The world’s energy and food systems must be transformed to cope with growing demand; to become more inclusive, secure, and sustainable; and to come into alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The transformation pathways of the two systems are deeply entwined: Agri-food systems consume about 30% of the world’s energy, and a third of agri-food systems' emissions of greenhouse gases stem from energy use. The energy transition will directly affect the food system, and vice versa.

Food and energy systems also have a profound impact on society, economies and the environment, making them central to meeting multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Over 2.5 billion people worldwide rely on agriculture for their livelihoods making the sector a key driver for development. Energising the agri-food system by ensuring that reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy is available for primary production, post-harvest processing, storage and cooking is a key enabler of higher yields, increased incomes, lower losses and greater climate resilience. However, present patterns of energy use in agri-food systems point to regional disparities, lack of access to modern energy (especially in the developing world) and continuing dependence on fossil fuels.

The structure of energy consumption in food systems varies significantly between developing and developed countries. In the latter, about a quarter of total energy use occurs in the production stage (crop, livestock and fishery), 45% in food processing and distribution, and 30% in retail, preparation and cooking. In developing countries, a smaller share of energy is used on the farm and a greater share for cooking. In fact, about 35% of the population still used wood fuel for cooking in 2019, leading to health and environmental damage that is disproportionately borne by women and children.

Worldwide, energy consumption in agri-food systems increased by more than 20% between 2000 and 2018. A key driver of that growth was mechanisation in Asia in the form of irrigation pumps, farm machinery, processing equipment and inputs such as fertilisers. Energy use in Africa, which hosts around 15% of the global population and faces growing food demand, has remained largely constant, accounting for only about 4% of global energy consumption in agri-food systems. Limited access to energy at each step of the agri-food system limits the ability of farmers and agri-enterprises to raise productivity, cut losses and cope with a changing climate and other shocks.