Facing the crisis and growing uncertainties, can science and societies reinvent agricultural and food systems to achieve sustainability?
The world is changing rapidly. At a time of increasing global threats including climate change, the scarcity or degradation of resources, and population growth, the current economic crisis has triggered unpredictable short-term consequences, such as the aggravation of poverty, the contracting of export markets, and the tightening of credit and development funds. However, in the long term, the crisis may offer new opportunities, such as reducing the use of fossil fuels, moving towards more climate friendly types of production, encouraging regional integration and cooperation between science and societies. In this global context, agriculture and the food sector face an uncertain future, especially in some regions of the globe, and technical and political choices could play a determining role in ensuring the welfare of rural populations and avoiding social exclusion and environmental degradation. The crisis has led to a situation of rupture, questioning realities that were previously take
