Achieving and sustaining universal food security hinges on creating sustainable food production and distribution systems, as well as resilient agricultural practices. Among the many players working to surmount the food security challenge, businesses will need to play a key role. They’ll have to enable sufficient increases in food production—plus ensure access to food.
Tailoring food sustainability strategies to diverse income levels will be vital. For instance, strategies must address the low purchasing power of the so-called “bottom billion”—the very poorest, who cannot afford to pay prices equal to or above companies’ production costs.
Development funding also needs to evolve. For example, a previous lack of interest and investment in African agriculture has catalyzed a food crisis on the continent. Yet agriculture is Africa’s biggest source of jobs and a crucial contributor to human welfare. Thankfully, the problem has begun attracting attention and investment, fostering a new focus on adapting African agriculture to enhance food security.