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By modifying current practices much can be done in terms of improving the productivity of many food and agricultural production systems. Productivity will need to continue to increase in the future to ensure su ffcient supply of food and other agricultural products. However, this must be done while limiting the expansion of agricultural land as well as safeguarding and enhancing the environment. This is the core of the transformation necessary for sustainability in food and agriculture systems. Effciency in productivity has, in the past, been mostly expressed in terms of yield (kg per hectare of production) but future productivity increase should consider more dimensions. Water and energy-smart production systems will become increasingly important as water scarcity increases and as agriculture will need to seek ways to reduce emission of greenhouse gas. This will also have an effect on the use of fertilizers and other agricultural inputs.

Food and agricultural production depends on natural resources and therefore the sustainability of production depends on the sustainability of the resources themselves. Much can be done to reduce negative impacts and enhance the status of natural resources. While intensi fication has positive e ffects on the environment through reduced agricultural expansion and subsequent limitation in encroachment on natural ecosystems, it also has potentially negative impact on the environment. The most widespread model of agriculture intensi fication involves intensive use of farm inputs, including water, fertilizers and pesticides. The same applies to animal production and aquaculture, with subsequent pollution of water, destruction of freshwater habitats, and destruction of soil properties. Intensi fication has also led to the drastic reduction of crop and animal biodiversity. Such trends in agricultural intensi fication are not compatible with sustainable agriculture and are a threat to future production.

Ensuring that producers have adequate access to and control of productive resources, and addressing the gender gap, can contribute signi ficantly to reducing poverty and food insecurity in rural areas. Agriculture is the most labor intensive of all economic activities. It provides, directly and indirectly, a source of livelihoods for rural households totaling 2.5 billion people. Yet, poverty is excessively associated with agriculture, and agriculture is among the riskiest types of businesses. Agriculture can only become sustainable if it provides decent employment conditions to those who practice it, in an economically and physical safe, and healthy environment.

Extreme weather events, market volatility and civil strife impair the stability of agriculture. Policies, technologies and practices that build producers’ resilience to threats would also contribute to sustainability. Several signals in the recent past have illustrated the risks that shocks can represent for agriculture, forestry and  fisheries. Increased climate variability, whether associated or not to climate change, impact farmers and their production. On the other side, increased food price volatility impact both producers and consumers who don’t necessarily have the means to cope with them. Rather than reducing these shocks, increased globalization has probably favored their rapid transmission across the globe, with increasingly unpredictable impact on the production systems. Resilience therefore becomes central to the transition towards a sustainable agriculture, and must address both the natural and the human dimensions.

The transition to sustainable production can only take place when there is the right balance between private and public sector initiatives, as well as accountability, equity, transparency and the rule of law. Mainstreaming sustainability into food and agriculture systems implies adding a public good dimension to an economic enterprise. Agriculture is and will remain an economic activity driven by the need for those practicing it to make pro t and ensure a decent living out of its activities. Farmers,  fisher folks and foresters need to be provided with the right incentives that support the adoption of appropriate practices on the ground. Sustainability will only be possible through e ffective and fair governance, including the right and enabling policy, legal and institutional environments that strike the right balance between private and public sector initiatives, and ensure accountability, equity, transparency and the rule of law.