Food systems

Transforming food systems for all

What is a food system?

A food system includes all the aspects of feeding and nourishing people: growing, harvesting, packaging, processing, transporting, marketing and consuming food. It encompasses all the interactions between people and the natural world – land, water, the climate, etc. – and the natural world’s effects on human health and nutrition. It also includes the inputs, institutions, infrastructure and services that support the functioning of all these aspects, as well as the role of diets and cultural practices in shaping outcomes.

A food system is sustainable when it provides sufficient nutritious food for all without compromising the health of the planet or the ability of future generations to meet their own food and nutritional needs.

Why do food systems need to change?

Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, food systems faced enormous challenges. Hunger had been on the rise for several years, affecting up to 811 million people as of 2020, while healthy diets were unaffordable for at least 3 billion. Meanwhile, climate change was already affecting production, and the need to address concerns related to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental footprint was growing ever more urgent. And the role of food systems in the emergence of new infectious diseases – as a result of both the loss of biodiversity due to unsustainable practices and the damage to ecosystems that it caused – had already been acknowledged.

Now, because of the effects the pandemic has already had on our food systems – and because of the potential additional effects still to come – nearly one in three people in the world did not have access to adequate food in 2020 – an increase of almost 320 million people in just one year.

Furthermore, only 10 years remain until 2030 – the deadline for achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and many of the goals remain far out of reach. In many cases, unsafe or unsustainable food systems are part of the problem. For this reason, we need a transformation of our food systems.

What needs to happen to change our food systems?

Transforming our food systems would encompass fundamental changes and enhancements in the institutions, infrastructure, regulations and markets that shape them, and the resources invested into them, in a way that makes them more equitable and sustainable – from the perspectives of both the workers who derive their livelihoods from these systems and the consumers who purchase the food. This would allow food producers (and other workers within food systems) to sustainably provide nutritious food for all and to be adequately rewarded for their work, so that they do not themselves become vulnerable to hunger.

UN Food Systems Summit

In 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Food Systems Summit as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

There are five “action tracks” intended to highlight essential pathways for the transformation of food systems to support the SDGs. IFAD has been designated the UN Anchor Agency for Action Track 4, Advancing equitable livelihoods and value distribution.

IFAD’s main goals at the Summit will be to:

  • put small-scale farmers and other rural people at the heart of food systems transformation and of efforts to achieve the SDGs
  • use IFAD’s expertise and knowledge to advance discussions and contribute to action-oriented global commitments towards sustainable transformation of food systems.

Related events

Related events

Investing in youth for a sustainable future in agriculture and Food Systems: A dialogue on the way forward

March 2023 - EVENT
This event will discuss how the new EU-IFAD partnership agreements can be used to promote agro-ecological approaches and other sustainable agricultural practices among youth.

A shared pathway for financing food systems transformation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

October 2022 - EVENT
This event will discuss the role of Development Finance Institutions in assembling finance for food systems transformation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Opportunities, innovative practices, and priority areas will also be discussed.

Committee on World Food Security

October 2022 - EVENT
This session, CFS 50, will focus on the theme of “Global Responses to a Global Food Crisis – Leaving No One Behind" and the findings of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022.

Related news

Related news

Appel à propositions: Programme mondial pour les petits producteurs agroécologiques et la transformation durable des systèmes alimentaires (GP-SAEP) – Burkina Faso

May 2023 - NEWS
Le Burkina Faso a été sélectionné comme un des pays bénéficiaires pour la mise en œuvre du GP-SAEP en Afrique, en accord avec les bailleurs.

Appel à propositions: Programme mondial pour les petits producteurs agroécologiques et la transformation durable des systèmes alimentaires (GP-SAEP) – Madagascar

May 2023 - NEWS
Le Madagascar a été sélectionné comme un des pays bénéficiaires pour la mise en œuvre du GP-SAEP en Afrique, en accord avec les bailleurs.

The EU and IFAD join forces to support resilient and sustainable food systems

March 2023 - NEWS
Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, and Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD, signed two agreements today for a total of €70.7 million.

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Rural people rely on biodiversity. Here's how IFAD protects it

May 2023 - STORY
Biodiversity is especially important for small-scale farmers. Here’s how IFAD is further integrating it into projects all over the world.

Rural people make a beeline for prosperity

May 2023 - STORY
On World Bee Day, meet the pollinators buzzing to protect our planet and the rural people taking care of them.

Six proven ways to transform rural communities

March 2023 - STORY
After 40 years working with rural people, here are some of the things we have learned to make our work under IFAD13 a success.

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After the earthquake in Türkiye, rural people need more support than ever

April 2023 - BLOG
In southern Türkiye countless farming communities are suffering after losing their homes and livelihoods to the devastating earthquake that struck the country.

Tackling food loss for sustainable food systems

September 2022 - BLOG
Reducing food losses makes food systems more sustainable. Although the exact causes are different for every crop and in every country, there are plenty of avenues to prevent, detect, and reverse these losses.

A decade of progress for small-scale farmers in Cuba

September 2022 - BLOG
Marking ten years in Cuba, IFAD’s Country Director met small-scale farmers and partners to discuss progress made and what is yet to be done.

Related news

Related news

Appel à propositions: Programme mondial pour les petits producteurs agroécologiques et la transformation durable des systèmes alimentaires (GP-SAEP) – Burkina Faso

May 2023 - NEWS
Le Burkina Faso a été sélectionné comme un des pays bénéficiaires pour la mise en œuvre du GP-SAEP en Afrique, en accord avec les bailleurs.

Appel à propositions: Programme mondial pour les petits producteurs agroécologiques et la transformation durable des systèmes alimentaires (GP-SAEP) – Madagascar

May 2023 - NEWS
Le Madagascar a été sélectionné comme un des pays bénéficiaires pour la mise en œuvre du GP-SAEP en Afrique, en accord avec les bailleurs.

The EU and IFAD join forces to support resilient and sustainable food systems

March 2023 - NEWS
Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, and Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD, signed two agreements today for a total of €70.7 million.

Related publications

Related publications

Resilient Food Systems Programme Highlights 2022

May 2023
Resilient Food Systems promotes a holistic approach to enhancing agricultural productivity and restoring degraded landscapes in smallholder farming systems. This report showcases the achievements and innovations of the programme in 2022 across 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Research Series 85: Financing climate adaptation and resilient agricultural livelihoods

June 2022
Moving to a process that contributes to improving rather than endangering livelihoods is the challenge that climate change adaptation and resilience-building efforts currently face.

Research Series 82: Contributions of information and communication technologies to food systems transformation

June 2022
Using a food systems approach, this paper reviews existing evidence and discusses the conditions, rural population segments, and timelines needed to achieve desired outcomes.

Food Systems Contact

Contact information

 

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