The world’s rapidly expanding population, coupled with accelerated climate change, has sharpened focus on food security issues globally. Increasing demand for food, greater urbanisation of the world’s population and technological advances in the way that food is produced all point to a need for policies that promote efficient agri-economic activity while at the same time protecting the productive potential of the environment for future generations. The prosperity of local communities, based on sustainable social and economic models, will be in an increasing challenge in the context of greater intensification of production and urbanisation of populations.