World Off-Track on Nearly Every Food System Goal – Latest Assessment Reveals

The 2026 Food Systems Countdown Report reveals that progress is too slow and insufficient to meet 2030 goals, but 2050 could still be achievable, provided actions are consistent and accelerated.

GAIN Working Paper n°71: Crowdsourcing in Food Systems Research: Lessons from Indonesia and Kenya

- 07/08/2026

Crowdsourcing, i.e., leveraging digital platforms to mobilise distributed contributors for data collection, harnessing the collective power of large, distributed networks of people to accomplish such tasks through open calls has gained traction in recent years, yet practical guidance for implementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains limited. This paper examines lessons from three food systems research case studies conducted by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition in Indonesia and Kenya between 2019-2024, analysing what worked, what didn't, and why.

Strengthening Local Enterprise to Improve Access to Nutritious Food

In Tehene, a remote community near Gurué in central Mozambique, residents rarely eat animal-source foods like frozen fish or chicken, reserving them almost exclusively for special occasions due to high costs and difficult market travel. To address this challenge, entrepreneur Inocêncio Calado founded Alto Licungo—a cold chain distribution business supported by GAIN's Improving the Consumption of Animal Source Foods project—to transport perishable foods safely across long distances and improve rural access to nutritious food. Driven by the memory and encouragement of his late father, Inocêncio built the business from humble origins to help ensure local communities can regularly access these vital food sources.

N3F’s 2025 Nutrition Impact: Scaling Access to Affordable, Nutritious Foods Across Sub-Saharan Africa

According to the 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, an estimated 935 million people in sub-Saharan Africa cannot afford a healthy diet. This stark reality underscores one of the region's greatest nutrition challenges: ensuring that nutritious foods are not only available, but also affordable for the people who need them most. Addressing this challenge requires strong agrifood businesses capable of producing, processing and distributing nutritious foods at scale. This is precisely why the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) launched the Nutritious Foods Financing Facility (N3F).

Beyond Tokenism: Meaningful Youth Engagement in Bangladesh's Food Systems

- 27/07/2026

Youth participation is increasingly recognised as essential for transforming food systems, yet many young people remain underrepresented in formal decision-making, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In Bangladesh, recent policy momentum and growing youth mobilisation have created new spaces for engagement, yet how these developments translate into meaningful influence over planning and policy processes in practice remains unclear. This qualitative case study explored how youth engage in Bangladesh's food system policy development through 27 semi-structured interviews with youth leaders and policymakers. Youth participants were purposively selected from GAIN's Food System Youth Leadership initiative while policymakers were selected based on their roles in nutrition, food systems policy, and youth development. Data were analysed thematically using hybrid deductiveinductive approach.

How Youth Are Turning Food System Learning Into Community Action in Bangladesh

- 27/07/2026

Young people are increasingly recognised as important contributors to food system transformation: raising awareness, leading community initiatives and bringing new perspectives to food system challenges. However, opportunities for them to move beyond these roles and engage in decision-making processes remain limited. In Bangladesh, the Food Systems Youth Leadership Initiative was introduced to strengthen youth leadership in food system transformation and deepen young people's understanding of food systems. This initiative also encouraged community-driven actions through collective action campaigns, helping young people build the confidence and capacity needed to engage more effectively in policy and decision-making spaces.

From Regenerative Farms to School Plates: How the GAIN Jack Bean Tempeh Initiative is Building a New Food System Model in Aceh

What if a traditional Indonesian food could simultaneously improve soil health, increase farmer incomes, reduce dependence on imported commodities, and provide nutritious meals for schoolchildren? In Aceh, the GAIN Jack Bean Tempeh Initiative is demonstrating exactly that. The project is pioneering a model that connects regenerative agriculture, local food processing, and school meal procurement into a single value chain that benefits farmers, enterprises, students, and the environment.

International Youth Day 2026

12 August 2026- 12 August 2026Global

Join GAIN and partners for a virtual webinar exploring how consumer demand, private-sector strategies and enabling policies can support healthier diets across Africa. The session will bring together evidence, practical experience and policy insights ahead of the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 Nutrition and Health Platform.