Alem Tedeneke, Media Lead, Public Engagement, +1 646 204 9191; ated@weforum.org
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 22 January 2020 – The World Economic Forum, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Rabobank, together with a growing roster of private and public sector partners have come together to launch the Food Action Alliance (FAA). The FAA brings together the international community to tackle an urgent historic challenge: to reshape the way we think, produce, supply and consume food.
The FAA is a coalition of organizations and initiatives who through collective action significantly strengthen the impact of agricultural value chains to produce food efficiently, sustainably and accessibly, in support of a transition to healthier diets and improved environmental outcomes. The FAA builds on the extensive experience of World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture initiative.
It mobilizes a next generation of multistakeholder partnerships that build on existing synergies and complementary capacities to deliver food systems that are efficient, sustainable, inclusive, nutritious and healthy in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It does so by providing a framework for collective knowledge and action on systemic issues such as on food security and nutrition, inclusive growth and decent jobs, environmental sustainability and climate resilience – affecting the sustainability of global food systems.
Partners of the FAA include African Development Bank (AfDB), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Bayer AG, Bharat Krishak Samaj (Farmers' Forum India), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Global Environmental Facility (GEF), Grow Africa, Grow Asia, IDH - The Sustainable Trade Initiative, Indigo Ag, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Rabobank, Royal DSM, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), UPL, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), WWF International and the World Economic Forum.
“Partners in the Food Action Alliance believe that fragmentation within the current food system represents the most significant hurdle to feeding a growing population nutritiously and sustainably. We urgently need new business models and innovative partnerships to transform the way food is produced, supplied and consumed,” said Sean de Cleene, Member of the Executive Committee and Head of Food Systems Initiative, World Economic Forum.
To achieve a vision for efficient, sustainable, inclusive, nutritious and healthy food systems, the FAA brings together stakeholders from all sectors – government, business, farmer associations, international organizations, civil society and academia – to mobilize a country driven agenda towards meeting the SDGs. Ishmael Sunga, Chief Executive Officer of the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) said: “Putting farmers at the heart of discussions for solutions and actions is key to implement pathways for food systems transformation. Partners in the Alliance have the potential to significantly support economic development, decent jobs, sustainable and resilient agriculture practices, benefiting millions of smallholder farmers.”
The current food system is not structured to cope with a rapidly growing population, climate shocks and the rise of hunger and obesity. Under business-as-usual scenarios, an estimated 637 million people will be undernourished while health systems could face a bill of $1.2 trillion every year from 2025 for treating medical conditions related to obesity. Today’s agricultural supply chain, from farm to fork, accounts for between 21% to 37% of greenhouse gas emissions.
The food system is inefficient in many respects. For example, around one-third of food, accounting for around $1 trillion, is wasted across the supply chain. Many farming methods that are successful in increasing output – and therefore farmer incomes – deplete natural resources such as soils and forests, making them unsustainable in the longer term.
“We need wider and deeper collaboration along the food value chain to de-risk investing in agriculture. This will in turn allow financial system partners and investors to come in and provide the much-needed access to finance. The Food Action Alliance brings these players together in coalitions, which can jointly create solutions for people, planet and markets,” said Wiebe Draijer, Chairman of the Managing Board, Rabobank.
The Food Action Alliance will play a key role in advancing the goals toward the United Nations 2021 Food Systems Summit, which will bring together the international community raising the urgency for food system transformation to the highest level. Agnes Kalibata, President, AGRA and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the 2021 Food Systems Summit said: “We need transformative thinking and action to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves by 2030 – for people, for the environment and for our shared future. By demonstrating concrete business models and pathways to transforming food systems, the Food Action Alliance is a great example of a new approach that can make a significant contribution to the 2021 Food System Summit and, more importantly, deliver on aspirations of countries and all our people.”
The Food Action Alliance will be initially active in Latin America, Africa, India and South-East Asia. Various multistakeholder consultations are taking place to identify flagship opportunities for improving the scale and sustainability of existing agricultural value chains. Expert groups focused on generating and disseminating knowledge and developing new solutions on issues such as resilient farming practices, financial solutions and technology platforms will support existing and new initiatives.
“The Food Action Alliance provides the links between projects, initiatives and organizations needed to achieve change at scale. Together, we believe that coordinated action has the potential to improve the economic livelihoods of hundreds of millions of smallholder farming families and create a sustainable food system for future generations”, said Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD.
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2020 is taking place from 21-24 January in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. The meeting brings together nearly 3,000 global leaders from government, international organizations, business, civil society, media, culture, foremost experts and the young generation from all over the world, at the highest level and in representative ways. Convening under the theme, Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World, participants are focused on defining new models for building sustainable and inclusive societies in a plurilateral world. The meeting engages some 50 heads of state and government, more than 300 ministerial-level government participants and business representation at the chief executive officer and chair level. For further information, please click here.
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