David Laborde: Food security and nutrition in times of economic crisis and climate change

How can we ensure that everyone has access to decent and necessary food, a healthy diet that will help us overcome the food emergency affecting a significant portion of the world's population? This is one of the objectives pursued by David Laborde, Director of the Agri-Food Economics Division at FAO since February 2023. There, he leads work on monitoring policies, reforms, and incentives to transform agri-food systems. He also oversees the priority areas of resilience and bioeconomy. Before joining FAO, he spent 16 years at the CGIAR International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, DC, where he conducted research in macroeconomics and trade and co-directed the Ceres2030 project.

Her interests include food security and nutrition in the context of globalization and climate change. She will participate in the Night of Ideas, where she will address these issues and explain why, currently, 733 million people face chronic food insecurity and 2.8 billion are malnourished. Laborde will be presenting at the international Night of Ideas, the theme of which is "The Power to Act," taking place this week. Argentine and European figures from the social sciences, political science, and the arts will be present. Activities will be held at the Teatro Colón, Mar del Plata, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario, Santa Fe, Tandil, and Tucumán. Organized by: the Institut français d'Argentine - French Embassy, ​​the Alliances Françaises network in Argentina, the Medifé Foundation, the network of Franco-Argentine Centers, and local governments. She spoke with Ñ via email.

–What are the hidden costs of agri-food systems?

–The hidden costs of agri-food systems are often invisible through standard accounting practices. They are associated with what economists call "externalities," various "market failures," and indirect effects. Together, they represent a series of costs that society pays, today or in the future, and that are not taken into account when making decisions.

–Changing dietary patterns can help achieve health-related goals. There are also environmental benefits, such as freeing up farmland, capturing greenhouse gases, and reducing nitrogen emissions. How can these goals be achieved? What kind of effective planning is being carried out in collaboration with governments in the region?

–The necessary dietary changes vary by country and even by individual. They must be consistent with individual needs and aligned with producers' capacity to efficiently and sustainably provide the various components of the diet. Some people need to reduce their meat consumption, while others may need to increase their intake of animal-based foods, such as meat or dairy.

Therefore, the starting point is simple but fundamental: ensuring we have accurate information about diets and defining dietary guidelines that follow the recommendations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) . These guidelines must promote both individual and environmental health, while being economically, culturally, and socially acceptable, accessible, and affordable.

Once we know what to eat, we must ensure that these diets are available (that they are produced and farmers receive adequate income), affordable (that prices for consumers are low enough and incomes high enough), and that efficient technologies are available to reduce environmental impacts. Furthermore, it is essential to have sufficiently strong institutions to ensure that human rights, environmental rights, and the rule of law contribute to making them a reality.

Although this may seem like a lot, countries and societies are already working toward these goals . The important thing is to ensure that actions are coordinated among different actors and territories, encouraging behaviors in the right direction. Therefore, FAO has proposed a Global Roadmap to synchronize efforts internationally and accelerate the transformation already underway in countries.

–What joint efforts can be developed with influential actors such as media-renowned chefs, who sometimes act as influencers?

–Raising awareness about the role of healthy diets and reviving traditional dishes, especially those based on beans and legumes, to make them more popular or adapt them to current lifestyles and tastes is essential. Changing diets isn't just about prices and income. Influencing behaviors is also key.

However, we mustn't forget that cooking requires time and skills that many families lack. Furthermore, in many parts of the world, cooking responsibilities remain highly unequal by gender. Therefore, we must find the right influencers, but also ensure that what we propose is not only attractive on a screen (television or mobile), but also implementable and realistic for most people.

–What is the current situation regarding the consumption of processed foods with additives and preservatives? Are there any consequences?

–Modern agri-food systems are characterized by an increase in the consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods. Processing food is not negative in itself: it has contributed to improving food safety (less contamination), extending shelf life (less waste), reducing costs, and saving time.

However, it has also been linked to excess: higher caloric density due to fats, sugars, or sodium, and greater use of additives and preservatives. Several of these substances, especially when consumed in excess, are linked to non-communicable diseases, from heart disease to cancer and hormonal imbalances. They may also have contributed to the increase in allergic reactions. That's why health regulations are essential, and studies must be conducted to assess the impact of these new ingredients.

–This context leads us to a paradoxical objective: How do we feed the entire world population without devastating the planet?

You've probably thought about it at some point: whether it's better to buy local products, avoid waste, or switch to a more plant-based diet. Food is at the center of many public conversations, and the pressure to make the "right choices" as consumers is increasing. But here's an important truth: no matter how conscious we are, the way we produce, distribute, and consume food today creates enormous challenges for sustainability.

Agri-food systems have a large footprint in terms of global greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, and both public and private health costs. They are shaped by a vast and complex network of farmers, food workers, businesses, regulators, and governments. They influence everything from climate action to economic growth, livelihoods, and food security—and are also influenced by all of these factors. If we want a future where everyone can eat well without degrading the environment, it takes much more than good intentions at the supermarket checkout.

The good news is that the same systems that generate pressure today also hold the keys to transformation. With the right choices, food can be a lever for health, climate solutions, and reducing inequality. This means transforming food environments so that healthy and sustainable options are not only available but also easy to choose. It means aligning policies, investments, and incentives across the entire value chain. And it also means moving from viewing food as just an individual choice to embracing it as a shared global opportunity for change.

This conversation is critical, but it's just the beginning. The most urgent question is how to transform agri-food systems at scale, leaving no one behind. That question is bigger than any single sector or solution, and it only makes sense if we tackle it together.

–This leads us to ask about the costs, both visible and hidden, of food...

–What we pay for food doesn't reflect its true cost to society. Much of the burden is hidden: insufficient income for those who grow and prepare our food, degraded ecosystems, loss of human capital due to malnutrition, and wasted economic potential. These costs aren't reflected in market prices, but are borne daily by people and the planet. And they accumulate: according to FAO's flagship SOFI report, they amount to $12 trillion.

Most of these hidden costs stem from unhealthy eating patterns. Poor diets are now the leading risk factor for death worldwide. In many countries, malnutrition and obesity coexist, often within the same household. This double burden increases vulnerability to disease, reduces productivity, and affects educational outcomes. The economic impact is enormous: unhealthy eating patterns and their effect on global productivity represent $9.3 trillion, equivalent to 73 percent of the total hidden costs in agri-food systems.

–How is the environmental impact of agri-food systems measured?

–The environmental impact is also considerable. Agri-food systems contribute approximately one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Excessive fertilizer use causes nitrogen runoff (movements of water over the land surface, usually rainfall, which are not absorbed by the soil and move into rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water), polluting rivers, lakes, and the air. Land degradation and water stress are widespread. These pressures threaten biodiversity and weaken the ecosystems on which food production depends. The environmental cost is estimated at $2.9 trillion annually, with nitrogen pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, land-use change, and water use being the main drivers.

The social burden of current agri-food systems goes beyond hunger. While 733 million people face chronic food insecurity and 2.8 billion are malnourished, these same systems also provide income for billions. An estimated 3.8 billion people depend on agri-food systems for their livelihoods, either directly or through related sectors. As urgent as reform is, we must proceed with caution. Change cannot come at the expense of those who depend on these systems for survival.

–You were talking about a "roadmap for change." What does that entail?

–If problems are interconnected, so must the solutions. To translate challenges into action, FAO launched the FAO Global Roadmap, a country-led, evidence-based collaborative framework that seeks to catalyze collective efforts at all levels—global, regional, national, and local—to create productive, economically viable, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable agri-food systems. In this context, we work with countries and communities around the world to co-create practical, evidence-guided, and tailored responses. This includes a shared framework for action focused on several critical areas of transformation.

One of them is consumption. Diets must change, not only to improve health, but also to reduce pressure on the environment. Today, billions of people cannot afford a healthy diet or overconsume products that are harmful to their health and the planet. Promoting diverse and nutritious diets is a low-cost, high-impact intervention. Equally urgent is the need to reduce food loss and waste. More than 13 percent of food is lost after harvest, and 19 percent is wasted in homes, restaurants, and businesses. Reducing this waste is one of the most immediate ways to reduce emissions and improve access.

In terms of production, transformation involves working with nature. Livestock, soils, forests, fisheries, and water systems are under pressure. But each also holds part of the solution. Sustainable livestock strategies can reduce emissions without sacrificing livelihoods. Aquatic foods offer protein with a lower carbon footprint. Healthy soils store carbon, retain water, and support resilient yields. Forests and wetlands regulate the climate and sustain agriculture. These assets must be protected and restored if we are to produce food within the limits of the planet.

–And the role of governments, states?

–None of this can be achieved without better governance. Reliable information is needed to guide inclusive decisions and policies to ensure that benefits are distributed equitably. Efficiency must be balanced with equity. Social protection, education for women and girls, and investment in rural infrastructure are essential. Policies must align agriculture, health, climate, and trade, rather than acting in isolation.

Saturday, May 17, 3:30 PM: "Eat to Live or Eat to Die? On Food Safety," at the Teatro Colón Experimental Center. With Gabriela Parodi and María Priscila Ramos.