Resource description:
This paper provides policy makers with holistic governance strategies, with concrete indicators (50) for transforming food systems, instead of focusing on isolated agricultural metrics. It analyses global food system data to identify critical gaps in governance and resilience that hinder progress toward sustainability goals. Its objective is to provide an evidence-based assessment of how current policies fail to address systemic vulnerabilities, offering specific entry points for intervention.
Abstract
Due to complex interactions, changes in any one area of food systems are likely to impact—and possibly depend on—changes in other areas. Here we present the first annual monitoring update of the indicator framework proposed by the Food Systems Countdown Initiative, with new qualitative analysis elucidating interactions across indicators. Since 2000, we find that 20 of 42 indicators with time series have been trending in a desirable direction, indicating modest positive change. Qualitative expert elicitation assessed governance and resilience indicators to be most connected to other indicators across themes, highlighting entry points for action—particularly governance action. Literature review and country case studies add context to the assessed interactions across diets, environment, livelihoods, governance and resilience indicators, helping different actors understand and navigate food systems towards desirable change.
Author/Contact:
Kate R. Schneider, Roseline Remans, Tesfaye Hailu Bekele, Destan Aytekin, Piero Conforti, Shouro Dasgupta, Fabrice DeClerck, Deviana Dewi, Carola Fabi, Jessica A. Gephart, Yuta J. Masuda, Rebecca McLaren, Michaela Saisana, Nancy Aburto, Ramya Ambikapathi, Mariana Arellano Rodriguez, Simon Barquera, Jane Battersby, Ty Beal, Christophe Béné, Carlo Cafiero, Christine Campeau, Patrick Caron, Andrea Cattaneo, Jeroen Candel, Namukolo Covic, Inmaculada del Pino Alvarez, Ana Paula Dominguez Barreto, Ismahane Elouafi, Tyler J. Frazier, Alexander Fremier, Pat Foley, Christopher D. Golden, Carlos Gonzalez Fischer, Alejandro Guarin, Sheryl Hendriks, Anna Herforth, Maddalena Honorati, Jikun Huang, Yonas Getaneh, Gina Kennedy, Amos Laar, Rattan Lal, Preetmoninder Lidder, Getachew Legese Feye, Brent Loken, Hazel Malapit, Quinn Marshall, Kalkidan A. Mulatu, Ana Munguia, Stella Nordhagen, Danielle Resnick, Diana Suhardiman, U. Rashid Sumaila, Bangyao Sun, Belay Terefe Mengesha, Maximo Torero Cullen, Francesco N. Tubiello, Corné van Dooren, Isabel Valero Morales, Jose-Luis Vivero-Pol, Patrick Webb, Keith Wiebe, Lawrence Haddad, Mario Herrero, Jose Rosero Moncayo & Jessica Fanzo
Figures included in the report
Fig. 2 | Health-related food environment policies
Fig. 4 | Volume of literature on direct relationships involving governance indicators
Uses of this resource:
Policy Cycle Stage: scoping
DOI reference:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-01109-4
