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OPINIONS

no longer just to produce food, but also to anticipate climate change and health problems, preserve the environment, ensure social justice and avoid conflict. In short, to make the world sustainable and meet the challenges of the 2030 Agenda. Not forgetting that what we need to produce also depends on what we consume, what we waste and how we organise trade, both locally and globally. The stakes are extremely high!

In France, the harvest is starting earlier and earlier, a tangible sign of climate change.

These climatic, ecological and biological changes will lead to major economic, political and social disruption. Some regions may benefit, but others will be considerably affected by the drop in yields, the emergence of diseases and the disappearance of whole areas of production. This will raise the question of how they will adapt to survive. The impact of population movements and the resulting potential for conflicts cannot be neglected. Aside from food shortages, the global map of production will change.

Meeting tomorrow s challenges: climate change, an inevitability?

In this context, many solutions will be specific to individual situations. As we plunge into the unknown, we have the ability to imagine some of them, mobilising knowledge and skills and adapting them to new challenges. But much remains to be done to increase our understanding and act accordingly, by developing new ways of evaluating performance that consider the multiple functions expected of our actions. For example, while we can easily measure yields, it is harder to evaluate the effects generated by this or that practice or technique in terms of carbon sequestration, biodiversity, job creation or political stability. The challenge is made even more complex and arduous since the solutions that are desirable in one place will not necessarily be beneficial on a global scale, which is where climate disruptions are taking place. This requires suitable compromise, arbitration and policy. The innovations solicited by these challenges will be political and organisational as well as technical. So yes, profound transformations in food systems are absolutely necessary. To ensure production, but also to attenuate climate change, since the agricultural sector is responsible for one third of greenhouse gas emissions. Committing to these transformations is a powerful lever for meeting the upcoming challenges. We are currently witnessing a total repositioning of the agricultural sector within the international agenda: the goal is

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