Transforming food systems for a healthy planet and healthy people

In July 2023, the United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2) convened representatives from over 180 countries to review progress on their commitments and reaffirm their determination to transform food systems. UNFSS+2 underlined the importance of addressing the challenges and bottlenecks facing food systems, to respond to rising levels of hunger and malnutrition, while reducing their environmental footprint. 

FAO, alongside The Nature Conservancy and UNDP, organized the Food Systems Transformation Pathways side event at the Seventh Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly to highlight various ways that countries and communities can transform their food systems to foster a healthy planet and healthy people.

In his opening remarks, IFAD Director of Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion, Juan Carlos Mendoza, commended GEF's efforts to assist countries in transforming their food systems, in light of the urgency of environmental and hunger crises. “Current food systems are failing people, with over 3 billion with no access to healthy diets, but also failing the planet by driving climate change, biodiversity and land degradation”.

Peter Umunay, a Senior Environment Specialist at the GEF, highlighted the urgency of transforming food systems amidst population growth, rising food demand, and shifting dietary preferences towards increased protein consumption. He emphasized the importance of avoiding trade-offs, optimizing investments across supply chains, adopting technology, and fostering multi-stakeholder dialogues to effectively address global challenges.

Speakers such as Ying Li, Agriculture Director at The Nature Conservancy China, emphasized the preservation of ecosystems and natural resources – especially soil – for their ability to sequester carbon and safeguard biodiversity. She underscored regenerative agriculture as a means to enhance resilience against extreme weather events, with a stark reminder that 2030 is only six years away, offering farmers limited opportunities to adopt sustainable practices.

Hayden Romano, Managing Director of the Environmental Management Authority in Trinidad and Tobago, acknowledged the vulnerability of small island developing states in achieving food security and nutrition, given their heavy reliance on food imports. He detailed measures taken by Caribbean countries to reduce food import bills by 25 percent before 2025, focusing on building resilience and averting market fluctuations and surging food prices.

Tiffany Waters, Global Aquaculture Manager at The Nature Conservancy, presented restorative aquaculture as a solution that could be scaled up to restore ecosystems, generate income, and bolster food security and nutrition. She emphasized the potential of aquaculture in coastal areas to empower women, contribute to household food security and nutrition, and reduce environmental impacts compared to other production systems.

The event strongly emphasized the pivotal role of smallholder farmers in food systems transformation and the necessity of including farmers in discussions. Elisabeth Nsimadala, President of the East African Farmers Federation, stressed the need to empower farmers, facilitate access to financial support, markets, and information, and create an enabling environment that promotes gender equality.

Drawing on a FAO-led GEF-6 project in Mexico, Arturo Arreola, President of IDESMAC Mexico, highlighted the importance of preserving local and nutritious foods by placing culture at the center to safeguard biodiversity and adapt to climate change. The conservation of genetic diversity through seed banks, as well as market engagement and consumer awareness campaigns, have helped to support the accessibility and adoption of these commodities, effectively preserving agrobiodiversity and traditional diets, while reducing the consumption of ultraprocessed foods and beverages.

Ngonidzashe Chirinda, Climate Change Panel Member at the GEF Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel, presented an innovative solution linking energy and agriculture. Agrivoltaics, combining solar panels with crop production, was showcased as a means to provide shade to crops and improve water retention while simultaneously enhancing the efficiency of solar panels. These synergies offer energy to farmers, reduce land clearing, and diversify farmers' income streams.

FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo commended the diversity of speakers, the broad spectrum of ecosystems discussed, and the innovative solutions presented during the event. She emphasized the critical need to disseminate and spotlight these solutions as guiding principles for food systems transformation. The overarching goal is to ensure the provision of safe and nutritious foods to all while safeguarding the planet's health. Maria Helena Semedo underscored the significance of addressing both production and consumption to effectively address malnutrition and minimize the environmental impact of food systems.

The side event was part of FAO's broader engagement at the GEF Assembly to present proven food systems solutions for a healthy planet and healthy people. FAO covered a range of topics, including Land Degradation Neutrality, biodiversity, climate change, gender equality, green cities, and food systems. The Assembly also saw the release of an FAO publication aimed at supporting the realization of nutritional benefits alongside environmental improvements in GEF projects.