Crucial to adopt a Food Systems approach

Globally, almost 2 billion people do not have access to enough safe, nutritious food and, 690 million suffer from hunger. On World Food Day, Sean de Cleene, Head of Food Systems Initiative, at the World Economic Forum, comments on the need for multistakeholder collaborations for sustainable food systems.

 
At its current pace, the world is far behind in its race to ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030.

The cost of a healthy diet is sky-high for nearly a third of the world’s population. 20 million more people experienced food insecurity in 2020 than in 2019. The spread of Coronavirus accelerated the trend, but it started before the pandemic, due to conflict, economic shocks and extreme weather.

Beyond sustainable agriculture and food security alone, it is now crucial to adopt a ‘Food Systems’ approach, as demonstrated at the UN Food Systems Summit. Established in 2019, the Food Action Alliance is a stellar example of multistakeholder collaboration that aims to provide wide access to food, as well as improve environmental outcomes.

At the heart of public-private collaboration driven by innovation, the 100 Million Farmers platform set up by the World Economic Forum is transforming Food Systems at scale. Leveraging satellite and digital technologies, the initiative engages millions of farmers in devising reward mechanisms to incentivize farmers, and empower consumers for employing nature positive solutions.