FAO: Report “State of Food and Agriculture” 2024

Launch of FAO flagship State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2024 report

Online event, 8 November 2024, 12:30 CEST

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will launch its flagship State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2024 report at an online event on Friday 8 November.

In 2023, the report revealed that the global hidden costs of agrifood systems exceeded 10 trillion dollars.  The 2024 edition provides a refined understanding of the challenges. It delves deeper into the specific drivers of these costs and offers a more detailed breakdown of the health impacts. This includes an analysis of 13 dietary risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), providing valuable policy entry points for addressing these health burdens.

This marks the first time in FAO’s history that this flagship publication has been dedicated to the same theme for two consecutive years, underscoring the urgent need to transform agrifood systems for a sustainable future.

The 2024 edition also looks into value-driven transformation of agrifood systems taking a look at case studies using true cost accounting (TCA).  

Value-driven transformation entails making decisions and actions that enhance the value of agrifood systems to society at large – including for future generations. This value goes well beyond what is measured in gross domestic product (GDP), given that agrifood systems nourish us all and contribute to biodiversity conservation, carbon storage and sequestration, and cultural identity.

At the launch event, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu will deliver opening remarks, followed by a presentation of the report by FAO’s Agrifood Economics Division.

Interpretation will be provided in all UN languages.

If you wish to attend the event on Zoom please register here

You can also follow the event live on FAO webcast

Journalists may also request embargoed materials and one-on-one interviews with FAO experts.

Journalists & editors: For photos, audio clips, video material & b-roll, contact: (+39) 06 570 53625 or FAO-newsroom@fao.org.