Kenya’s Progress In Reducing Child Stunting
- 08/09/2025
Stunting is a major concern in Eastern Africa, where nearly 1 in 3 children under 5, about 22.6 million, are affected (UNICEF, WHO, Worldbank, 2023). In Kenya, the prevalence has declined to approximately one in five children (18%), outperforming the regional average of 31.6%. However, this still represents more than 1.2 million children at risk (KNBS, Ministry of Health, ICF, 2023). The consequences are far-reaching; stunting contributes to child mortality, vulnerability, and lifelong impairments in physical growth and cognitive development, impacting both individual well-being and national productivity. In Kenya, child undernutrition, including stunting as a key component, is estimated to cost the economy KES 374 billion (approximately USD 4.2 billion) annually, equivalent to 6.9% of the GDP (Government of Kenya, 2019). Stunting, a persistent form of long-term nutritional deprivation, acts as a silent driver of inequality, limiting opportunities, lowering future earnings and reducing the potential to contribute equally to the economy. Yet the returns on investment in nutrition are high, with every dollar yielding up to $22 in economic benefit. (Eberwein, et al., 2016)
Where Global Change Begins: Inside food markets and the important role city governments play
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.
2nd World Summit for Social Development Solutions Session
- , Global
This Solutions Session side event explores inclusive innovation as a practical tool for reaching the most vulnerable and eradicating poverty, focusing on how locally-driven, participatory approaches can enhance the quality and impact of development interventions. Designed as an interactive and participatory experience, the session will give participants firsthand exposure to how inclusive innovation operates in real-world contexts.
Reconciling Nutrition and Sustainability: A New Tool for Nourishing People and Planet
When we tell people we analyze the environmental and nutritional impacts of food, we're almost always met with the same question: “So, what should I eat?” It's a deceptively complex question that highlights one of the greatest challenges facing our food systems today—how do we nourish a growing global population while protecting the planet we all share? This challenge has driven us at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to develop a new approach that we're excited to share in our latest briefing paper, "Nourishing People and Planet: Enviro-Nutritional Insights into Local Foods for Policy, Programmes, and Industry."
GAIN Working Paper n°58: INDONESIAN FOOD CULTURE OVERVIEW OF INDONESIAN FOOD CULTURE DIMENSIONS AND STRATEGIES FOR SHIFTING PREFERENCES
- 02/10/2025
Food culture refers to a shared value system, norms, symbols, and perceptions. Yet within the food and nutrition sector, it is often reduced to traditional foods, dishes, or cuisines—a narrow view that constrains how food culture could be leveraged to shape future food preferences and habits. This working paper reviews Indonesian food culture broadly, seeking to understand and appreciate the country’s diverse cuisine. The paper draws on data from governmental reports, academic papers, media reports, social media analysis, and expert interviews.
The Food Systems Dashboard: Then and Now
Five years ago, fragmented food systems data made it challenging for stakeholders to take away meaningful insights for evidence-based decision-making. Today, the Food Systems Dashboard has transformed the data landscape and become an indispensable resource for food systems stakeholders worldwide, providing nearly 200,000 users with comprehensive, visual data and expert analysis that can help turn data into action and insights into impact.
GAIN Briefing Paper n°16:NOURISHING PEOPLE AND PLANET ENVIRO-NUTRITIONAL INSIGHTS INTO LOCAL FOODS FOR POLICY, PROGRAMMES, AND INDUSTRY
- 29/09/2025
The world is currently facing two interconnected and severe crises: widespread malnutrition and environmental degradation. Food systems are central to both issues, as they are responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions, natural resource depletion, and environmental damage, while simultaneously feeding billions of people. Diets are a crucial link between human and planetary health and have been identified as a key lever to address both the climate and malnutrition crises. However, there are inherent trade-offs between nutritional and environmental goals, making it difficult to find solutions that simultaneously improve both outcomes. This paper introduces nutritional Life Cycle Assessment (nLCA) as an evidence-based tool to guide policy, programmatic, and industry decision-making, and demonstrates how nLCA can provide actionable, context-specific insights that help reconcile (often competing) nutritional and environmental priorities.
Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, 2025 Global Forum
- Milan, Italy
Every 2 – 3 years, the Global Forum brings cities and partners together to learn, share urban food policy knowledge and best practices, network, and to expand and strengthen partnerships. 2025 marks 10 years since the MUFPP was established. The pact gives ‘cities a voice and provide them with a political and operational framework to act, learn, and collaborate’, towards the goal of sustainable food systems that are ‘inclusive, resilient, safe, and diverse.' There are now more than 300 signatory cities, worldwide; and more than 900 transformative best practices have been developed and shared. Learn more about the Pact: The Milan Pact - Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
Mechanisms Supporting Policy Coherence In Uk Food Strategies
- 24/09/2025
Food policy has been an active area in the UK throughout 2025. Three of four UK nations having recently published food strategies and plans, with another in preparation, all within a changing geopolitical context. Against this backdrop, this working paper highlights key gaps and potential actions for fostering coherence within food strategies and governments in the UK based on an analysis of UK food strategies using a new tool, the Food Systems Policy Coherence (FSPC) Diagnostic tool. This tool, composed of two modules, aims to provide a simplified and standardised approach to measure policy coherence.