Building Bridges for Food Systems Transformation: Why Policy Coherence Matters

Four years after the landmark 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), the urgency of transforming food systems is growing. With just five years left until the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline, momentum is growing, but so are the challenges. The UNFSS+4 Stocktake, held in July 2025, reflects a remarkable evolution in how countries and partners are reimagining food systems to be more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient. Since the first Stocktake (UNFSS+2), countries have moved from vision to action: 128 nations now have national food systems pathways, 155 have appointed National Convenors, and 39 have revised their pathways into detailed action plans. Voluntary reporting has increased, signalling strong political commitment.  

Food systems policy coherence is the alignment of policies that affect the food system with the aim of achieving health, environmental, social, and economic goals, to ensure that policies designed to improve one food system outcome do not undermine others and, where possible, take advantage of synergies across policy areas to achieve better outcomes for all
 

These efforts are taking shape against a volatile global backdrop of conflict, climate shocks, economic pressures, and widening inequalities, all of which threaten food security, nutrition, and livelihoods. Countries are responding by working to embed food systems transformation into broader shifts toward green and digital economies, backed by social protection and education systems. A growing Ecosystem of Support (EoS), comprising governments, the UN, civil society, youth, private sector leaders, and food producers, is helping drive this transformation forward.

This diverse coalition is now focusing not only on ambition, but on action, and one key ingredient is standing out: policy coherence. It’s within this context that the side event titled “Strengthening Policy Coherence and Convergence for Food Systems Transformation: Tools, Case Studies, and Pathways” was convened during the UNFSS+4 in Addis Ababa. The event, co-organized by AKADEMIYA 2063, AUDA-NEPAD, FAO, GAIN, Switzerland, OECD, and the One Planet Network Sustainable Food Systems Programme and moderated by Jose Valls Bedeau of FAO, offered a platform for technical experts, country representatives, and partners to explore how better aligning policies across sectors can unlock systemic transformation. 

Why Coherence is Key

In her opening remarks, Estherine Lisinge Fotabong, Director at AUDA-NEPAD, emphasized that fragmented or contradictory policies not only waste resources but can actively undermine efforts to improve food and nutrition security, climate resilience, and inclusive growth. Drawing from Africa’s experience with the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), she introduced the Policy Coherence Diagnostic Tool, developed by GAIN and AKADEMIYA 2063, as a practical way to identify and bridge policy gaps across sectors. “Transforming food systems requires policy coherence,” Estherine stated, reminding participants that incoherence often leads to inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and unintended consequences such as environmental degradation or deepened inequalities. 

“Food systems are like a fabric. They’re woven together from many threads. Without policy coherence, that fabric begins to fray.” – Estherine Lisinge Fotabong

It was this image, a tightly woven fabric of coordinated efforts, that guided the session’s exploration into one of the most essential, yet complex, components of food systems transformation: policy coherence. 

Tools to Navigate Complexity

Stella Nordhagen from GAIN presented the Policy Coherence Diagnostic Tool, a modular, easy-to-use way to assess policy alignment across six key food systems goals. Applied in 10 countries across Africa and Asia, and partially to two in Europe, the tool revealed a common trend: while countries often show strong political commitment and have relevant strategic frameworks, gaps persist in implementation, stakeholder inclusion, and accountability. 
Stella highlighted frequent misalignments, such as agricultural subsidies promoting unhealthy diets or trade barriers that hinder access to nutritious foods. 

Lee Ann Jackson from the OECD introduced another approach: the Productivity, Sustainability, and Resilience (PSR) Framework. Drawing on decades of agricultural policy analysis, the OECD is now integrating food systems thinking into its country reviews. The PSR Framework focuses on understanding how innovation, structural change, and environmental constraints intersect to shape policy outcomes. Lee Ann emphasized the importance of peer learning, country benchmarking, and data-driven analysis to ensure that food systems support both long- and short-term goals.