Highlights:

Food system transformation is needed for "safeguarding food security and ending hunger, and the particular vulnerabilities of food production systems to adverse impact of climate change”.

To sustain this transformation the recommendations include:

PILLAR 1: HEALTHY SOILS MAKE FOOD PRODUCTION SYSTEM SUSTAINABLE

• Avoid soil health degradation, reduce degradation and restore soil health, caring is better than curing.
• Assess current soil health conditions to design appropriate food systems transformation planning: doing the right thing at the right place.

PILLAR 2: AGROECOLOGICAL PRACTICES MAKE SOILS HEALTHY

• Disseminate and scale-up agroecological practices and approaches to leave no one behind.
• Subsidize agroecological transformations in the long term.
• Anchor agroecological transformative pathways in public policies.
• Thoroughly document the impacts of agroecological practices.

PILLAR 3: AGROECOLOGICAL PRACTICES MAKE SOILS HEALTHY

• Strengthen the multi-stakeholder arena where: 
  • Consultation tools are implemented (participatory science, living labs, decision-making tools).
  • The skills of all the stakeholders are strengthened to stimulate interdisciplinarity and multi-stakeholder dialogue.
  • Public-private partnership is being stimulated.

PILLAR 4: SCIENCE-BASED METHODOLOGIES MAKE TRANSFORMATION ASSESSMENT RELIABLE

• Develop metrics and associated MRV tools by gathering expertise and experience from scientists, policymakers, and other stakeholders (smallholders’ farmers and other stakeholders).
• Develop ad hoc methodologies, indicators, and metrics to effectively communicate the concept of soil health to a wide audience.
• Address data and research gaps.
• Make stakeholders account for uncertainties as part of the decision process.