Expert opinion

An important insight of the last years is that our major economic systems do not deliver the right results and are not sustainable. The food system is one of those key systems. The demand for more nutritious food to feed a healthy and productive global population cannot be met if we do not look at fundamental changes. But where to start: with the consumer, the farmer, the industry, the retail? In this blog Paul van de Logt and Ruerd Ruben present a practical framework based on their experience in policy and science to support food system transformations. »

Food is essential for all living organisms to survive and flourish, but for human beings, food transcends biological needs and has long been an integral part of social life and culture. Over the past century, the food system has done very well in producing enough food to outpace population growth – reducing the real price of food to make it more accessible to the poor and drive down global hunger and poverty.  While the remaining pockets of hunger require continued attention, the global food system is rapidly transforming, including in the less developed regions of Africa, Asia and parts of Latin America. »

Entrepreneurship in agriculture is often touted as one of the innovative approaches to addressing poverty and food insecurity in developing and emerging economies. It is also considered a means out of unemployment for the rapidly increasing youth population in many developing economies. The challenge for entrepreneurs in agriculture, or “agripreneurs”, is to innovate and spawn ideas and approaches to spur on agricultural production to meet future demand; this challenge is particularly targeted at unemployed youth, who are expected to rise to the challenge not only of farming, but of being entrepreneurial. »

CGIAR regards the results of its R&D activities as international public goods and is committed to their widespread diffusion to achieve the maximum possible access and scope of impact to advantage the poor, especially farmers in developing countries. At the same time, CGIAR and other public research organisations apply Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). This article addresses the question how exclusive rights on new technologies can be reconciled with the production of international public goods. »

Dutch food security programs in the international development domain have been mainly focussed during the last few decades on increasing agricultural production and reinforcing international trade of tropical commodities. This focus is now gradually changing towards activities that devote key attention to gender and nutrition, circularity and climate resilience, and upgrading of agro-food value chains. Moreover, there is a growing interest in systematic learning from interventions by engaging researchers into development programs. »

During the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, strong interest in Food Systems approaches was confirmed by policy makers and business leaders. Ruerd Ruben from Wageningen Economic Research joined the panel debate on “Accelerating the End of Hunger and Malnutrition” along with contributions from IFPRI, GAIN, GNR, SUN, and WBCSD. Read his blog about the meeting. »