The High-Level Special Event on Global Governance of Food Security and Nutrition, organized by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) from 13 to 15 October, begins today. In a new book, a group of experts has called for a faster transformation of our food systems. Three economists from CIRAD contributed to the book, which stresses the importance of an agroecological transition of current production systems.

In a new book, Transformation of our food systems - the making of a paradigm shift, 40 international experts set out the highlights and trends in food production since 2009, when the groundbreaking IAASTD report on global agriculture was published. The report, published under the auspices of the UN and the World Bank, triggered a paradigm shift in the perception of the global food system. At the time, its 400 authors raised the alarm with the following message: "Business as usual is not an option".

A decade on, most scientists, and a growing number of politicians, businesses and civil society stakeholders agree that our food systems are in urgent need of a fundamental transformation.

The new book, a full-text version of which is available on line, presents the results of 13 landmark scientific reports published over the past decade, and 15 updates on topics not sufficiently covered in the initial IAASTD report.

In the book, three economists from CIRAD look at several key issues for global agriculture: access to agricultural land, the impact of urbanization on agriculture, and land use scenarios and food security.

Read more on the key issues and access the book in the full press release from Cirad.

Photo credit: Peter Lüthi / Biovision