Agriculture

Agricultural development is one of the most powerful tools to end extreme poverty, boost shared prosperity and feed a projected 9.7 billion people by 2050. Growth in the agriculture sector is two to four times more effective in raising incomes among the poorest compared to other sectors. 2016 analyses found that 65% of poor working adults made a living through agriculture.

Agriculture is also crucial to economic growth: in 2018, it accounted for one-third of global gross-domestic product (GDP).

But agriculture-driven growth, poverty reduction, and food security are at risk: Climate change could cut crop yields, especially in the world’s most food-insecure regions. Agriculture, forestry and land use change are responsible for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. Mitigation in the agriculture sector is part of the solution to climate change.

The current food system also threatens the health of people and the planet: agriculture accounts for 70% of water use and generates unsustainable levels of pollution and waste. Risks associated with poor diets are also the leading cause of death worldwide. Approximately three billion people are either not eating enough or eating the wrong types of food, resulting in illnesses and health crises. A 2017 report found that hunger is a challenge for 815 million people worldwide and in 2018, 2.1 billion people were overweight and obese, 62% of them in developing countries.