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

The document analyzes the transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), noting a shift toward a universal, integrated approach to food security. It highlights a consensus on increasing agricultural productivity and resource efficiency, with an expanded focus on nutritional value and the empowerment of smallholders. While the Open Working Group's 'Zero draft' includes a dedicated goal for hunger and sustainable agriculture, the author argues that the framework still lacks sufficient integration between goals and specific strategies for implementation, such as research and technology transfer.

• The SDGs differ from the MDGs by being universally applicable to all countries and 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 SDG objectives for food security and sustainable agriculture should focus on increasing productivity and resource efficiency, while shifting the focus from simple caloric intake to the nutritional value of food, including the first 1000 days of a child's life.
• The SDGs process emphasizes the role of smallholders and small-scale farming systems as both vulnerable entities and key agents of change, highlighting the need for their resilience, decision-making involvement, and access to markets and land.
• The Open Working Group's 'Zero draft' (June 2) proposes Goal 2 to "End hunger, achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all, and promote sustainable agriculture," though the author notes that the overall framework still lacks a sufficiently holistic approach to minimize contradictions between different goals.
• The document identifies critical gaps in the current SDG proposals, specifically the lack of developed strategies for achievement and weak focus on research, technology transfer, and scientific support for farmers.

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-short.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-short.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-short.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-short.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }