First UNFSS Stocktaking moment: a call to accelerate food systems transformation

Many food systems are unsustainable and fail to ensure food security and offer affordable nutritious and healthy diets for all. To raise awareness of the urgency of food system transformation, and foster commitments for concrete actions, the UN convened a Food System Summit (UNFSS) in 2021. To review progress against commitments and actions taken during the UNFSS towards more sustainable food systems, the first Stocktaking Moment took place in July 2023.

The report of the General Secretary to the Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS + 2) gives an overview of activities performed since 2021. The report highlights that 126 countries adopted national pathways and 155 appointed food systems national convenors, demonstrating their sustained interest in and commitment to transforming food systems. (Publication #1). In his Call to Action to accelerate food systems transformation, six priorities are defined: i) Incorporating food systems strategies into all national policies; ii) Improving food systems governance; iii) Investing in research, data, innovation and technology capacities; iv) Deepening joined-up participatory design and implementation of context and place-based actions, inclusive of women, young people and indigenous peoples; v) Promoting increased engagement of businesses to shape the sustainability of food systems and establish and strengthen accountability mechanisms; vi) Ensuring access to short and long-term concessional finance, investments, budget support and debt restructuring. (Publication #2).It is expected that the coming 28^th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in November gives new impetus to food systems transformation as the Chair called on national governments to align their national food systems and agricultural strategies, with their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). (News #1)

The EC Knowledge Centre on Global Food and Nutrition Security dedicates a page to the UNFSS and post-summit actions, with a selection of key presentations and documents from the Stock-taking moment and summaries of country priority actions for their food systems transformation. The latter has been updated with reports presenting the priority actions per country in a condensed format for four further countries: Mauritania, Uganda, Kenya, and Niger.

Increasing urbanization is driving major changes in food systems across the rural-urban continuum

In light of the urgent need to accelerate food systems transformation, the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2023 brings new evidence on how increasing urbanization, with almost seven in ten people projected to live in cities by 2050, is driving changes in agrifood systems across the rural–urban continuum. These changes represent both challenges and opportunities to ensure everyone has access to affordable healthy diets. 

The report shows new evidence for 11 Western, Eastern and Southern African countries challenging the traditional thinking that food purchases make up a small share of rural households’ food consumption in Africa. New evidence also challenges the conventional thinking that purchase patterns between urban and rural areas differ markedly. Food purchases are surprisingly high across the rural–urban continuum in the 11 African countries studied, and consumption of processed foods, higher in urban areas, only declines gradually moving to peri-urban and rural areas. In the 11 African countries studied, despite the lower cost of a healthy diet in peri-urban and rural areas, affordability is still lower than in urban centres. It also shows that in many of these African countries studied, moderate or severe food insecurity across urban areas and peri-urban areas is similar to and sometimes even slightly higher than in rural areas. (Publication #3)

The World Food Programme acknowledges the need to tackle food insecurity in urban areas. WFP’s Urban Strategy provides a framework and strategic direction for its activities to meet urgent needs and to contribute systematically to achieving zero hunger in cities. Framing the problem, the report analyses the interrelated factors that are driving up the number of people facing food insecurity and malnutrition in urban settings. It shows how urbanisation is leading to the spatial concentration of risks and compounded vulnerability. As far as nutrition is concerned, the report analyses that this new and evolving urban food environment is creating a dichotomy where hunger and nutritional deficiencies coexist with obesity, sometimes within the same household. It finally shows that the urbanisation megatrend has important repercussions for productive land, and thus for food security and nutrition. The report stresses that while productive land and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and other value chain actors are threatened, the demand for food is expected to exponentially rise. (Publication #4)

Compelling evidence that agroecological practices can meet the demand for food while addressing multiple environmental and social goals

In light of the growing challenge for productive land to promote livelihoods for smallholder farmers and other local stakeholders, while meeting the demand for food, a pioneering new study conducted in collaboration with the Global Alliance for the Future of Food provides compelling evidence supporting agroecological natural farming as a transformative approach to nourishing communities and empowering farmers while advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). (News #2 & #3)

Andhra Pradesh Community-Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) is a state-wide agroecological transformation of the farming practices of its 6 million farmers over 6 million hectares and 50 million consumers. The study is the first of its kind to assess the true costs and benefits of natural farming against other counterfactual farming methods by measuring all major economic, social, and health impacts. The results show strong evidence that APCNF offers a better alternative to the existing farming systems. Importantly, this study shows that natural farming and agroecological transitions can comfortably feed communities with better yields and crop diversity than conventional farming methods, with important insights for policymakers in India and globally. The scale of APCNF demonstrates that agroecological practices can be scaled to meet the demand for food while addressing multiple environmental and social goals. (Publications #5 & #6)

On the “true cost accounting” methodology used in this study, CGIAR research initiative on nature-positive solutions stresses that it is a relevant approach for understanding the nature of hidden costs in food production, identifying the right policies that create incentives for economic actors to take up technologies and practices that help minimize them. (News #4)

Protecting forests from increased demand for agricultural land 

As the increasing demand for agricultural products is expected to increase demand for agricultural land and put additional pressure on forests, while changing climate patterns will affect food production, it is necessary to shift to a sustainable production that is not leading to further deforestation and forest degradation. 

In this context, the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) entered into force end of June with the objective of minimizing EU consumption of products coming from supply chains associated with deforestation or forest degradation, and increasing EU demand for and trade in legal and ‘deforestation free’ commodities and products. (Publication #7)

Under the Regulation, any operator or trader who places these commodities (soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa, coffee, rubber and some of their derived products, such as leather, chocolate, tyres, or furniture) on the EU market, or exports from it, must be able to prove that the products do not originate from recently deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation. (News #5, #6, #7, #8 & #9)

As far as cocoa is concerned, the EC Knowledge Centre on Global Food and Nutrition Security dedicates a specific page to the EU Sustainable Cocoa Initiative.