Food Systems Countdown Initiative Country Policy Brief Zambia

- 29/08/2025

Zambia has demonstrated strong political commitment to food systems transformation while grappling with persistent systemic vulnerabilities that threaten progress toward sustainable food and nutrition security. As a landlocked country in southern Africa with a population largely dependent on climatesensitive smallholder agriculture, Zambia faces the urgent imperative to build resilience while addressing deep-rooted challenges of malnutrition, poverty, and environmental degradation.

Benin’s Nutrition Commitments for a Resilient Future

- 05/08/2025

The Government of Benin played an active role in the 2021 N4G Summit, demonstrating a strong commitment to reducing malnutrition. In 2021, through the Permanent Secretariat of the National Council for Food and Nutrition (SP/CAN), Benin outlined several ambitious goals aimed at ensuring optimal nutrition for all its citizens. To achieve its vision by 2030, Benin set several objectives in 2021

Turning Commitments into Action: Ethiopia Advances Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Promises with Bold Accountability Measures

Ethiopia faces persistent malnutrition and emerging diet-related challenges. Nutrition for Growth (N4G), a pledging movement in which the world’s leaders have committed to centre nutrition, offers a platform to mobilize multisectoral action and accountability. GAIN offers technical expertise in food systems and nutrition governance, to support Ethiopia translate its national strategies in its goal of supporting the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) in accelerating its progress towards Food System Transformation.

Mozambique: voice of a displaced entrepreneur in Cabo Delgado

Pemba, Mozambique – From the window of his house in Quissanga district, Cabo Delgado, Andrade Vitorino watched helplessly as his poultry farm collapsed due to strong winds and rains caused by cyclone Kenneth in 2019. But since the 2017, it is the armed conflict in Cabo Delgado province that affected his business and various economic activities, as well as the functioning of food systems in the province. “One day, a neighbour shouted that we were under attack, and we all ran away, leaving everything behind. A few days later I heard that everything had been burned down. Houses and everything, including my poultry,” said Andrade. Seated on a plastic chair and turning his back to his house made of clay, in one of Pemba's neighbourhoods, where he is starting new life he says, “I didn't have time to take anything. Just my documents. My house, my aviary and my dreams were left behind.”

GAIN Working Paper n°55: Mapping Of Influential Stakeholders in Nutrition and The Food System in Rwanda

- 15/08/2025

Rwanda faces persistent challenges with malnutrition, and there is increasing interest in the country in taking a food systems approach to tackling it. However, getting this new approach into the development and agricultural sector’s agendas requires understanding the landscape of actors involved. In response, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition commissioned an analytical mapping of actors involved in nutrition and the food system in Rwanda, which was implemented by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. This was accomplished by conducting a stakeholder mapping at district and national levels through key informant interviews and Net-Map analysis as well as a policy landscape analysis.

Promoting Breastfeeding for Healthy Planet

Breastfeeding not only contributes to positive nutrition and health outcomes, but also to environmental sustainability by significantly reducing the environmental footprint associated with the production, packaging, distribution and consumption of infant formula. The environmental benefits of breastfeeding are multi-faceted.