The term “sustainable agriculture” has been in use since the late 1980s, and still remains a challenge. The three key challenges facing agriculture is:
-to provide safe and nutritious food to a population that grows from 7.5 billion people today, to nearly 10 billion by 2050. 
-to provide a livelihood to farmers and  people work in food-related jobs.
-to provide all these respecting the planetary boundaries, without leading to natural resources shrinking, deforestation, additional GHG emissions, and a loss of biodiversity.

These challenges must be tackled together if we are to make sustainable progress in any of them so as to have positive effects and avoid unintended impacts on other objectives. That's why all agree that sustainable agriculture is a team sport that requires partnerships with all involved in getting food from farm to fork, so as to implement innovative and environment friendly practices that support healthy soil, water quality and flourishing pollinator habitat.

New transformative global agendas might help to address the aforementioned challenges:

-the 2030 Agenda that covers a wide array of issues across 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve sustainable development. It is based on principles of universality (as it involves all countries, rich and poor), indivisibility (the Agenda focuses on several goals simultaneously) and inclusivity (since its implementation requires a multi-stakeholder approach, including the private sector and civil society). 

-the Paris Climate Agreement that is a global treaty that seeks to limit climate change through adaptation and mitigation (decrease in greenhouse gas emissions).

-the European Green Deal

Food and agriculture are at the heart of these agendas. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also developed a common vision for sustainable food and agriculture, based on five principles:

1) Improved efficiency in the use of resources;

2) Conservation, protection and enhancement of natural resources;

3) Improved rural livelihoods and social well-being;

4) Enhance resilience of people, communities and ecosystems to climate change and threats;

5) Responsible and effective governance mechanisms.

The vision addresses the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic and environmental. Those principles are fully in line with all the global agendas and, as such, should be implemented altogether and in a synergistic way -supported by policy makers at a country level- so as to spread awareness and implement transformations about sustainable agriculture production.

So

What can policy makers do to address these important challenges, taking into account their interconnectedness?  
Which are the obstacles that stand in the way of overcoming these challenges and how can we overcome them?

Please make use of the given links so as to be better informed, take a look at this case study article, and explore some topics in sustainable agriculture, so as to present your answers to the above questions and some key drivers of transition towards sustainable agriculture in the following padlet:

You are encouraged to take a look to this board game designed by the students of EK Nafpaktou. Hope you will enjoy!