GA at UN: Food Systems

During the Food Systems and Nutrition Patterns: Biodiversity, Resilience, and Food Security UN HLM session, panelists shared strategies for improving how our global food systems operate. A central theme of this session included sustainable food production and distribution. That is, critically evaluating the methods for how food is grown, harvested, raised, fished, etc., and the effects these methods have on the environment.

Improvements being made in the realm of sustainable food systems and malnutrition were highlighted by panelist Dr. Howard Shapiro’s discussion on his project with The African Orphan Crop Consortium (AOCC) and The African Plant Breeding Academy in West Africa. These projects teach and utilize genetic sequencing technologies to advance the types of crops that are grown and harvested in Africa (i.e., more nutrient-dense crop seeds are prioritized and improved). The goal of this work is to increase the region’s degree of agrobiodiversity and establish a more resilient grow-harvest system.

Agrobiodiversity was a term that came up throughout all panelist discussions, which reflects that resilient and sustainable systems go hand in hand with diversifying, adapting, and improving current methods being used worldwide. For instance, the panelist Dr. Remans, a research scientist, highlighted that 75% of the global food supply comes from just 12 plants and 5 animal species. Currently, as a global community, our food systems are not diverse enough (i.e., focusing on crop yield versus crop sustainability and diversity is not viable), and this will result in less resilient and sustainable systems in the years to come. Without improving our food systems now, we risk increasing the risk for greater rates of malnutrition in years to come.

Global food insecurity and malnutrition are of grave concern to the Global Alliance. Increasing access to nutritious foods and encouraging cultural shifts about how food, climate change, and human well-being are interconnected are efforts that we are passionate about at the Alliance. We strongly affirm that all people should have access to the resources that make a healthy, fulfilling life possible, such as access to nutritious foods and quality healthcare. The issues highlighted in this session speak to the dire need for individuals worldwide to become more knowledgeable about food systems at a global, national, and local level to ensure our global food supply remains resilient in decades to come. World hunger has been on the rise since 2015. If we are no longer able to produce sustainable food options and connect people worldwide with nutritious foods, then how will we eradicate malnutrition and end hunger? Learn more about the United Nation’s efforts to eradicate hunger and address food security issues.