What are the SDGs?
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What are the 17 SDGs and their meaning?
SDG stands for Sustainable Development Goals.
The United Nations in 2012 created SDGs during the UN Conference in Rio de Janeiro.
Apart from the 17 goals, they added 169 targets, like sub-categories for each purpose, to cover more needs.
By endorsing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs in 2015, the world community reaffirmed its commitment to Sustainable Development. Through this Agenda, 193 member states pledged to ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection and to do so in partnership and peace.
What SDGs are related to agriculture?
More than any other sector, agriculture is the common thread connecting the 17 SDGs.
More specifically, agriculture has a positive impact on no less than 8 of the 17 goals, including:
- Zero Hunger (SDG 2),
- Good Health and well-being (SDG 3),
- Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6),
- Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8),
- Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12),
- Climate Action (SDG 13),
- Life Below Water (SDG 14),
- Life on Land (SDG 15)
A map of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals [Image] – UN SDG, https://www.finchandbeak.com/
How can agriculture integrate the SDGs?
Agriculture must meet the needs of present and future generations for its products and services while ensuring profitability, environmental health, and social and economic equity. At the same time, the global transition to sustainable food and agriculture will require significant improvements in resource use efficiency, environmental protection, and systems resilience. Production systems and the policies and institutions underpinning global food security must be revised to achieve that.
Agriculture, including – crop and livestock production, fisheries, and forestry – provides income, jobs, food, and other goods and services for the majority of people now living in poverty. As a result, overall GDP growth originating in agriculture is, on average, at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth generated in non-agriculture sectors and up to five times more effective than other sectors in resource-poor low-income countries. To meet the growing food demand of the over nine billion people who will exist by 2050 and the expected dietary changes, agriculture will need to produce 60% more food globally in the same period.
What are the barriers to the achievement of SDGs?
The SDGs 2020 Report highlights that progress toward achieving the goals by 2030 was already uneven before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, progress has come to a standstill, and in some instances, decades of advancement have been reversed.
In the Asian region, the most recent report from the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) reveals a deterioration in progress concerning five crucial SDGs: SDG 2, SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 11, and SDG 15.
Similarly, Latin America is falling behind. Four years after adopting the 2030 Agenda, the average SDG Index score for the region stands at 63.1, indicating only modest advancements toward the established goals. Additionally, progress in the area has been slowed by rising unemployment, inequality, poverty, and hunger, which could lead to more social conflicts and unrest, as seen in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Chile.
According to a recent report by the non-profit organization Social Progress Imperative (SPI), the world is not expected to attain the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development until at least 2082, primarily due to a lack of global action on climate change and human rights. Moreover, the repercussions and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic could extend this projection by another decade, pushing the 2030 target goal back by more than six decades.
