Science and Innovations for Food Systems Transformation and Summit Actions: Papers by the Scientific Group and its partners in support of the UN Food Systems Summit

by Joachim von Braun, Kaosar Afsana, Louise O. Fresco and Mohamed Hassan (September 2021)

This Reader reports about the findings of the independent Scientific Group of the UN Food Systems Summit along with selected briefs prepared by its global partners.

Food Systems – Definition, Concept and Application for the UN Food Systems Summit

by Joachim von Braun, Kaosar Afsana, Louise O. Fresco, Mohamed Hassan, Maximo Torero (March 2021)

The UN Food Systems Summit seeks to alter food systems to be healthier, safer, more sustainable, more efficient, and more equitable. This paper aims to inform the public and stakeholders interested in the Summit about concepts and definitions of food systems and determinants of their change.

Healthy diet – A definition for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021

by Lynnette M Neufeld, Sheryl Hendriks, Marta Hugas (March 2021)

The aim of this document is to propose a definition of healthy diets and related evidence, thus permitting the alignment of terminology for the UN Food Systems Summit.

Action Track 1 – Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All Through

by Sheryl Hendriks, Jean-François Soussana, Martin Cole, Andrew Kambugu, David Zilberman (March 2021)

Action Track 1 offers an opportunity to bring together the crucial elements of food safety, nutrition, poverty and inequalities in the framework of food systems in the context of climate and environmental change to ensure that all people have access to a safe and nutritious diet. This paper highlights the requirements for the transformation of the food systems.

Action Track 2 – Shift to Healthy and Sustainable Consumption Patterns

by Mario Herrero, Marta Hugas, Uma Lele, Aman Wira, Maximo Torero (April 2021)

Action Track 2 works to catalyse a shift in consumer behaviour that will create and build demand for sustainably produced agri- and ocean food products, strengthen shorter value chains, promote circular use of food resources, helping to reduce waste and improve nutrition, especially among the most vulnerable. This paper reveals that without shifts in consumption patterns towards health and sustainability, we will lose the opportunity to reposition food as our best bet for improving health and regenerating the environment.

Action Track 3 – Boost Nature Positive Production

by Elizabeth Hodson, Urs Niggli, Kaoru Kitajima, Rattan Lal, Claudia Sadoff (April 2021)

This paper provides a high-level overview of evidence in favour of nature-positive food systems, discussing opportunities and challenges associated with sustainable, efficient agricultural production with a view to concrete policy suggestions. The transition to nature-positive food systems is slowed or made impossible by numerous agronomic, economic and social challenges, which are compounded by deficits in knowledge systems. It also stressed that today’s food systems are “net nature-negative”, but they can, and must, become “nature-positive.”

Action Track 4 – Advance Equitable Livelihoods

by Lynnette M. Neufeld, Jikun Huang, Ousmane Badiane, Patrick Caron, Lisa Sennerby Forsse (March 2021)

Food systems transformation provides the opportunity to shift current trends in all forms of malnutrition, prioritizing nutritious food availability and affordability for all. This paper argues that the most effective way to sustainably eradicate poverty and inequality is to boost the opportunities and capacities of the poor and those living in situations of vulnerability, through redistributing resources more equitably, ensuing quality education, progressive and not regressive taxation, state infrastructure investments among other approaches.

Action Track 5 – Building Resilience to Vulnerabilities, Shocks and Stresses

by Thomas W. Hertel, Ismahane Elouafi, Frank Ewert and Morakot Tanticharoen (March 2021)

Action Track 5 aims to ensure food system resilience in the face of increasing stresses from climate change, population growth and conflict over limited natural resources. This paper has identified five distinct capacities that are key to a resilient food system in the face of these shocks: (i) to anticipate, (ii) to prevent, (iii) to absorb, (iv) to adapt to an evolving risk and (v) to transform in cases where the current food system is no longer sustainable.

Inception Report

January 2021

Synthesis Report 1

May 2021

Executive Summary:  العربية | 中文 | Français | Русский | Español

Synthesis Report 2

July 2021

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Synthesis Report 3

September 2021

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Interim Synthesis Report 1

April 2021

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Synthesis Report 2

July 2021

Executive Summary:  العربية | 中文 | Français | Русский | Español

Synthesis Report 3

September 2021

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Executive Summary:  العربية | 中文 | Français | Русский | Español

Synthesis Deep Dive Reports

September 2021

A deeper dive into the perspectives of several key stakeholder groups: Indigenous Peoples, smallholder farmers and other small-scale producers, youth, and women.

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Global Dialogues Report

October 2021

This summary provides key highlights from each Global Dialogue, listed in chronological order.