. From the 1972 Stockholm Conference to this day, FAO has championed environmental improvements in agrifood systems, focusing on the conservation and sustainable management of agricultural lands, forests, in-land water and ocean resources.
But we’re not stopping there! A Better Environment is one of our key action areas over the next decade.
Here are five ways in which FAO is working to create a better, more innovative and resilient environment:
1. Promoting a sustainable and circular bioeconomy
At the level of the United Nations, FAO is leading the drive towards a sustainable and circular bioeconomy, which involves using biological resources, processes and innovations to help make agrifood systems more sustainable and resilient, while supporting the development of a fair and green economy and ensuring all global citizens have access to enough nutritious food. A sustainable and circular bioeconomy is at the vanguard of game-changing improvements in agrifood-related areas including microbiome science, alternative proteins, biopesticides, circular waste management and ecosystem restoration.
2. Managing agricultural plastics pollution
FAO is transforming the way we use plastics in agriculture. A recent ground-breaking FAO report revealed for the first time that plastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystems is likely far greater than that of aquatic ones. The report outlined several solutions to deal with the problem, based on a 6R approach (Refuse, Redesign, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover), while also identifying potentially harmful agricultural plastic products that should be withdrawn as a matter of priority. FAO is now working with countries to propose technical guidance to cover all aspects of plastics management throughout agrifood value chains.