• Sustainable finance

BNP Paribas and #GlobalGoals: contributing to sustainable farming to fight against hunger

On the occasion of the third “BNP Paribas and #GlobalGoals” conference organised by the BNP Paribas Group’s CSR department, spotlight on SDG n°2: Hunger Zero. Pierre-Marie Aubert, coordinator of Pubic Policies Initiative for farming in Europe at IDDRI, points out that the transformation of the food system is essential for reaching SSG 2.

What is SGG 2: “Hunger Zero”?

Despite significant progress in recent years, 795 million people around the world are still suffering from hunger, i.e. 10% of the global population. Volatility in food prices, political instability, natural disasters and climate change are all known factors that have been destabilising efforts in the past decade.

Malnutrition and famine remain topics for concern, particularly with a population that keeps growing. Worldwide food production will have to increase by 70% to feed 2.3 billion more people by 2050.

Five targets

  1. Put a stop to hunger worldwide
  2. Put a stop to all forms of malnutrition
  3. Double the productivity of small farmers for instance by safeguarding their access to land
  4. Develop sustainable, resilient food systems while maintaining ecosystems and facilitating adjustment
  5. Maintain genetic diversity in farming systems 

To reach these targets, several means have already been deployed: Farming investments must be increased particularly in rural areas, distortion of competition on global farming markets must be addressed and limited, the proper functioning of commodity and by-product markets must be ensured, and eating habits must change radically.

Pierre-Marie Aubert, Public Policies Initiative coordinator for farming in Europe at IDDRI

What should the role of financial players be? 

To meet this challenge, BNP Paribas has initiated various actions to help fight against hunger and contribute to more sustainable farming to satisfy these new needs: financing of the farming sector, development of investment products dedicated to this sector, support for associations, etc.

The financing of environmental and solidarity transition is based on two parallel movements:

  • Investing in virtuous initiatives
  • Divesting non-sustainable assets

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