Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

Philip arrives at the UN Food Systems Stocktake in Rome  Credit Compassion in World Farming Guest blog by  Philip Lymbery Global CEO of Compassion in World Farming   Rome, and the weather was sweltering. Southern Europe was breaking records for the hottest temperatures whilst Britain was showered with the wettest July. The elements were showing us that the world is changing. If we want a liveable future, then w hat we do needs to change too, not least around food . I was walking the flag-lined street leading to the UN headquarters were world leaders were gathering. It had been two years since more than a hundred governments signed up to transforming food systems to achieve the world’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). This latest event was billed as the ‘Stocktaking Moment’ to assess progress   and where to go next. It was a high-level event with about 2,000 participants in-person, from 161 countries, including 22 Heads of State and more than 100 Min...

Combine harvesters crop soybeans on what was once rainforest in Brazil (Picture: Yasuyoshi Chiba) Guest blog by Philip Lymbery, Global Chief Executive, Compassion in World Farming. ‘This article first appeared in The Scotsman on 27th September 2021 ’   Transforming Food Systems is a ‘Must’ for a Liveable Future I’ll never forget seeing empty supermarket shelves during the early days of Covid, with people panic buying and scrabbling for essential supplies. Months on and my local superstore still goes for weeks without having frozen veg available. And now shortages of seasonal labour, drivers and gas have raised political questions and sparked media headlines about the possibility of ‘Christmas being cancelled’. [1] For our generation, Covid has brought an unprecedented sense of shared adversity underscoring just how fragile our way of life really is. It has exposed weaknesses in our food system, hitting production and availability. A light has been shone on inequaliti...