The Agricultural Outlook 2018‑2027 is a collaborative effort of the OECD and FAO, that provides an assessment of the ten‑year prospects for agricultural and fish commodity markets in the context of achieving the SDG targets and the commitments made in the UNFCCC’s 2015 Paris Agreement.
The Report underscores the role of enabling policy environment, that is a crucial condition to achieve the SDGs and make progress towards zero hunger, particularly in the context of climate change. The special focus of the Report is on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).This region is characterized by fragility and political instability, which undermine food security. In the context of water scarcity in the region (most countries in the MENA region fall below the generally accepted water scarcity), further compounded by the
expected impact of more frequent extreme climate-related events, there is a need to improve the resilience and sustainability of food systems in times of conflict, to valorise resources which are becoming ever more fragile and scarce, – says the Report.
The Report underscores the potential positive impact of the policies and technologies on the agricultural production both in terms of sustainability and production output. Policies to mitigate climate change could impact agriculture, in particular ruminant production, which contributes to methane emissions. And developments of new technologies such as digital and precision agriculture or new plant breeding techniques could improve agricultural productivity beyond the rate currently projected in the Outlook. At the same time the Report suggests that eventhough the policies play an important role in the structural change of the markets, the policies will remain as they are throughout the projection period.
