Items tagged:
Food systems
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From New Zealand to Africa: managing land use trade-offs
As part of the Sentinel project, IIED has developed a new virtual training tool for analysing trade-offs in land use decisions. Xiaoting Hou-Jones shares how the tool was inspired by a decision-making framework designed by a team from Lincoln University, New Zealand, and evolved through trialling it in Ghana and Zambia.
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Establishing a biocultural heritage territory to protect Kenya’s Kaya forests
This project aims to protect biodiversity and improve livelihoods in the Mijikenda’s sacred Kaya forest landscapes in Kenya. It will establish a biocultural heritage territory that empowers Kaya elders to enforce traditional conservation rules and promote agroecological practices
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Food Systems Summit: implications for global food governance
Last week's Food Systems Summit raised questions about global governance models in a policy area fundamental to everyone’s lives. Lorenzo Cotula argues that, without clear decision-making rules and effective structures to manage power differentials, bringing diverse actors together produces ‘capture’ rather than inclusion
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Indigenous food systems prove highly resilient during COVID-19
Indigenous Peoples’ local agroecological food systems bring valuable lessons of resilience for policymakers heading to next month’s UN Food Systems Summit
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Indigenous Peoples’ food systems and COVID-19
In the run up to the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021, the International Network of Mountain Indigenous
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New decision support tool launched for wild meat alternatives project development
IIED and partners have released a tool, available in multiple languages, to support practitioners to find sustainable alternatives to wild meat that work for rural people
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Why eat wild meat? Insights from Africa and lessons for COVID-19 responses
This IIED Debates on Wednesday, 4 August explored why people eat wild meat and how to design interventions that can help improve sustainability and safety
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African social movements call on UN food summit to give people back control
In the second blog in our ‘food year’ series, guest blogger Million Belay explains why now is the time to demand a better food system that works for small-scale food producers in Africa – who account for most of the world’s food insecure
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UN Food Systems Summit: it’s time to listen to civil society’s concerns
Guest blogger Molly Anderson kicks off a new blog series leading up to the UN’s first ever Food Systems Summit. Here, Anderson sets out practical ways for the summit’s convenors to regroup after getting off to a rocky start
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IIED’s 'food year' blog series explores policies and practice to transform our food systems
In the lead up to the first ever global summit on food, IIED launches a new series of blogs to contribute to the debate about food systems transformation
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Promoting producer agency in food systems – might new global guidelines offer any hope?
With a new set of guidelines on food systems and nutrition under negotiation, Emily Polack reflects on their potential to give small-scale producers a greater say in food systems governance – one key to a healthier, fairer and more sustainable future for all
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The inconvenient truth about ‘capacity’ strengthening in global development
To work with effective and progressive civil society movements in low-income countries, do international NGOs need to do less capacity strengthening, and work as allies of these movements instead? Drawing on lessons from a new report, Natalie Lartey discusses how advocates can advance this agenda
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Towards planet and people-positive agriculture in East Africa
IIED and partners are reviewing the state of planet and people-positive agriculture in Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda to identify entry points for environmentally sound agriculture and food systems that create social and economic benefits
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Food systems of the poor: shaping the agenda for the Food Systems Summit
In the lead up to the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021, this online IIED event on 25 November explored how food systems transformation can be relevant for people living in poverty
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How is COVID-19 affecting wild meat consumption in rural Cameroon?
A series of interviews with residents from Cameroon’s Dja Faunal Reserve uncover how COVID-19 is influencing the wild meat they hunt, buy, sell and eat
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Indigenous Peoples’ food systems hold the key to feeding humanity
A recent workshop hosted by IIED and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew explored how the way Indigenous Peoples grow and consume food holds answers to the world’s broken food system
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Putting informal food systems at the centre of sustainable diets
A new report from IIED and Hivos calls for a rethink about how sustainable diets can be achieved in low-income countries, with informal food systems central to that goal
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The politics at play in Vietnam’s food system
Guest blogger Christophe Béné discusses how perception, personal beliefs and values can overrule science and evidence in policymaking – and how this is influencing policies and crisis narratives around food safety in Vietnam
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Food insecurity: an appetite for change
On International Youth Day, Facebook guest blogger Naomi Gammon discusses the role of young people in reshaping unhealthy patterns of food consumption
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How COVID-19 is impacting and changing East Africa’s agri-food systems
In this fourth report on emerging lessons from COVID-19, we look at the pandemic's complex impacts on East African food systems and highlight the need for an inclusive policy response working closely with informal providers.
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Three pillars for food system change: inclusivity, joint vision and long-term commitment
A new paper identifies three key ingredients multi-actor initiatives need to drive change in the food system
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Common cause with people in the food systems of the majority
Bill Vorley discusses why we need a much deeper understanding of and partnership with people in the food systems that feed and provide livelihoods for low-income women and men
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Uganda’s hungry food vendors: counting the cost of COVID-19
Interviews as part of a new study show how lockdown restrictions are leaving Uganda’s food vendors hungry and vulnerable
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Protecting indigenous foods, preserving biodiversity – the solutions are in nature
On this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity, Natalie Lartey and Immaculate Yossa Daisy discuss how advocacy to protect Uganda’s indigenous food is simultaneously preserving the nation’s biodiversity
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Resilient food systems and COVID-19: lessons for a Just Transition
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed huge vulnerabilities and inequalities in food systems. They are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change: to droughts, floods, typhoons, sea-level rise – the current locust outbreak in East Africa. But they are also part of the problem, contributing about one third of global greenhouse gas emissions and being highly inequitable too. Krystyna Swiderska spells out what needs to change
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Curbing the impacts of COVID-19 on Nepal’s small-scale farmers and seizing opportunities for food system reform
Guest blogger Jagat Deuja puts forward practical measures for minimising damage to Nepal’s small-scale farming sector and ways to build resilient food systems in the longer term
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Citizen-led research serves up answers on what Bolivian food vendors want
Guest blogger Jorge Vladimir Garcia describes the outcomes and challenges of research, led by traditional food vendors themselves, on what might help keep market eateries in La Paz popular in the face of rising competition.
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What makes a sustainable diet? And who decides? Make Change Happen podcast episode 5
Globally, we are producing more food than ever. But for many of the world’s poorer citizens, secure access to safe food is becoming less certain. To counter this, an advocacy programme called Sustainable Diets for All is asking: how can we create food systems that are fairer, healthier and more sustainable? We explore the programme’s citizen-led approach and hear from local partners
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The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the diets of Hanoi’s urban poor
The urban poor in Vietnam depend heavily on informal food systems. How will COVID-19 lockdown measures impact their food security and what will be the knock-on effects for daily life?
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Indigenous food systems, biocultural heritage and agricultural resilience
IIED is working with partners in the UK, China, India and Kenya to establish a new partnership and network for interdisciplinary research on indigenous food systems. The aim is to link humanities academics, agriculture researchers and indigenous peoples to design new interdisciplinary research on indigenous food systems past and present, from farm to plate, and enhance evidence on the role of indigenous crops in agricultural resilience
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Is adaptation the missing ingredient from the new UN biodiversity action plan?
This week governments from across the world will meet in Rome to discuss the first draft of a new global action plan to tackle biodiversity loss. Dilys Roe asks whether there is something missing from the agenda
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The champions helping communities make better food choices
In Jember, Indonesia, children and young people are bearing the brunt of unhealthy eating habits. Isnatul Mu'allifin explains how this new generation is using data – gathered with and by the community – to drive tangible, positive change in people’s diets
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Critical theme: Small-scale farming and the future of the European food system
Globally, small-scale farming is crucial for producing food and for sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people. In European food systems, the important but under-appreciated role of small-scale farmers is under threat from external drivers. On Wednesday, 22 January 2020, IIED hosted a critical theme event to discuss how small farms fit in the future context of the UK and European food system
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Informal food markets offer diverse food products and crucial livelihood opportunities
An IIED discussion paper highlights the importance of informal food markets in Zambia
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Africa’s evolving food systems
Most rural Africans now live and farm in liberalised markets, which most African and international policy forums assume to be the best basis for economic activities. But there is considerable debate about these developments, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa
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Q&A: Encouraging the availability of healthy and diverse foods for students
Creating change often starts from the ground up. A teacher in East Java province, Indonesia, explains how she is working with parents and pupils to learn about healthy food choices
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The Ugandan diet: food voices and choices
Farmers, food providers and consumers from Gulu, Buikwe and Kabarole Districts give their personal views on the Ugandan diet and food supply.
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Harnessing the potential of Zambia’s informal food sector
A new report on informal food markets in Zambia explores how integrating these into urban policy planning could help Zambia achieve 'zero hunger'.
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Dietary indicators need overhauling, food diary study finds
A recent study assessing dietary quality in Indonesia showed there is an urgent need to develop and validate assessment methods that will address the triple burden of malnutrition in an integrated way
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Beyond maize: exploring agricultural diversification in Zambia
Zambia's food system is widely seen as not working. A new report looks at how to increase crop diversity, support better nutrition and support resilience at local and national level
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For street vendors, finding water and toilets isn’t just a nuisance, it’s cutting into earnings
Guest blogger Carlin Carr argues that providing street vendors access to safe, clean water, sanitation, and hygiene resources benefits not just sellers but the wider community
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The two faces of Bandung’s street food: recreation and reliance
A new report highlights the central role that street food plays in the food security of low-income workers
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Science with citizens, or science for citizens?
Alejandro Guarín says citizen science is a great way to crowdsource knowledge, but involving citizens in research can also be a powerful tool for social change
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Keeping Bolivia’s culture alive through food
On Sustainable Gastronomy Day (18 June), guest blogger Angel Ramos explores initiatives that are helping to preserve Bolivia’s rich food heritage
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MoreMilk – reviewing policy options for the informal dairy trade
IIED and ILRI are studying what the alternatives are to formalising informal dairy markets – and what these alternatives need to work
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The Bolivian diet: women’s voices and choices
To coincide with International Women's Day on March 8, a photo exhibition explores Bolivian women's attitudes to traditional foods
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IIED and partners urge citizen involvement in international food policy debate
IIED and Hivos will highlight the importance of listening to citizens' voices at an international conference on sustainable food systems this week
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Food Change Labs tackle complex issues with the whole system in the room
Felia Boerwinkel describes how 'change labs' have successfully brought together diverse stakeholders to find ways to improve local food systems in Uganda, Zambia and Indonesia
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Understanding the role of small farms in Europe (SALSA)
IIED and partners are working to better understand why small farms matter not just in Africa but in Europe’s own countryside
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Q&A: Women in rural India are nature’s guardians
Reetu Sogani describes the special bond between women in India and the country’s natural resources – a connection that positions them as key preservers and managers of biodiversity. Despite this, women’s voices often go unheard in policies intended to support biodiversity conservation
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Achieving real transformation in our food system
Frank Mechielsen of Hivos reports back from the annual Committee for Food Security, the main international platform that explores food security concerns. He describes how joint action can deliver much needed change in the way we produce and consume our food
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Creating knowledge and supporting action: citizen-generated evidence from food diaries in Uganda
Citizens in Western Uganda are using food diaries to generate data on food consumption – helping them understand their own diets and advocate for a better food system
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How people are providing evidence, and influencing to get food policies that work for them
Food policies that are based on evidence and advocacy delivered by citizens are more likely to benefit those whose lives they affect most. An event this week heard how connecting people to policy can help secure healthy and more sustainable diets for everyone
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Nourishing diversity in our food systems
Although our food systems seemingly deliver impressive abundance and variety, we are losing crucial agricultural biodiversity and our increasingly homogenised diets are leading to disease and obesity. Seth Cook sets out five steps for better, more diverse food systems
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IIED and Hivos film calls for life beyond maize in Zambia
A new film launched ahead of World Food Day highlights the importance of diversifying agricultural production in Zambia, from farm to fork, in order to improve the nation's diet
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Reframing food security for an urbanising world
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger by 2030 means taking account of changes in both rural and urban contexts. Cecilia Tacoli reports back from a workshop organised with IFAD on some of the issues raised
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Why food diversity must be on the menu
As World Food Day approaches, Seth Cook explores the dangers of losing local crop and animal varieties and what we can do about it
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Sustainable diets for all
Through citizen action, the Sustainable Diets for All programme promoted diets that were diverse, healthy, fair, and sustainable
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Food summit secures strong commitment to drive change in Ugandan food systems
A two-day gathering in the town of Fort Portal, in Kabarole District in western Uganda, concluded with firm pledges from politicians, farmers, street vendors, technical experts, civil society, church leaders and youth, setting out how they will each tackle the deepening problems in the region's food systems
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Building trust through dialogue with street-food vendors
Street-food vendors' businesses are often threatened in the name of progress, but a new initiative from IIED and Hivos is looking to bridge the divide, protecting livelihoods and an important source of cheap food
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Building fairer food futures
Powerful images from Uganda and Indonesia highlight the importance of informal food vendors in the food systems of the rural and urban poor
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Introduction to building greater local control and resilience into agricultural and food systems
IIED is working to promote farming systems that are sustainable, productive and resilient – and to support smallholder farmers and farmer-led innovation
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Strengthening local voices in the governance of food systems and the environment
This action research explored new forms of citizenship to enhance citizens’ voices and agency in decision-making. It sought to find more equitable ways of including citizens in policy making and in the design of technologies and institutions that shape food systems and the environment
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Investing in smallholders and workers is good for business
Across the developing world, food systems and supply chains are changing — exports are rising, particularly in fresh foods, supermarkets are playing an increasingly important role and there is a growing number of standards for safety, ethics and environment.
