Kenya’s engagement in food systems transformation reflects a strong policy commitment and growing political will to address persistent food and nutrition security challenges. This ambition is evident in progressive national frameworks such as the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy (2011), Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (2019–2029), Agricultural Soils Management Policy (2023), and the newly launched National Agroecology Strategy for Food System Transformation (2024–2033).
These strategies are aligned with global and regional commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation, and the Malabo Declaration on comprehensive African agricultural development, signalling Kenya’s intention to lead in advancing climateresilient and equitable food systems.
Since the lead-up to the UNFSS, we have been supporting countries to draw up pathways to better food systems, and to begin walking the talk. But many constraints still hinder progress, and reforms are sorely needed.
That’s why we have worked with governments to develop and implement a series of practical tools to strengthen policy decision making processes and capacities. These are tools created to give users a hand over major, common barriers. They are also designed to align with or to support ongoing national processes, such as monitoring plans, or indeed continental and transnational ambitions, including the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), and the seven aspirations of Agenda 2063 which call for a more prosperous, integrated, democratic, peaceful, pan- African, people-driven, and influential Africa by 2033.
The tools collected here can be instrumental: in diagnosing food systems to identify critical gaps and untapped opportunities; in shaping nimble action plans in line with national priorities; in identifying much-needed policy reforms to ensure sectors act alongside each other, rather than against; and in providing new ways to effectively navigate political, financial, and technical impediments. Barriers have stood in the path of meaningful progress for too long – we must break through them.
Nigeria stands at a critical juncture in its food systems transformation journey. As Africa’s most populous nation with over 225 million people, Nigeria has demonstated significant political commitment to food systems transformation, explicitly embedding goals in its National Pathways to Food Systems Transformation and developing comprehensive policy frameworks following the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit.
The country’s engagement in global food systems transformation efforts led to the development of an implementation strategy for the National Pathways to Food Systems Transformation, coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which serves as the National Convenor for this agenda.
N3F’s 2024 Nutrition Impact: Expanding Access to Nutritious Foods Across Sub-Saharan Africa
The Nutritious Foods Financing Facility (N3F) released its first impact report, underscoring a strong selection of impactful investees enhancing nutrition across Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2023, the N3F portfolio collectively produced or facilitated access to over 647 million servings of nutritious food products, reaching an estimated 3 million end-consumers, the majority of whom are low- and middle-income households.
Four years on from the UN Food Systems Summit, how well are we progressing in transforming food systems so that they reduce hunger, increase access to healthy diets, reduce climate emissions, improve climate resilience, create good jobs, and nurture the environment? The numbers tell a mixed story. According to the Food Systems Countdown Initiative, itself a creation of the UNFSS, only 20 of 42 global food system indicators are trending positively (1), with none fast enough to meet 2030 SDG goals. These numbers are important but inevitably reliant on data that are 2–3 years out of date.
Malnutrition in all its forms continues to be a major public health challenge worldwide, and progress on improving it has been very slow, with no country on track to meet global nutrition goals and the number of people affected by hunger or unable to afford a healthy diet rising in recent years.
The UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) was the first time youth were actively invited to be equal participants in a global food or nutrition summit. Youth played a pivotal role in UNFSS, contributing diverse perspectives to transform global food systems. Through youth-led dialogues, leadership in action tracks, and the UNFSS Youth Constituency, young people influenced policies, showcased innovative solutions for sustainability, and championed intergenerational equity. A key outcome of UNFSS was the Food Systems Pathways, which set out countries’ approaches for transforming their food systems to be more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Food culture is often understood as the practices, beliefs, and traditions surrounding food and eating within a particular society or community. It encompasses various aspects of traditional dishes and recipes, culinary techniques and cooking methods, mealtime rituals, social aspects, and symbolism. Food culture in a critical factor shaping food choices by influencing eating and dietary norms and habitual behaviours. Given this, it is essential to clearly define the dimensions of food culture (particular to a country or region) if one is to seek to leverage its profound impact on individuals and communities. This working paper thus explores the multidimensional nature of food culture in India, emphasising its deep-rooted connections to cultural identity, social bonding, and wellbeing.
THE OPPORTUNITY In Pakistan, where wheat is a daily staple, an invisible crisis is unfolding. Over 60 million people suffer from inadequate zinc intake, contributing to malnutrition and economic losses of nearly 3% of the country’s GDP. Zinc deficien cy plays a critical role in stunted growth among children, leading to impaired cognitive development that hampers learning abilities and future economic opportunities.
Indonesia’s 2025 update of its Food Security and Vulnerability Atlas (FSVA) marks a transformative leap in the nation’s
commitment to building a resilient, data-driven food system. While the FSVA has been updated annually in previous years, the 2025 edition introduces major innovations, including the use of village-level data for over 83,000 villages, expanded sub-district analysis, and the integration of new composite indicators and predictive modeling. These advances enable the more precise identification of food-insecure areas, supporting targeted actions aligned with national priorities, such as reducing stunting, alleviating poverty, and promoting rural development. With these enhancements, FSVA 2025 strengthens Indonesia’s capacity to deliver evidence-based, locally tailored
interventions across all levels of government.
