PRESS RELEASE

Dubai, 10 December 2023—

FAO Roadmap: More ambition required to decouple food systems from fossil fuel dependency

Responding to the FAO Roadmap launched today, Patty Fong, Program Director at the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, said: 

“The Roadmap contains many welcome recommendations, including how to unlock healthy diets and safeguard vulnerable populations from ultra-processed foods.

“But to make our food systems truly sustainable, we must commit to phasing out fossil fuels from farm to plate—not simply reducing their impact. For example, the Roadmap recommends improving the efficiency of fertilizer use, instead of unequivocally calling for a wholesale shift towards sustainable farming practices (such as agroecology and regenerative agriculture).

“Currently, food systems account for at least 15% of fossil fuels burned each year. Sustainable farming methods restore soil health, enhance biodiversity, reduce water demand, and break food systems’ dependence on toxic, energy-intensive and costly inputs (such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides). Grassroots producers—particularly small-holder farmers, women and Indigenous communities—must be included in all discussions, including the modelling of pathways for global food systems transformation.”

Spokespeople available: 

• Patty Fong, Programme Director at the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, who will be at COP: patty@futureoffood.org or via WhatsApp: +31 6 2517 9097.
• Anna Lappé, Executive Director at the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, who is based in the US; contact via: katie.dominy@digacommunications.com / +44 (0) 7983530990.
• The Global Alliance for the Future of Food is supporting 42 frontline food and farming experts to attend COP. To speak to any of them, contact jenny.briggs@greenhouse.agency / +44(0) 754 2566437 who will be at COP.

About Global Alliance for the Future of Food: The Global Alliance for the Future of Food is a strategic alliance of philanthropic foundations working together and with others to transform global food systems now and for future generations.