: Keynote Address By Achim Steiner UN Under-Secretary General and Unep Executive Director At the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture

Agriculture is the single most important sector in providing the basic necessities for human existence and livelihoods today. In addition to producing bioenergy and foodstuffs, it accounts for roughly 40 per cent of the world's labour force, or about 1.3 billion people. Honourable Ministers, Distinguished guests, Colleagues, Ladies and gentlemen, It is my pleasure to welcome you all to UNEP's working meeting, taking place in the context of the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture. The Forum has established itself in the last six years as a pioneering platform to share ideas and enhance political understanding of issues related to food production, food security, sustainable agriculture and building resilience, and we are delighted to be part of this event. The overarching theme of the GFFA is "Empowering Agriculture: Fostering Resilience Securing Food and Nutrition", and in UNEP's working meeting today we will highlight the key role that ecosystem services and biodiversity play in underpinning our food system. Ladies and gentlemen, By 2050, the Earth will need to feed 9 billion people with the same amount of land, water and natural resources. This means that agricultural production alone must increase by 70 per cent, according to World Bank figures. Agriculture already accounts for more than two thirds of the world's freshwater use and is a contributor to deforestation. A 70 per cent expansion in agricultural production cannot follow a business as usual scenario and still be sustainable. Healthy Ecosystems underpin sustained and sufficient food production. Biodiversity and ecosystems deliver crucial services to humankind, from producing food to mitigating extreme weather, controlling pests, reducing the impact of disasters and keeping water clean and providing medicine. Combined, these services are estimated to be worth close to USD $72 trillion annually, according to a soon-to-be-launched study by UNEP, entitled: Food Wasted, Food Lost : Improving Food Security by Restoring Ecosystems and Reducing Food Loss. According to the report, as much as 1.4 billion hectares of land is used to produce the total amount of food that is lost and wasted estimated by FAO at a staggering 1.3 billion tonnes a year. This translates to more than 100 times the area of tropical rainforest that is being cleared every year (13 million hectares)of which 80 per cent is used for agricultural expansion. At the same time, up to 25 per cent of the world's food production may be lost by 2050 due to climate change, land degradation, cropland losses, water scarcity and infestations. The amount lost could potentially feed up to 2.4 billion people, annually. In order to ensure that food production is increased to meet the demands of the additional 2.6 billion people expected to inhabit the planet by 2050, it is important that food producing ecosystems are protected and degraded ecosystems are restored. Example, 35 per cent of global production from the world-leading crops depends on pollination. This ecosystem service, valued at USD $353.6 billion annually, is currently under threat due to the loss of bees and other pollinators caused by degraded habitats. If we truly wish to foster resilience of our agricultural systems and secure a steady supply of food for future generations, this environmental aspect must be integrated within the Sustainable Development framework. UNEP is working through the UN system to promote a "One UN" vision on how to achieve this integrated approach, and on how to properly reflect it in the next set of Sustainable Development Goals, post 2015.