Accelerating Sustainable Agri-Food Production and Processing in Post-Covid Recovery within Turkey’s Context

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic not only has halted our day-to-day life but has also slowed down our progress towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by imposing constraints in our social and economic lives. Hence, an all-hands approach in which stakeholders come together to ensure the implementation of the SDGs is essential for a post-pandemic recovery. As the SDGs are perceived as an invisible whole, it is eminent that synergies and tradeoffs exist within the different goals they present. This review paper explores the environmental-human linkage within SDG 2 and SDG 12 by focusing on optimizing the synergies between sustainable food production systems and resilient agriculture practices while addressing how to reduce the tradeoffs between these goals. The paper analyzes thematic focus areas such as resource utilization in the agri-food sector, food loss and waste management, IoT (Internet of Things) technologies and smart farming, the circular economic model for the agri-food industry, and food security. Moreover, the paper investigates specific targets and indicators for both SDG 2 and SDG 12 and explores these targets within the framework of proper food waste management; increased crop yield; sustainable food production methodologies; the effect of the food production sector on the environment; as well as efficient resource use including water, land, and Nitrogen in the context of Turkey