This report is the annual global monitoring report documenting progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 targets 2.1 and 2.2. This year’s report explores the links between urbanization and changing food systems and how these changes are impacting the availability, affordability and desirability of healthy diets, food security and malnutrition in all its forms. It shows that understanding the ways in which urbanization is shaping food systems will require using a rural-urban continuum lens. By mapping the interlinkages across the rural-urban continuum, governments can identify challenges created by urbanization and suitable policies, technologies, investments and governance mechanisms to help address them.
Opportunities exist across the food system from production through supply to consumption to support food systems transformation for more affordable healthy diets. Subnational and local governments should go beyond the traditional top-down approach and help design and implement policies, engaging with food systems stakeholders at all levels.
Previous editions of this report have explored the major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition conflict, climate extremes, economic shocks and growing inequality, which, often occurring in combination, have pushed the world off track to meeting the SDG 2 targets. This year’s report underscores the importance of considering other megatrends in efforts to meet these targets.
