Global Alliance for the Future of Food

Thanks to a huge international community effort over the past few years, food systems are firmly on the global climate agenda. 👏 Ahead of the Biodiversity COP in Cali, Colombia, and COP29 later this year, there’s an opportunity to build momentum to ensure food systems transformation, with a focus on scaling agroecology, is integrated into updated national biodiversity and climate targets. Read our Executive Director Anna Lappé’s opinion piece with Foundations Platform F20 https://bit.ly/4cSK3Va #agroecology #climateaction #foodsystems #sustainablefoodsystems

Nearly 90% of what the world’s population eats comes from no more than 15 crops. This over-specialization reduces our resilience to climate and conflict shocks. In a webinar organized by the T20/G20, Anna Lappé, our Executive Director, discusses the recent evolution to “food monotony” and why we need a shift to crop and diet diversification. Listen to her talk: https://bit.ly/4dfxELe #foodsystems #foodsystemstransformation #climateaction

The fossil-fuel based food system, dominant in many parts of the world, is a key driver of the climate crisis, biodiversity collapse, and ill health, so how do we transition away from these destructive food systems? The cost to transition to regenerative, agroecological farming practices globally is estimated to be between one quarter and half a trillion dollars—an eye-watering amount of money. But the resources are there. Today, USD 635 billion annually is moved in the form of agriculture subsidies around the world with nearly 87% of that to harmful practices. Shifting these vital public resources, alongside catalytic philanthropic capital, to make a transition urgently needed towards agroecological and regenerative food systems that centre communities, and not corporate profits, not only makes economic sense but brings with it tremendous ecological wins. Listen to my panel talk on the cost of transitioning to more resilient, diverse, equitable, and healthy food systems at the Milken Institute Global Conference: https://bit.ly/4dzbSTB #foodsystems #foodsystemstransformation #agroecology #biodiversity #climateaction

An oil pipeline running through Uganda and Tanzania is displacing farmers from their land. 👩🏽🌾 🛢 We often talk about how burning fossil fuels results in climate disasters which wreak havoc on farmers and communities. The pipeline is an example of oil’s infrastructure causing an existential threat to farmers’ livelihoods. Climate Home News speaks to the farmers affected by the pipeline construction: https://bit.ly/46j1H2k #fossilfuels #climatecrisis

Farming and fishing communities in Sri Lanka are paying a heavy toll with their health due to a deadly combination of climate change and contaminated water (in some places from pesticide use). For many men in particular, the pressure to earn a living through farming or fishing, even on oppressively hot days, has resulted in a spike in reports of chronic advanced kidney disease. Read more in this report by Apoorva Mandavilli for the New York Times with pictures by Kang-Chun Cheng. #climatechange #foodsystems #healthandclimate #fishingcommunities https://ow.ly/BglL50SCWiX

Recommended reading! A great piece in The Conversation on the Mexican government’s leadership on agroecology and the political pushback on its attempted ban on glyphosate, the widely used weedkiller. Glyphosate has been linked to disease in humans and ecosystems. Ban or not, a growing number of Mexican farmers are ditching the poisonous weedkiller to adopt agroecology and are sharing the evidence of good yields and better soil health. Why do so many countries waver on banning glyphosate-based herbicides, like Roundup? Take a look at the 2022 report 'Merchants of Poison', (link in the comments) by Stacy Malkan, Kendra Klein, PhD, and Anna Lappé that details disturbing evidence of the company’s disinformation, denial, and pressure tactics to protect the herbicide from restrictions or outright bans—just what the Mexican government was trying to do. https://lnkd.in/gdZP9hfG #agroecology #futureoffood #glyphosate

🍃 AMAZING NEWS!🎉 Congratulations to the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme, the world's largest agroecology project with over a million farmers, for being awarded the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity 2024. This is a recognition not just of Andhra Pradesh's farmers who championed this programme but a victory for all farmers and food producers committed to scaling out agroecology, for the better health of people and the planet. Read more about Nagendramma Nettem and how she started this journey. https://lnkd.in/gswmv6CV

📣 NEW opinion piece: 2023 was a milestone year to put food systems on the climate agenda. The UN Biodiversity Summit and COP29 this year must build on this momentum. Countries are working on updating their national biodiversity plans and national climate targets and agroecology and regenerative food systems must be integrated into these national plans. Our Executive Director Anna Lappé outlines the opportunities on the road to COP30 to elevate food systems transformation on the global agenda. Read her op-ed in Foundations Platform F20: https://bit.ly/4cSK3Va #agroecology #climateaction #foodsystems #sustainablefoodsystems #COP29 #COP30

📢 A transition to agroecology and regenerative food systems would help us meet our climate, biodiversity and food security targets. 🎯 Transitioning to agroecology requires USD 430 billion annually. But right now it only gets USD 44 billion. In contrast, nearly USD 630 billion goes annually towards agriculture subsidies, half of which are harmful. ☠️ This doesn't add up. We need to transform our food systems. Read more in our article authored with IKEA Foundation and McKnight Foundation via Common Dreams: https://bit.ly/3X5eUsY #agroecology #climatefinance

Out of the fraction of global philanthropic dollars that go towards climate mitigation, an even smaller fraction flows to the farmer, fisher or Indigenous-led organizations who experience the impacts of the climate crisis. Robust evidence shows that regenerative and agroecological approaches to farming contribute to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. More money must flow into food systems transformation and crucially to the grassroots movements that have the right solutions for their communities. In an article for Alliance magazine, Daniel Moss from Agroecology Fund explains why we need more funding for grassroots agroecology movements. https://bit.ly/3WiLQMP #agroecology #foodsystems #climatefinance