How do Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relate to agriculture in South Africa and around the world? The answer: significantly!
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as a roadmap for global progress, aiming to address challenges from poverty to climate change by 2030. SDGs encompass 17 goals, representing a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. The goals are interconnected and many sectors and industries affect various issues within the SDGs, including agricultural enterprises—which emerge as an achievable, yet often overlooked, avenue for driving sustainable development.
As the global population continues to grow, agriculture remains central to SDGs’ success. Agricultural enterprises are pivotal in advancing progress across various SDGs, serving as the lifeblood of rural communities and connecting smallholder farmers to global markets. Implementing evidence-based targets, alongside community-centered perspectives, will be paramount for the future of sustainable development.
Food production has its own (SDG 2), which calls to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.”
Food production is directly linked to other challenges targeted by SDGs:
Indirectly, agriculture also impacts the community and income-based SDGs:
Sustainable agrifood systems are central to the 2030 Agenda, as they integrate economic development with social progress and environmental conservation, offering solutions to our global challenges. A comprehensive study of the SDG framework underscores the critical role of sustainable agrifood systems across all SDGs:
Alleviating poverty (SDG 1) necessitates addressing social protection, land rights, and building resilience in rural areas.
This objective is closely intertwined with the aspiration to eradicate hunger and enhance food security (SDG 2).
Promoting good health (SDG 3) starts by ensuring access to nutritious and safe food.
Enhancing nutrition is imperative for boosting enrollment and retention rates in primary and secondary education (SDG 4).
Fostering equitable access for women to both land and economic resources bolsters food production and leads to sustainable economic growth for rural communities (SDG 5).
Advancing sustainable agrifood systems entails delivering greater food output while minimising energy consumption and adopting cleaner energy sources (SDG 7).
It also involves reducing food wastage (SDG 12)
Empowering small-scale producers with innovative technologies (SDG 9) and safeguarding their land tenure rights (SDG 10)
These sustainable agrifood systems have the capacity to:
Crucially, these goals can only be attained through collaborative efforts with all stakeholders in the food and agriculture sector (SDG 17).
Simply put, SDGs cannot be achieved without sustainable agricultural practices.
Regenerative agriculture, a key facet of modern farming practices, focuses onsoil health, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. By nurturing the land, regenerative agriculture addresses SDGs 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life on Land), and 15 (Life on Water), contributing to a more sustainable and resilient ecosystem.
At RegenZ, empowering smallholder farmers is a priority. This approach directly addresses SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). By bolstering communities, we create a solid foundation for sustainable development.
Check out RegenZ’s package for smallholder farmers.
Learn more about the trials we’re currently running to test our Smallholder Farmer Starter Package.
Agricultural enterprises are a linchpin for sustainable development, offering a multifaceted approach to achieving the UN SDGs. By embracing regenerative practices, innovative seed technologies, empowering smallholders, and leveraging cutting-edge agricultural technologies, we pave the way for a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable future and realise the vision set forth by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Further reading: Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Alex is Business Development Manager at RegenZ. He's inspired by the potential of regenerative farming and takes a special interest in the technology and products that are moving agriculture in a more sustainable direction.