A report published recently by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), claims that government’s support mechanisms for agriculture in many cases hinder the transformation towards healthier, more sustainable, equitable, and efficient food systems, thus actively steering those countries away from meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and targets of the Paris Agreement.

The report claims that almost 90% of the $540bn in global subsidies given to farmers every year are harmful and sets out a compelling case for repurposing this support by optimizing the use of scarce public resources, strengthening economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and ultimately driving a food systems transformation that can support global sustainable development commitments. Without such reform, the level of subsidies is on track to soar to $1.8tn (£1.3tn) a year by 2030, the report says, further harming human wellbeing and worsening the planetary crisis.

The report was produced ahead of the Food Systems Summit 2021 to be held in New York on 23 September.

For more information about the report and to download a copy visit this page.

To see the Guardian’s review of the report see here.

To find out about the Food Systems Summit 2021 see here.