This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. ___ Author: Evan Fraser, Director of the Arrell Food Institute and Professor in the Dept.
of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph One of the most pressing issues facing humanity is the need to transform food systems to become more equitable, environmentally sustainable, able to deliver healthy diets for all, and also more resilient to disruptions. With the threat of climate chaos everywhere, and global disruptions such as Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine fresh on our minds, developing food systems that can keep nutritious food moving from farm to consumer, regardless of what is happening in politics, climate or the economy, is vital. The need to create more resilient food systems was front and centre at the COP28 conference in Dubai last November, which included a political declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems and climate action.
Another COP28 announcement that illustrates how important these topics have become was the creation of the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF). The ACF is a coalition of countries that aims to take a “whole of government” approach to drive systemic change across five key outcomes: food and nutrition security, equity and livelihoods, adaptation and resilience, mitigatio.