Food is critical to all of our lives. While developments in food systems have yielded many positive results, at their core, many of our food systems are profoundly unjust and have led to over 800 million people going hungry globally. Growing inequalities, biodiversity loss and climate change represent key threats to our future.
A sustainable food system lies at the heart of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition by 2030, major transformations of our food systems are needed. Indeed, to realize the SDGs, we need to tackle profound and systemic challenges to our food systems to ensure they are more productive, inclusive, environmentally sustainable, resilient, and capable of delivering healthy and nutritious diets for all.
Food derived from or produced in aquatic environments have a key role to play in achieving food security, ending malnutrition and building healthy, resilient food systems. These aquatic foods provide protein and essential micronutrients to a diversity of communities worldwide and often have comparatively low carbon footprints. Yet these foods are often neglected in food policy.
In this webinar, the University of British Columbia Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries brought together leading experts with a range of expertise in and perspectives on food systems to share their knowledge about and vision for sustainable, resilient and just food systems. The webinar also provided a forum to discuss responses and actions that are needed at individual, community and governmental levels to address this important topic.