ABSTRACT
Driven by several factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and armed conflicts around the world, global hunger is growing again. Recent estimates suggest that in 2050 we will have a population of about 10 billion, with an expected increase in the global food demand by 35%–56% between 2010 and 2050. With these premises, feeding people around the world without harm the planet appears quite challenging. In this scenario, public authorities and non-governmental actors have an important role to play in achieving sustainable food security, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations 2030 Agenda. This chapter aims to briefly describe the framework of actions that may be taken in the agricultural sector to achieve food sustainability and security goals by 2030.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has damaged the world's economy during 2020-2021, reduced the purchasing power of households, partially restricted international movements and trade (including food products) and damaged horticultural production. This resulted in uncertainty in the food business and caused food supply shocks. According to some scientists, business people, and politicians, this situation is a forerunner and warning for humanity to change its lifestyle by focusing on sustainable measures to prevent natural ecosystems damage. In line with this, the present review article focused on the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on horticultural production and some prevention measures. It has been scientifically confirmed that the postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables reach around 10-15% in developed countries and about 20-40% in developing countries, higher in some specific crops. It is believed that reducing these losses can help the world fight food supply shocks during the COVID-19 pandemic and customary conditions to reduce the pressure on natural resources. Therefore, the present paper aimed to highlight some critical handling practices against food supply shocks.