Why Climate and Nutrition Integration Matters?
Climate change is not just an environmental issue; it intersects with systemic multiple aspects of human life. It interlinks the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to end hunger and poverty, preserve the environment, and ensure prosperity. In practice, climate change worsens hunger and hidden hunger as its increasing disasters, declining agricultural harvest and productivity, and threatening crop nutrition.
Smallholder farmers are the backbone of our food systems. Through small-scale agriculture, they contribute to economic development, provide jobs and livelihoods, and ensure food security for millions. Yet, despite producing 70–80% of the world’s food, many smallholder farmers remain impoverished and food insecure.
Each year, agricultural productivity declines as climate change intensifies. Smallholder farmers are among the most vulnerable groups to climate change because they rely heavily on rain-fed agriculture, cultivate marginal lands, and often lack access to the technical and financial support that could help them invest in better agricultural practices.
Many governments and organisations are addressing this crisis through climate-smart agriculture training, funding drought-resistant crops, early warning systems, resilient technologies and financial services. However, one crucial aspect remains overlooked: the nutrition and well-being of the farmers themselves.
Organisations working closely with smallholder farmers, whether through direct employment or value-chain partnerships, often focus on productivity interventions such as inputs, finance, and market access. However, the nutrition and well-being of the farmers who make these systems thrive are mostly neglected.
On October 14, 2025, the 5th series of Bincang Pangan Sehat Lestari brought together experts, policymakers, and practitioners from government agencies and NGOs. The discussions focused on the impact of climate change on food crop nutrition.
Local and traditional food retail markets are inherent in a city’s social fabric and the urban food environment. Millions of residents connect daily through food at local and traditional markets; and for many low income urban residents, this is their primary source of food.
Thousands of tons of fresh, dried and on ice produce flow into these retail and wholesale-retail hybrid markets, bought by consumers directly and/or by food-outlets, restaurants, and last mile vendors.
Moma, Mozambique – When Islova Alberto Aly decided to venture into fish drying, her primary aim was to generate an income to support her children's education. Little did she know that her traditional fish drying methods—spreading fish on the ground by the Mucoroge beach, exposed to sand, dust, sun, and bacteria—would harm her community.
Every October, the world comes together to mark World Food Day, a moment to reflect on progress and renew our commitment to building food systems that nourish everyone. The 2025 theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” speaks to the power of collaboration. At GAIN Nigeria, we see this play out every day in our partnerships across governments, industry, and civil society. It is not just about what we do as an organization it is about what we achieve together. One powerful example of this is the Digital Fortification Quality Traceability Plus platform (DFQT+) platform, now transforming how fortified foods are monitored in Nigeria.
‘Ultra-processed food’ (UPF) has been the nutrition buzzword of the past few years, making its way from scientific research into headlines and policy debates. These foods, commonly defined as industrial food formulations made with ingredients rarely used in home cooking, make up a shockingly large share of diets and have been associated with various negative health effects – but their role remains complicated and contested. At the recent Stockholm Food Forum, I joined this debate, participating on a panel discussion on the topic.
In mid-September, 2025, stakeholders from across Kenya’s food, health, trade, and development sectors gathered at Sawela Lodges in Naivasha to review and revise the Draft National Food and Nutrition Security Policy (NFNSP).
The meeting, convened by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development with the support of the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), saw participation from experts in agriculture, livestock, health, education, trade, arid and semi-arid lands, fisheries, and gender. This multi-sectoral gathering contributed to the ongoing comprehensive review of Kenya’s food and nutrition security policy.
As we prepare for the 2025 Global Forum (13 – 17 October) marking ten years of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, we're bringing insights from our work across Africa and Asia on how city governments and local food markets can transform urban food environments and wider food systems.
Walking through any bustling urban food market, from Pemba (Mozambique) to Arusha (Tanzania) and Bogor (Indonesia), is a remarkable experience. Beyond the offerings of fresh, dried, iced and frozen produce, spices, cooked traditional meals, and animated negotiations between vendors and customers, the experience of the market is at the nexus of food systems and nutrition policies and daily realities. These markets are about more than selling and buying food; they are where the future of food systems, within cities and across urban–rural landscapes, borders, and territories, is being lived, innovated, and imagined.
