Food security in the Sustainable Development Goals: Where is the process heading?

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the development of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) regarding food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture. It compares the SDGs' universal and integrated approach to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), analyzes proposed targets from various UN-related entities, and identifies gaps in implementation strategies and systemic integration.

• The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) differ from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by being universally applicable to all countries rather than just poor ones, and by adopting an integrated approach to social, economic, and environmental issues to address systemic barriers and root causes of poverty.
• There is a general consensus that an SDG for sustainable agriculture and food security should focus on increasing productivity and efficient resource use, while prioritizing vulnerable populations and farming systems. Unlike the MDGs, which focused on caloric intake, the SDGs emphasize nutritional value, including micronutrient deficiencies, obesity, and nutrition during the first 1000 days of a child's life.
• The Open Working Group's (OWG) 'Zero draft' from June 2, 2014, proposes Goal 2: 'End hunger, achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all, and promote sustainable agriculture,' which includes eight targets. Other related goals in the framework address gender equality, health, climate change, and the protection of terrestrial ecosystems.
• Proposed targets across various entities (including the High-level Panel, SDSN, and Rome-based UN agencies) emphasize reducing food loss and waste, increasing smallholder productivity, and ensuring secure land tenure rights, particularly for women.
• The document identifies a lack of concrete strategies to achieve the proposed goals. While broad terms like agro-ecology and climate-smart agriculture are mentioned, there is a deficiency in detailed proposals regarding research, technology transfer, and the integration of scientific support with traditional farmer knowledge.
• Certain areas of the food security agenda remain politically contested for upcoming negotiations, specifically the production of biofuels, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), 'land-grabbing', and trade-distorting subsidies.

APA

Weitz, N. (2014). Food security in the Sustainable Development Goals: Where is the process heading? Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SIANI-SDG-Brief-long.pdf

Chicago

Weitz, Nina. Food security in the Sustainable Development Goals: Where is the process heading? Stockholm Environment Institute, 2014. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SIANI-SDG-Brief-long.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Weitz |first1=Nina |title=Food security in the Sustainable Development Goals: Where is the process heading? |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=28 June 2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SIANI-SDG-Brief-long.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{weitz2014food, author = {Weitz, Nina}, title = {{Food security in the Sustainable Development Goals: Where is the process heading?}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, month = jun, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SIANI-SDG-Brief-long.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }