Population, Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainable Development

Population lies at the heart of sustainable development, including efforts to create sustainable and equitable food systems. Population trends, including population growth, urbanization, changing age distributions, changes in health and mortality, rural-urban migration and international migration, are closely linked to many aspects of food systems. The Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) emphasizes individual rights and human development, especially for women and girls, as well as sustainable consumption and production. An evidence-based understanding of the interrelationships between demographic trends and food systems, food security and nutrition, as well as relevant policy responses, will be an essential input to broader international discussions of hunger, food security, nutrition and food systems in 2021, including at the high-level political forum on sustainable development, the United Nations Food Systems Summit and the Nutrition for Growth Summit.