Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.
U.N. Food Systems Summit Stocktake Kicks Off in a Few Days
From July 27–29, the second U.N. Food Systems Summit Stocktake will convene in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Four years after the inaugural summit launched a global push to transform how food is produced, distributed, and consumed, more than 3,000 delegates from around the world will assess whether those efforts are translating into meaningful change.
Co-hosted by Ethiopia and Italy, the meeting—referred to as UNFSS+4—will examine national progress on food systems transformation in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 2: ending hunger, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.
While over 120 countries have now developed national pathways, advocates express concerns about the slow pace of implementation. Food and agriculture systems “are finally on the global agenda,” Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, CEO and Managing Director of Food Systems for the Future, tells Food Tank. But heading into this year’s Stocktake, she says, “progress remains too slow.”
The summit arrives amid growing criticism. Civil society groups are boycotting the event, citing concerns over corporate influence and a lack of focus on urgent humanitarian crises. But FAO’s Corinna Hawkes hopes the Stocktake offers a crucial opportunity for solidarity, learning, and renewed commitment and hopes UNFSS+4 will create a greater sense of solidarity between countries.
Indigenous Vegetables See Greater Demand in Kenya
Kenya is experiencing a resurgence in demand for indigenous vegetables. Long marginalized and once dismissed as weeds, these nutrient-rich crops are now gaining recognition for their health benefits, climate resilience, and cultural importance.
A resurgence began in the early 2000s, as rising food prices, malnutrition, and concerns over chemical inputs led researchers and activists to investigate the nutritional and ecological benefits of indigenous crops. Studies highlighted their nutritional value, pest-resistance, low input needs, and climate resilience. Kenya also launched national initiatives to inventory traditional foods and document indigenous knowledge and practices.
Demand grew, farmers responded, and efforts to preserve traditional foodways took root. In 2021, the country was acknowledged by UNESCO for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.
Today, indigenous greens are more popular than imported varieties, despite higher costs, a restaurant near Nairobi tells BBC . Horticulture professor Mary Abukutsa-Onyango says production of these vegetables has doubled in the past decade, reaching 300,000 tons last year.
But efforts to scale up indigenous vegetable production in Kenya face legal hurdles. A law—introduced in 2012 to protect farmers from poor quality and counterfeit seeds—criminalizes the sale or exchange of uncertified seeds, carrying penalties of up to two years in prison or a US$7,700 fine, or both. Wambui Wakahiu, who trains farmers on seed conservation, tells the BBC that such policies do not support efforts to save indigenous crop varieties, as their seeds are not available in farm-supply shops.
But farmers are taking action. 15 smallholder farmers petitioned the High Court to challenge the law, arguing it makes seed access unaffordable. Meanwhile, chefs, farmers, researchers, and vegetable vendors see the demand and the benefits and they are committed to helping more eaters enjoy these once-overlooked crops.
Tanzania Launches a Digital Agricultural Extension System
Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture has launched e-Kilimo, a digital platform designed to help farmers—particularly in rural and remote areas—connect with certified extension officers for real-time, location-specific technical advice.
Accessible via a mobile app, the platform aims to improve productivity and enhance public sector responsiveness by bridging gaps in farm-level support. The system also includes a registry of agricultural input suppliers, enabling the government to trace product distribution and crack down on counterfeit seeds and agrochemicals.
To improve service delivery, e-Kilimo incorporates a performance evaluation system for extension agents, including mandatory feedback forms and annual reviews. “This is about protecting the farmer and safeguarding our national food security,” the Minister of Agriculture says.
Despite its promise, national adoption may face challenges. According to the International Telecommunication Union, only one-third of Tanzanians are online, and 75 percent live in rural areas where internet and smartphone access remains limited. Still, the government says it is optimistic and working toward wider platform uptake.
EPA Plans to Close its Scientific Research Arm
The U.N. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will close the Office of Research and Development (ORD), the arm of the agency that is responsible for providing scientific expertise for environmental policies and regulations.
The Office analyzes dangers posed by hazards including toxic chemicals, the climate crisis, water pollution, soil pollution, smog, wildfires, indoor air contaminants, watershed destruction, and drinking water pollutants. The Associated Press reports that as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists could be laid off.
The news has been expected since March, when the New York Times first reported on a leaked document calling for the closure of ORD. And in May, EPA said it would shift its scientific expertise and research efforts to program offices that focus on major issues like air and water.
Former EPA and ORD scientists argue that dismantling ORD will “jeopardize human and environmental health” and “weaken American science and global competitiveness.” They write that the Office “provides the scientific backbone for response and recovery—safeguarding human health, the environment, and the economy.”
And U.S. Members of Congress Chellie Pingree and Jeff Merkley writes that eliminating ORD will “have devastating consequences.” The decision, they say, “will weaken scientific oversight, eliminate critical regulatory safeguards, and give polluting industries unchecked influence over environmental policy and ultimately human health.”
In ORD’s place, the agency is creating a new Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions. Officials say that once fully implemented, it will save the EPA nearly US$750 million.
New Report Reveals Insufficient Progress to Reach Global Nutrition Targets
A new report from the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the World Bank reveals that there has been significant progress made in the last decade, but we are “still far from a world without malnutrition.”
The Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), released annually, track global trends in child stunting, overweight, underweight, wasting, and severe wasting. The latest edition of the JME show that wasting—the most life-threatening form of acute malnutrition—has declined from 50.9 million cases in 2012 to 42.8 million in 2023.
But rates of stunting, a condition where a child’s height is significantly below average for their age, remain high. There are 150.2 million children affected and just over a quarter of countries are on track to halve the number of children affected by stunting in 2030. And child overweight continues to affect nearly every region, with 35.5 million children under five classified as overweight—an increase of 2.2 million since 2000.
The agencies cite challenges in data collection and monitoring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflict, and declining development aid. In 20 percent of countries, there is insufficient data to assess progress. Without reliable data and sustained investment, the report stresses, countries risk reversing gains in child health and nutrition.
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Photo courtesy of Annie Spratt, Unsplash