Two Nutrition Dialogues To Address Food Insecurity and Promote A Sustainable, Nutritious Future- Pakistan
On March 27th and 28th, 2025, France hosted the Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G) in Paris. Launched in 2013 in London, N4G is a flagship international conference aimed at securing concrete political and financial commitments to combat malnutrition in all its forms. N4G brings together governments, international organisations, philanthropies, businesses, NGOs and other key stakeholders at a global and regional level to elevate nutrition as a key development agenda and accelerate progress against malnutrition. In preparation for the upcoming 2025 N4G Summit, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) hosted two nutrition dialogues in Pakistan to help raise awareness on the N4G Summit and mobilize public and private sector actors to help address malnutrition.
Beyond Silos: Powering Food Systems with Off-Grid Solar
This white paper explores the nexus between food systems, infrastructure and energy provided by off-grid solar (OGS) systems.8, 9, 10 The efficiency, sustainability, and productivity of food systems are deeply intertwined with energy use.11 The agricultural sector accounts for 30% of global energy consumption and requires power for food production, storage, transportation and processing. The infrastructure used to power food systems is heavily reliant on fossil fuels, accounting for at least 15% of fossil fuel use globally.12 However, in sub-Saharan Africa, agricultural production consumes significantly less energy than the global average. This limits opportunities for value addition, increases food waste due to inadequate storage and processing facilities, and contributes to low agricultural yields.
Driving Nutrition Impact through African SMEs
Fighting malnutrition in all its forms is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. While more than 820 million people suffer from undernutrition and hunger, with 150 million children under age 5 stunted (too short for their age), another 2 billion people are overweight or obese. With SMEs in Africa producing and distributing approximately 70%-80% of the nutritious foods available on the continent, they are key drivers of food supply, job creation and economic growth. How can they reach lower-income consumers and create sustainable nutrition impact?
GAIN Working Paper n°49-Empowered Local Agency, Infrastructure Investment, And Governance
Food systems, important for food security, nutrition, prosperity, and environmental well-being, are integral to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Traditional food markets are strategic entry points for food systems transformation, since a diversity of stakeholders (including local producers, vendors, consumers, and government), interact routinely in these spaces. These markets connect millions of stakeholders within and across local food systems and levels of government mandates. As food-insecure regions like sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) rapidly urbanise, most urban, low-income, vulnerable communities are reliant on food purchased from markets. As such, markets are key spaces to guide vendor practices, influence consumer food choices, and strengthen inclusive governance. Despite their critical value, markets’ ‘hard’ (structures and equipment) and ‘soft’ (capacities and resources) infrastructure are significantly under-supported. Investment efforts have been challenged by a lack of understanding of how markets are embedded in the wider food system and markets’ wholesale and retail dynamics, inadequate financial models, insufficient public budgets and capacity, and limited empowerment of key stakeholders. This paper introduces and illustrates GAIN’s Inclusive Food Systems Governance Model and supporting tools. The model is designed to strengthen investment and empower voices, alongside increased efforts to ensure sustainability and resilience in traditional food markets. It has been shown to support effective market infrastructure investments, to foster local agency and inclusive and equitable food systems transformation, and to be adaptable across different contexts. The case of Marikiti Market, Machakos County (Kenya) shows the model in action, including details of specific investment components and costs. As infrastructure investments are limited, the importance of making a sound business investment case for public and private (and philanthropic) partnerships and banks to invest in traditional markets is critical.
DSG UN Amina Mohammed Calls For Accelerated Food System Transformation
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohamed calls for bold action to accelerate food system transformation. She highlights two key priorities: 1. Helping governments craft high-impact, investible actions. 2. Leveraging aid to unlock concessional loans and mobilize private sector resources for nutrition, food security, climate, resilience, and jobs. Watch the video to hear her full message
The CityFood Market Handbook for Healthy and Resilient Cities
As cities around the world grapple with rising food insecurity, climate pressures, and deepening inequalities, food markets play a critical role in building healthier, more equitable, and climate-resilient urban food systems.
Paris Declaration on Business & Nutrition 2030: Reshaping The Nutrition Economy
On March 26, 2025, the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNi), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and the Paris Peace Forum presented The Paris Declaration on Business & Nutrition 2030 at a high-level event ahead of the Paris Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit. This Declaration urgently calls for reshaping the nutrition economy through a multi-sectoral approach to address malnutrition in all its forms. Undernutrition (stunting, anemia, wasting), obesity, micronutrient deficiencies, and food insecurity affect health, climate, and economies, underscoring the need for coordinated action.
Amidst Aid Cuts – Urgent call for Smarter, Stronger & Swifter solutions to Curb Malnutrition
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) joins world leaders and organisations at the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit to press for smarter nutrition financing, stronger private sector engagement and swifter actions on nutrition commitments made.
Enhancing Urban-Rural Linkages for Resilient Food Systems
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In recent years, increasing climate challenges have highlighted how important it is to rethink food systems in order to create a just and more sustainable future. With 70% of the world’s food production consumed in cities, and 70% of food-insecure people living in urban or peri-urban areas, cities hold great potential in transitioning from hotspots of food-related challenges to powerful agents of food systems transformatio