Focus Topic: Sustainable Agriculture And Food SecurityProducing food sustainably. Ensuring long-term food security.

Long-term restructuring of food production and stabilisation of local and global agricultural supply chains is an urgent and complex task. Agriculture and food companies can start by addressing different aspects. 

• Long-term increase in crop yield
  Crop yield in many developing countries and emerging economies is significantly lower than the yield in other parts of the world. This means low farm income, product shortages and fluctuating product quality in domestic and export markets. Food insecurity and environmental degradation, caused by uncontrolled area expansion for instance, are other severe consequences. The starting points for projects supported through develoPPP include training in efficient farming, prevention of post-harvest losses and the promotion of stable relations between producers and procurement companies.
• Climate resilience and environmental protection
  A lack of awareness of sustainable farming practices such as resource friendly irrigation or diversified farming results not only in low yields. It also poses a serious risk to the ecosystem – local as well as global. Advancing climate change is exacerbating these problems and makes rapid adaptation to changing weather and farming conditions a necessity. Some of the ways in which projects eligible for develoPPP funding can contribute is by piloting modern technologies and by offering training programmes on maintaining soil fertility or on sustainable use of agricultural land.
• International standards and certification
  The demand for certified quality foods is increasing worldwide. However, meeting international standards for food safety, plant health or occupational safety, is often a major hurdle for producers in developing countries and emerging economies who seek to market and export their products. Importers for their part have difficulty in meeting the growing demand for quality products that have been sustainably produced. Local advisory services for quality management, preparing for certification and meeting international standards are approaches that are applied in the context of develoPPP projects.
• Digital innovation
  The digitalisation of processes in the agriculture sector offers considerable potential – in terms of both business and development. For example, digital solutions can improve product traceability, making the supply chain more transparent and verifiable. The use of seeds and fertiliser can be digitally optimised, access to financing options can be created, and direct sales to local buyers can be organised. Digital projects supported through develoPPP in the agriculture sector start by addressing many of these very issues.