South Asia continues to face an enduring burden of malnutrition in all its forms—undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and a steady increase in overweight and obesity and non-communicable diseases. Over 1 billion people in South Asia cannot afford a healthy diet. While many promising solutions have emerged, translating them into sustained, large-scale impact remains a challenge.
Although there is a strong evidence base on effective interventions to improve nutrition outcomes, evidence of their implementation and scale‑up in real‑world settings remains inconsistent. Success depends not only on having proven solutions but also on systems, leadership, sustainable financing, and accountability mechanisms to support widespread delivery.
As the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development nears and as South Asia navigates the challenges of climate change, food system disruptions, and economic instability, the need for effective, scalable, and sustainable nutrition action has never been more urgent.
The French Society of Nutrition (SFN), the French Federation of Nutrition (FFN), the Federation of European Nutrition Societies (FENS), and the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS)—and under the high patronage of Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic—is holding the 23rd International Congress of Nutrition, between 24 and 29 August 2025 at the Palais des Congrès, Pris, France.
Food system transformation (FST) is fundamental to human progress. Feeding and nourishing the world. Creating jobs and reducing poverty. Managing the environment. Avoiding catastrophic climate change. Building resilience to shocks. These are the building blocks of human and planetary wellbeing.
Food system transformation is reshaping how food is produced, processed, distributed, and consumed to create a more sustainable, fair, and healthy system. It demands a deep, collective effort involving multiple layers of society - farmers, policymakers, businesses, consumers, and more. But changing such a complex system isn’t just about policies or farming techniques. It’s about changing hearts and minds too. This is where media and journalists have a fundamental role.
GAIN Kenya is proud to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UNICEF Kenya to strengthen efforts to improve access to nutritious, safe, and sustainable foods for the most vulnerable. This strategic partnership underscores a shared commitment to addressing malnutrition and shaping healthier food environments for children, adolescents, and families in Kenya. The MOU was officially signed on 24th June 2025.
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.
