Food plays a central role in human societies and is essential to the well-being of people and the planet. But a fundamental transformation is needed to meet the aspirations of an inclusive, efficient, sustainable, nutritious and healthy food system. The food and agriculture sector is the single largest employer in the world, despite a majority of its workers living in poverty. Nearly one-third of global food production is wasted, yet up to 800 million people are chronically undernourished. In addition, food systems are responsible for 25% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, while climate change in turn threatens up to 25% of crop yields. And a rising global population, expected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050, exacerbates our already strained food systems.
Addressing food-system challenges requires a transformative approach rooted in technological investments, partnerships and incentives. The food and agriculture sector, however, lags far behind other sectors in its investment in and adoption of technology, despite the necessity of agricultural technology to meet food-system needs. This need is particularly pronounced in developing countries, as more than 75% of agriculture and foodtechnology investments occur in developed countries, highlighting unequal access to new solutions.
In 2017, the World Economic Forum launched the Innovation with a Purpose Initiative to support the sector’s investment in technology solutions to meet these systemic challenges. The following year the Forum published a report on this topic, Innovation with a Purpose: The role of technology innovation in accelerating food systems transformation, which identified the ‘Transformative Twelve’: 12 technologies with the potential to enhance food systems.
Traceability, which builds on several of these transformative technologies, provides a foundation to address many of today’s food-systems issues in addition to contributing to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals – and has potential throughout developed and developing markets. Many of these technologies are already beginning to disrupt food systems and drive new business models. However, such a transformation of global food systems presents risks, such as the potential exclusion of small-scale producers. Therefore, multistakeholder collaborations focused on inclusivity and innovation will be vital to optimizing the potential benefits of traceability.