The Food Systems Call to Action aims to accelerate action to transform food systems to deliver for people, nature, and climate.
Calling on all Non-State Actors (NSAs*) and governments to take urgent action to transform food systems to deliver for people, nature, and climate by 2030.
Food systems are remarkable, providing food for our global population and livelihoods for over 4 billion people. They form the socioeconomic and cultural backbone of many communities and countries. Food systems are context-specific and deeply enmeshed in peoples’ history, culture, daily lives, and livelihoods. Access to food is a fundamental human right, providing vital nutrients for health and well-being.
However, our current food systems are facing unprecedented and accelerating challenges. Hundreds of millions of people are hungry, and over 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. Food systems are both a cause and casualty of climate change; they are responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are highly vulnerable to climate impacts and other shocks and stresses, undermining food security and adaptation. Food systems are also the single largest driver of biodiversity loss and account for 70 per cent of global freshwater use.
Food systems comprise all the people, institutions, places and activities that play a part in growing, processing, transporting, selling, marketing and eating food. Food systems influence diets by determining what kinds of foods are produced; which foods are accessible, both physically and economically; and peoples’ food preferences. They are also critical to food and nutrition security, people’s livelihoods and environmental sustainability.
Delivery of a food systems approach that looks beyond agricultural production, and also addresses consumption, food loss and waste, biodiversity loss and land access and management is crucial for people, safeguarding food and nutrition security for current and future generations and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and for our climate (Paris Agreement), nature (Global Biodiversity Framework) and land goals (Convention to Combat Desertification).
Transformed, food systems can provide solutions to many of the problems we face. Resilient, sustainable and equitable food systems can safeguard food and nutrition security, build resilience to climate impacts, help to meet our climate mitigation needs, protect and restore nature and create prosperous and inclusive societies and economies.At COP 28, a diverse and powerful group of non-state actors came together to launch the Food Systems Call to Action for Transforming Food Systems for People, Nature and Climate (Food Systems CtA). Representing farmers and frontline communities, businesses, philanthropies, cities, consumers and many others, this broad coalition delivered a strong message to assembled world leaders and the global community gathered for the 28th Conference of Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that all actors must take urgent action to transform food systems to deliver positive outcomes for people, nature and climate.
Developed through a consultative process in 2023, the Food Systems CtA is a 2-page text, available in 7 languages, that highlights 10 priority actions and 4 principles intended to unlock the transformative potential of food systems. It centres on the need to support farmers and other frontline food systems actors, including women and youth, as well as vulnerable communities. Incorporating feedback from hundreds of individuals and entities, the final text was published on the High-Level Champions website along with an endorsement process. This process includes the submission of a Statement of Action for endorsers to emphasise additional priority points and detail the actions they are taking that are aligned with the CtA, thus promoting transparency and accountability. The full list of current endorsers is available on the High-Level Champions website. The full list of current endorsers is available here. The Food Systems CtA will remain open for endorsement by non-state actors until COP 30 in Belem.
As we move into the 3 Rio Conventions, hundreds of food systems actors are uniting around shared asks to accelerate action to achieve resilient, equitable and sustainable food systems, with a shared vision and goals by 2030, calling to:
Step 1: Entities endorse the Call to Action
Step 2: Entities submit a max. 300 word ‘Statement of Action’
*Non-State Actors include farmers and frontline food systems actors**, Indigenous Peoples, youth groups, civil society, businesses, financial institutions, research institutes, consumer groups, philanthropy, cities and many others.
**Frontline food systems actors is intended to be inclusive of farmers, farmworkers, fishers, pastoralists, ranchers, aquaculturists, forest-dependent people, food value chain workers, Indigenous Peoples, youth, women, and other people in vulnerable situations on the frontline of the food economy.
The Rwanda Fortified Whole Grain Program, launched in 2021 and supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, focuses on incorporating fortified whole grain (FWG) maize flour into school feeding programmes to enhance students’ nutritional intake.
The SEKEM Initiative, established almost 50 years ago, focuses on regenerative development through biodynamic and organic agriculture, along with socio-economic and cultural initiatives.
Danone, a global leader in the food industry, has launched an ambitious initiative to reduce methane emissions from its fresh milk supply chain by 30% by 2030, against a 2020 baseline, aligning with the Global Methane Pledge introduced at COP26.
Context: Reducing chemical use and soil disturbance is essential to preserve biodiversity, improve soil health, and promote more sustainable farming practices for long-term agricultural resilience. Partners: The Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), Anglian Water, The Country Trust. Duration: Ongoing (The case study does not specify exact start and end dates, but it reflects changes made […]
