State of Food and Agriculture Report 2023 By Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

GS Paper I Geography

Context:

Recently, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has released the State of Food and Agriculture Report 2023.

Hidden Costs of Agrifood Systems: India’s hidden agrifood costs reached approximately $1.1 trillion, making it the world’s third-largest contributor after China and the United States.
- Hidden costs comprise environmental expenses (greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen emissions), land-use changes, water usage, health-related losses due to unhealthy dietary patterns, and social costs linked to poverty and undernourishment.
- India accounted for 8.8% of the global quantified hidden costs totaling $12.7 trillion.

Agrifood systems comprise three components: the actors involved in the agriculture sector, the activities that these actors engage in, and the larger enabling environment.
The actors cover the full range from farmers, agribusiness firms, processors, distributors to consumers.
The enabling environment includes the policies, standards, and investments that affect sustainable production and market access.

Major Contributors in India:
- The largest share (60%) of hidden costs in India stems from the burden of disease, mainly productivity losses due to dietary patterns.
- Social costs associated with agri-food worker poverty contributed 14% of the hidden costs.
- Environmental costs related to nitrogen emissions represented 13% of India’s hidden costs.
Global Overview:
- China contributed 20% of the global hidden costs, and the United States contributed 12.3%.
- The hidden costs for China and the US were $2.5 trillion and $1.5 trillion, respectively.
Income-Level Variation:
- The majority of hidden costs originated in upper-middle-income countries (39%) and high-income countries (36%).
- Environmental costs constituted about 20% of the global hidden costs, primarily from nitrogen emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, land-use changes, and water use.

About Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
Goal: To achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
Members: 195 members (194 countries and the European Union), India is a member of FAO.
Established in 1945
Headquarters: Rome (Italy)