Wedoany.com Report on Mar 7th, The Economist's Impact division recently released its inaugural Resilient Food Systems Index, assessing the climate resilience of food systems across 60 countries globally. The report highlights that global food systems face sustainability challenges, needing to feed 10 billion people by 2050, while climate change is exacerbating agricultural vulnerability.

The index reveals that Portugal's food system is the most resilient, while Congo's is the least resilient, with a gap of 42 points between them. Nearly half of the countries scored between 56 and 71, indicating there is still room for improvement globally in building climate-resilient food systems. The average score for climate risk response is only 56.4, with the average score for agricultural adaptation measures being a mere 34, highlighting the gap between implementation and research.

Jonathan Birdwell, Global Head of Policy and Insights at The Economist's Impact division, stated: "The data shows that food systems are deeply interconnected: when countries implement targeted, coordinated actions on key resilience levers, the benefits ripple throughout the system. But if these interventions are insufficient or conducted in isolation, the overall system resilience deteriorates." Furthermore, food loss and waste are severe issues, with 13.2% of food lost before retail and 19% wasted at the household level.

Affordability crises also impact food system resilience. In 62% of countries, the cheapest healthy diet accounts for nearly 60% of a poor household's income, and food prices in low-income countries have risen by 23.1% over the past five years. Brian Sikes, Chairman and CEO of Cargill, said: "Everyone needs reliable access to nutritious and affordable food. This research provides valuable insights to help strengthen the world's food systems."

To enhance the climate resilience of food systems, the index recommends action in three areas: advancing affordability through agricultural partnerships; investing in infrastructure such as cold chains and transportation networks to reduce losses; and translating sustainability research into agricultural adaptation measures and policies. The average resilience score for major global exporting countries is 71, and strengthening supply chain sustainability can help stabilize markets.