Over the past century, enormous progress has been achieved worldwide in improving human welfare. Societies have changed radically thanks to quantum leaps in technology, rapid urbanization, and innovations in production systems. Yet conditions in today’s world are a far cry from the world ‘free of fear and want’ envisioned at the foundation of the United Nations. Similarly, much remains to be done to fulfil the vision of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): to create ‘a world free of hunger and malnutrition and one in which food and agriculture contribute to improving the living standards of all, especially the poorest, in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner’.