The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently released a report entitled “Transforming Food and Agriculture Through a Systems Approach.” Published ahead of the U.N. Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake (UNFSS+4), this food systems transformation report tries to lay the groundwork for governments to make unified, strategic efforts in addressing mounting food security challenges globally.
The report, authored by Corinna Hawkes, Director of the Food Systems and Food Safety Division at the FAO, aims to demystify an interconnected approach to transforming food and agriculture. Hawkes argues that systems thinking isn’t a buzzword; it’s a necessary shift if the world hopes to solve overlapping food, health, and environmental challenges.
Hawkes links this call for transformation to her high expectations for the upcoming UNFSS+4. This year’s event provides an opportunity for countries to reflect on progress since the 2021 U.N. Food Systems Summit and first Stocktake in 2023, and align on next steps for food system reform.
UNFSS+4 “will create a greater sense of solidarity between countries,” Hawkes tells Food Tank. She also shares that, “at a deeper level, this is what I believe is key to multilateralism: a sense, a feeling that it’s better to work together on issues of common interest, and there is so much that can be learned from each other.”
This spirit of collaboration and shared learning is at the heart of “Transforming Food and Agriculture Through a Systems Approach.” The report argues that real progress requires interconnected, system-wide solutions. And it highlights case studies, called “pockets of progress,” from around the globe to show where this is already happening.
Ethiopia, for example, has brought different ministries together to create a holistic plan that improves food systems, health, and sustainability since 2021. Supported by cross-ministerial coordination and monitoring aligned with national, regional, and global goals, the country is now sharing lessons learned from the process. And in Switzerland, the government worked to improve agrifood policy by applying true cost accounting to expose hidden social, environmental, and economic costs—fostering transparent, evidence-based decisions across sectors.
This food systems transformation report highlights six core elements to help policymakers and practitioners think, organize, and act differently. These include systems thinking, systems knowledge, systems governance, systems doing, systems investment, and systems learning.
The approach the report advocates for begins with systems thinking, Hawkes writes. Practitioners start a systems approach by identifying how different parts of agrifood systems connect and who needs to be involved. It helps build a shared vision and pinpoint key opportunities for change. Systems thinking relies on systems knowledge, which draws on diverse evidence to uncover root causes, anticipate impacts, and support better decision-making.
Effective systems governance coordinates sectors, shares leadership, and addresses power imbalances to unite efforts and ensure equity. Furthermore, systems doing focuses on aligning actions, policies, and programs to work together smoothly, maximizing impact rather than working in silos. Systems investment can provide the long-term funding needed for transformation. And systems learning embeds ongoing monitoring, adaptation, and knowledge-sharing to improve strategies over time. This can help governments respond to the ever-changing complexities of agrifood systems.
Overall, the six elements aim not just to inform, but to guide concrete, coordinated action. And Hawkes believes that the momentum to employ this systems based approach is growing. “Countries are not about starting from the beginning – they are already making the shift, as the examples in the report show,” she tells Food Tank.
Hawkes emphasizes that she wants to see the report support that shift in mindset and action: “I hope this report stimulates policymakers and practitioners to ask the question: What does taking a systems approach mean for what we need to do differently? What does it mean to me?”
Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.
Photo courtesy of Chantal Garnier, Unsplash