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Knowledge Centre for Global Food and Nutrition Security

We support the EU global commitment to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition through a dedicated, reinforced science-policy interface and a fostered inter-policy dialogue.

Page | Last updated: 10 Jan 2025

Selection of publications on “Sustainable Food Systems”

This section provides a selection of recent key publications on Sustainable Food Systems.

Strengthening urban and peri-urban food systems to achieve food security and nutrition, in the context of urbanization and rural transformation

HLPE - 2024

This report drafted by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN), addresses the challenges and opportunities related to food security in urban and peri-urban areas amidst rapid urbanization. It emphasizes the need for specific policies to handle the rising urban population, highlighting that 1.7 billion of the world's 2.2 billion food-insecure people live in these areas. The report provides a comprehensive overview of urban food systems, their impact on overall food security, and the necessity of coordinated governance and actionable policy recommendations.

The Economics of the Food System Transformation

Food System Economics Commission - 2024

The report is about the urgent need for a transformation of current food systems, which have negative impacts on health, the environment, and climate change. It discusses the potential economic benefits of such a transformation, estimated at 5 to 10 trillion USD a year, and highlights the unaccounted costs of current systems, estimated at 15 trillion USD a year. The report also proposes solutions for food system transformation, including shifting consumption patterns towards healthy diets, repurposing government support for agriculture, targeting revenue from new taxes, innovating to increase labor productivity, and scaling-up safety nets.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2024: Value-driven transformation of agrifood system

FAO - 2024

Building on the 2023 edition, the State of Food and Agriculture 2024" report confirms that hidden costs within global agrifood systems amount to approximately $12 trillion annually. Of this figure, around 70 percent arise from unhealthy dietary patterns and are linked to alarming non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, far exceeding the costs related to environmental degradation and social inequalities.

The state of food systems worldwide in the countdown to 2030

Nature - 2023

This Analysis presents a developed food system indicator framework and holistic monitoring architecture to track food system transformation towards global development, health and sustainability goals. Five themes are considered: (1) diets, nutrition and health; (2) environment, natural resources and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience. In total, 50 indicators are selected. The Food Systems Countdown Initiative will track food systems annually to 2030, amending the framework as new indicators or better data emerge.

Rapid Evidence Assessment: The role of smallholder producers and small and medium-sized enterprises across the Food Systems Summit action tracks

IFAD - 2023

This paper attempts to analyze the role that smallholder producers and Small and Medium-sized Agrifood Enterprises (SMAE) play in global food systems along the Action Tracks articulated by the UN Food System Summit.

Food systems and planetary goals: two inseparable policy agendas

Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition - 2023

The brief of the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition highlights the extent to which current action to transform food systems falls short of what is required to avoid major impacts in the future. Fundamental changes in approach are proposed to address the current situation. In particular, the brief advocates for an alignment between national food systems transformation pathways and the wider 1.5+ agenda (to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C).

Food Systems and Diets: A Handbook of Essential Policies

Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition - 2023

This handbook of essential policies is an accumulation of the Global Panel’s policy briefs to date and aims to provide a body of knowledge on how food systems can be transformed so they are more sustainable and provide the foods that promote healthier diets, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

The status of women in agrifood systems

FAO - 2023

The status of women in agrifood systems new report by FAO goes beyond agriculture to provide a comprehensive picture of the status of women working across agrifood systems— from production to distribution and consumption.

Food, Nature and Health Transitions − Repeatable Country Models

WEF - 2023

This report offers insights into the actions and investments that can accelerate a country’s transition towards sustainable food systems. These insights are drawn from successful transformations observed over a few decades in a handful of diverse countries.

The future of food and agriculture – Drivers and triggers for transformation

FAO - 2022

The fundamental message of this report is that it is still possible to push agrifood systems along a pattern of sustainability and resilience, if key “triggers” of transformation are properly activated: improved governance; increased consumer awareness; better income and wealth distribution; widespread technological, social and institutional innovations. The report stresses that the development paths followed by high-income countries are not replicable in low- and middle-income countries.

Global food-miles account for nearly 20% of total food-systems emissions

Nature Food - 2022

Global food-system emissions are estimated at 15.8 GtCO2e, equating to 30% of the world’s GHG emissions. The research shows that transport accounts for about 19% of total food-system emissions and conclude that to mitigate the environmental impact of food, a shift towards plant-based foods must be coupled with more locally produced items, mainly in affluent countries.

Global food policy report: Climate change and food systems  

IFPRI - 2022

The report focuses on innovations and policy approaches that show potential to address climate change in food systems while also increasing productivity, improving diets, and advancing inclusion of vulnerable groups. These range from new crop varieties, clean energy sources, and digital technologies to trade reforms, landscape governance, and social protection programs.

Science and Innovations for Food Systems Transformation

2023

This Open Access book compiles the findings of the Scientific Group of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 and its research partners. The Scientific Group was an independent group of 28 food systems scientists from all over the world with a mandate from the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The chapters provide science- and research-based, state-of-the-art, solution-oriented knowledge and evidence to inform the transformation of  contemporary food systems in order to achieve more sustainable, equitable and resilient  systems.

How to Transform Food Systems - 7 Calls to Action

Global Alliance for the Future of Food - 2021

This publication lists 7 calls to action to transform food system in the following fields: Inclusive, participatory governance; research for the public good; accounting for the environmental, social, and health impacts of food systems; unlocking investments – both public and private – toward ecologically-beneficial forms of farming, nutritious, sustainable, whole-food diets, and resilient livelihoods and communities.

Food system impacts on biodiversity loss. Three levers for food system transformation in support of nature

CHATAM, UNEP - 2021

After having recalled that agriculture has been the principal cause of biodiversity loss, the report introduces the so-called ‘cheaper food’ paradigm: The more food produced, the cheaper food becomes, and the more consumed (and wasted). Low food prices, due to an externalisation of environmental and social costs, has simultaneously encouraged the greater consumption of resource-intensive foods (such as animal products) and of calorie-dense, nutritionally poor foods. The result has been a rapid rise in the incidence of overweight and obesity alongside continued micronutrient deficiency in low-income countries as well as high-income ones..

Agrifood systems in nationally determined contributions: Global analysis

FAO - 2024

This new analysis from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) finds that almost all countries identify agrifood systems as a priority for climate change adaptation (94 percent) and mitigation (91 percent) in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This highlights the tremendous potential of agrifood systems as climate solutions, especially as countries prepare to submit their third round of NDCs in 2025.

Catalysing science-based policy action on sustainable consumption and production: the value-chain approach and its application to food, construction and textiles  

UNEP - 2021

The report provides an overview of the food value chain and identifies the key hotspots as well as opportunities to address them. While the majority of natural resource use and environmental impacts takes place at the primary production stage, primary producers have a limited ability to shape food systems and change their production practices. The middle stages of the food value chain – comprising food companies, retail and food services - are structurally powerful and to a large degree shape both what food farmers produce and sell and what food consumers buy and eat. Most policy measures address either primary production or individual consumption stages and less on the middle stages of the food value chain. There is an opportunity to build on ongoing initiatives at the food processing, retail and food services – in particular through the sustainable tourism, sustainable procurement and consumer information programmes.

Making Better Policies for Food Systems

OECD - 2020

This report contributes to making better policies for food systems by focusing on three sets of questions: What has been the actual performance of food systems around the world, and what has been the role of policies? How should policy makers go about designing policies that are coherent across different dimensions such as food security and nutrition, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability? What are common factors complicating the task of achieving better policies, and what can be done about them?

Transformation of our food systems: The making of a paradigm shift 

2020

In the book, 40 international experts set out the highlights and trends in food production since 2009, when the ground-breaking International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report on global agriculture was published. The book presents the results of 13 landmark scientific reports published over the past decade, and 15 updates on topics not sufficiently covered in the initial IAASTD report. It calls for a radical transformation of food systems, backed-up by a strong political will, able to address power of imbalances and system lock-ins and, participatory democratic processes. Agroecology, healthy diets, and different trade and marketing systems are seen as the main players in this long-awaited food systems transformation.

Future Food Systems: For people, our planet, and prosperity - Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition  

Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition - 2020

After having depicted the reasons why food systems must undergo a process of transition to deliver sustainable and healthy diet (malnutrition, human health, natural resource degradation, and climate change), the report makes concrete recommendations on the practical steps which need to be taken in a process of transition to make fundamental changes to food systems.

Food security and nutrition: building a global narrative towards 2030

HLPE - 2020

The report reviews current trends, challenges and potential opportunities in food system. It draws potential policy directions to support a radical transformation of food systems to improve food and nutrition Security and achieve the Agenda 2030.

World Bank. Addressing Food Loss and Waste: A Global Problem with Local Solutions  

World Bank - 2020

This report looks at the food supply chain to analyze in greater depth what drives Food Loss and Waste (FLW), how reducing FLW would reverberate through the food system, and how it would contribute to policy goals of economic efficiency, food security, farmers’ incomes, and trade. The report explores the policy options  and proposes key elements for action when developing a country-level FLW strategy.

Africa pathway to food systems transformation: Challenges and opportunities

IFPRI - 2024

This paper explores the pathways to transforming food systems in Africa, focusing on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. It examines the current state of food systems, highlighting issues such as food and nutrition security, environmental degradation, low agricultural productivity, limited availability and adoption of yield-increasing technologies, high malnutrition rates, violent conflicts and threats to peace and security, and inadequate governance. The paper emphasizes the need for policy reform, technological innovation, and capacity building to drive sustainable and inclusive food systems. Key drivers of change include policies promoting sustainable practices, increased funding for agricultural research, and improved market access through infrastructure development and trade policies.

Agroecological and other innovative approaches for sustainable agriculture and food systems that enhance food security and nutrition  

HLPE - 2019

Sustainable food systems are needed to ensure appropriate food production and reduce losses and waste, while also safeguarding human and environmental health, political stability and better livelihoods with less environmental consequences. This report and its recommendations aim at presenting decision-makers, in the different “spheres of society”, with evidence on the potential contribution of agroecological and other innovative approaches, practices and technologies to design and implement sustainable food systems that contribute to food and nutrition security.

Sustainable healthy diets: Guiding principles 

FAO and WHO - 2019

Acknowledging the existence of diverging views on the concepts of sustainable diets and healthy diets, countries have requested guidance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on what constitutes sustainable healthy diets. These guiding principles take a holistic approach to diets; they consider international nutrition recommendations; the environmental cost of food production and consumption; and the adaptability to local social, cultural and economic contexts.

Food systems at risk. New trends and challenges

FAO, CIRAD, EC - 2019

The report proposes a conceptual framework for food systems and takes stock of the current and future risks and challenges.

Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT – Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems

The Lancet Commissions - 2019

Achieving healthy diets from sustainable food systems for everyone will require substantial shifts towards healthy dietary patterns, large reductions in food losses and waste, and major improvements in food production practices. This universal goal for all humans is within reach but will require adoption of scientific targets by all sectors to stimulate a range of actions from individuals and organisations working in all sectors and at all scales.

Nutrition and food systems. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security, Rome

HLPE - 2017

The conceptual framework proposed by the HLPE identifies three interacting elements of food systems, i.e. food supply chains, food environments and consumer behaviour. It highlights the central role of the food environment (i.e. the physical, economic, political and socio-cultural context in which each consumer engages with the food system) in facilitating healthy and sustainable consumer food choices. Further, the report calls for radical transformations. Within such a perspective, it presents effective policies and programmes that have the potential to shape food systems, contributing to improved food security and nutrition. 

Food from the Oceans - How can more food and biomass be obtained from the oceans in a way that does not deprive future generations of their benefits?

EC, High Level Group of Scientific Advisors - 2017

How can more food and biomass be obtained from the oceans in a way that does not deprive future generations of their benefits? This is the question which is addressed in the report by the Scientific Committee. Sustainable aquaculture (with diversification to lower trophic levels -invertebrates and algae) and "capture" are pointed out as the way to bring about such an increase. However, the Committee stresses that important improvements in the management of capture fisheries are necessary to sustainably increase this vital source of nutrition and livelihood for a significant proportion of the global population. A key recommendation from the Scientific Committee is to integrate aspects of EU fisheries and mariculture policy into a food systems framework and to prioritise the food-generating capacity of the ocean in international policy initiatives such as the UN's Agenda 2030.

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