Moving Towards Sustainable Agriculture Through Higher Education
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2.2 Agriculture and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
Agriculture has a major role to play in all of the seventeen Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a continuation of the eight Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) adopted for fifteen years till 2015 (UN 2015), interlinking the three
main pillars of sustainable development: “economic growth, social inclusion and
environmental protection” (FAO 2017). These MDGs were replaced by the new
seventeen SDGs, which have been in place since 2016 and which will remain in
place till the year 2030 in view of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
(FAO 2017). This Agenda was adopted by all 193 members of the United Nations,
including Malta.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has the
task of targeting sustainable agriculture in view of all the SDGs, focusing on the
importance of cooperation and partnerships between the relevant stakeholders across
the globe. The main five strategic priorities of the FAO (2016 p. 21) in the 2030
Agenda are:
• To help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition
• To make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable
• To reduce rural poverty
• To enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems
• To increase the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises.
The FAO (2017) states that:
As the fundamental connection between people and the planet, sustainable food and agriculture are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda, without proper nourishment, children cannot
learn, people cannot lead healthy and productive lives, and societies cannot prosper. Without
nurturing our land and adopting climate-resilient agriculture, future generations will struggle
to feed a growing population (p. 5).
2.3 Education for Sustainable Development and Adult
Education: Role in Agriculture
Environmental adult education seeks to bring changes in people’s attitudes and
behaviours. It aims at bringing about a sense of transformation, in the way people
act and view the environment around them. Adult education plays a crucial role in
allowing participants to see the link between the social, political and the environment,
exploring each one and seeing the links between them as more of a holistic approach
(UNESCO 1997). Through this study, the researchers aimed to gather knowledge
on sustainable practices within the local agricultural community, seeking means of
understanding the farmer’s thoughts on sustainable practices.
UNISA (2015) discuss Paulo Freire’s belief of the ability of adult education to
bring about a sense of consciousness and the ability to critically become conscious
of one’s own situation while being able to act on a social and political level to bring
5
2.2 Agriculture and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
Agriculture has a major role to play in all of the seventeen Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a continuation of the eight Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) adopted for fifteen years till 2015 (UN 2015), interlinking the three
main pillars of sustainable development: “economic growth, social inclusion and
environmental protection” (FAO 2017). These MDGs were replaced by the new
seventeen SDGs, which have been in place since 2016 and which will remain in
place till the year 2030 in view of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
(FAO 2017). This Agenda was adopted by all 193 members of the United Nations,
including Malta.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has the
task of targeting sustainable agriculture in view of all the SDGs, focusing on the
importance of cooperation and partnerships between the relevant stakeholders across
the globe. The main five strategic priorities of the FAO (2016 p. 21) in the 2030
Agenda are:
• To help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition
• To make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable
• To reduce rural poverty
• To enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems
• To increase the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises.
The FAO (2017) states that:
As the fundamental connection between people and the planet, sustainable food and agriculture are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda, without proper nourishment, children cannot
learn, people cannot lead healthy and productive lives, and societies cannot prosper. Without
nurturing our land and adopting climate-resilient agriculture, future generations will struggle
to feed a growing population (p. 5).
2.3 Education for Sustainable Development and Adult
Education: Role in Agriculture
Environmental adult education seeks to bring changes in people’s attitudes and
behaviours. It aims at bringing about a sense of transformation, in the way people
act and view the environment around them. Adult education plays a crucial role in
allowing participants to see the link between the social, political and the environment,
exploring each one and seeing the links between them as more of a holistic approach
(UNESCO 1997). Through this study, the researchers aimed to gather knowledge
on sustainable practices within the local agricultural community, seeking means of
understanding the farmer’s thoughts on sustainable practices.
UNISA (2015) discuss Paulo Freire’s belief of the ability of adult education to
bring about a sense of consciousness and the ability to critically become conscious
of one’s own situation while being able to act on a social and political level to bring