The Council is headed by its President, Cary Fowler, the former Special Envoy for Global Food Security at the U.S. Department of State, and its Executive Director Anna Nelson, the former Deputy Special Envoy. They are supported by 25 Council members as well as a growing team of distinguished fellows.

“I don’t want this government to lose the partnerships that we’ve developed with other countries,” Fowler tells Food Tank. These relationships “would pay a lot of dividends for us in the future.”

The central focus for the Council is to create a set of actionable recommendations for future policy leaders, which Nelson describes as “more of a manual than a white paper.” 

The goal, Nelson says, is to create long-term solutions—a challenge when the government often focuses on the short-term. She adds that this must be done in partnership with others, stating that “the U.S. can’t retreat from the global stage.”

Agricultural research and development, particularly when conducted alongside international institutions, is one focus for the Council. 

Fowler and Nelson believe this is more important than ever in light of the current administration’s actions. The Trump-Vance Administration recently pulled funding for all but one of the Feed the Future Innovation labs—a network led by U.S. universities that worked to address some of the greatest challenges in agriculture and food security. 

“What’s really made this country great, nationally and abroad, has been our commitment to research and technology,” Fowler tells Food Tank. “That’s something we walk away from with great peril.”

Fowler explains that this work with international organizations brings mutual benefits. “We shouldn’t be thinking that our investment with the Innovation Labs was just a big giveaway program to people in other countries.”

Fowler sees innovation in the sector as a 50-year pipeline, stating that “the kind of benefits you get from investing in research can last for half a century.” 

Watch or listen to the full conversation with Cary Fowler and Anna Nelson on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about the significant financial returns that come from investment in agricultural development, what it will take to rebuild the trust that has been lost in the last nine months, and how the Council’s work can offer lessons to other nations. 

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Photo courtesy of Sebastian Pena Lambarri, Unsplash

The post Shaping U.S. Leadership on Global Food Security Amid Political Shifts appeared first on Food Tank.

Last year 8.2 percent of the global population faced hunger—down from 8.7 percent in 2022, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report from the United Nations. But in African countries, where 20 percent of the total population is food insecure, the same downward trend is not being seen.

By 2030, “60 percent of people in hunger [in the world] will come from Africa,” Torero tells Food Tank. This projection is based on current data and it’s likely to worsen as countries pull back on international aid. Torero expects that the consequences of these decision will hit Africa the hardest. “That’s where I see the major impact of the reduction on [official development assistance] and on humanitarian support from developed countries.”

The cuts will not only hurt food and agriculture systems, Torero explains. It will also hit the health and education sectors, “which are crucial for the agri-food system to be able to provide and reduce hunger and improve nutrition.”

Torero, however, tries to find the good in this concerning news, and he is hopeful that national governments can find ways to use the funding available more efficiently. 

“It’s a continent that has this amazing institutionality,” Torero tells Food Tank. “They know the priorities. They know what they want to achieve. The fact now is that governments need to take action and find a way to resolve this gap in support that they are not going to have in the next [few] years.”

Watch or listen to the full conversation with Maximo Torero on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear about unlocking the potential of Africa’s youth through opportunities in food and farming systems, what’s driving food price inflation to outpace global inflation, and our job to drive the “wild horse” that is AI. 

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Photo courtesy of Ali Mkumbwa, Unsplash

The post When Aid Declines, Hunger Rises: The Cost of Cutting Humanitarian Support appeared first on Food Tank.

The nonprofit serves 2,000 patients per week across over 160 zip codes, delivering medically tailored food boxes at no cost. The recipients might be living with hypertension, diabetes, or high cholesterol, and the foods distributed are curated to help them manage their condition. 

Food is Medicine is an opportunity to “get fresh food to the people who need it most,” Dion Dawson, the Founder and “Chief Dreamer,” at Dion’s Chicago Dream, tells Food Tank. But with the sector valued at around US$25 billion, he also believes it’s a market opportunity. 

“How do we continue to use this market to stabilize the organizations and businesses who have committed themselves to serving healthier recipients…all around the country?” Dawson asks. Part of the answer, be believes, lies showing those in power that programs like his are successful. There are “amazing results,” he says, “and we have to continue to show that it’s working.”

If medically tailored meals or produce prescription programs can expand, Dawson sees the potential for a domino effect. “If we give people more access to healthier food, we can start that process of changing behaviors,” he tells Food Tank. “But you can’t change behaviors without the food.”

In addition to their Food is Medicine work, Dion’s Chicago Dream offers grocery delivery to food insecure neighbors around Chicago—dropped off directly at recipients’ homes or put in secure lockers in participating stores called Dream Vaults. They also stock a community fridge in the neighborhood of Englewood with fresh fruits, vegetables, and water.

Dawson is aware that his organization’s work will only become more urgent in the face of federal funding cuts as eaters lose vital nutrition assistance benefits and food banks and pantries struggle to secure the resources needed to serve their communities. 

“I cannot undersell how different things are going to look in the next couple of years,” Dawson tells Food Tank. He says that there is an increasing need for organizations to become creative in developing solutions that can fill the gaps. 

“It’s on us,” Dawson says. “We have to make sure that we’re digging deep because we can feel the impact but we have to keep that hope and that optimism because that makes it a little bit easier to wake up every day and figure out how we can best serve the people.”

Listen to the full conversation with Dion Dawson on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about how Dawson’s own experiences with hunger and homelessness has shaped his work, why Dion’s Chicago Dream refuses to rely on volunteers, and how organizations can continue to nourish people in times of political upheaval. 

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Photo courtesy of Dion’s Chicago Dream

The post ‘It’s On Us’: Dion’s Chicago Dream Fights Hunger and Builds Wealth appeared first on Food Tank.

FreshRx Oklahoma, a Tulsa-based nonprofit food prescription program, is already showing how this model can work in practice. Founded and led by Erin Martin, the organization works to deliver measurable health outcomes through their produce prescription program. They strive to help individuals managing chronic conditions like diabetes reduce A1C numbers, preserve the ability to work and live fully, and keep families and communities thriving. 

“If we say we care about equity,” Martin asks, “why would we give the communities with the worst outcomes the cheapest food?”

The program offers significant healthcare cost-savings, Martin says. “We’ve probably saved the state of Oklahoma over US$5 million,” she tells Food Tank, “while spending just a fifth of the typical cost to treat someone with chronic illness.” That’s important when the U.S. is experiencing what Martin calls a “financial crisis in healthcare.”

FreshRx creates trust by hiring from the community, including program graduates, and offering high-quality, locally grown food. In addition to receiving ingredients, participants are invited to take part in cooking demos and educational opportunities that are designed to be hands-on and culturally relevant. Martin explains that the participants are supported along their journey. 

Engagement rates have jumped from 15 percent to over 85 percent, she tells Food Tank. People are showing up, cooking, sharing, and  encouraging each other. “Food is our Trojan horse,” Martin tells Food Tank. “It brings people in. But what we’re really doing is healing.”

But systemic challenges remain. Funding can be inconsistent and insurers are sometimes hesitant to support the program, Martin explains.  But that’s beginning to change as organizations like FreshRx Oklahoma prove that Food is Medicine initiatives yield tangible results. 

With the passing of the new Food is Medicine Act, FreshRx Oklahoma is hopeful that more states will follow suit. “Having the legislative backing, having the hard conversations will eventually get [us] over that hill,” Martin tells Food Tank. From here, “we can get additional metrics [and] as that ramps up, we’re going to see more and more insurers adopt this.”

Listen to the full conversation with Erin Martin on “Food Talk with Dani Neirenberg” to hear more about the work of FreshRx Oklahoma, how to make the case for Food is Medicine to policymakers, and the benefits these programs offer to farmers.

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Photo courtesy of Negley Stockman, Unsplash

The post Rooted in Health: How FreshRx Oklahoma Is Redefining Healthcare through Food and Community appeared first on Food Tank.

Many conventional practices are “not friendly,” to the natural environment, leading to soil degradation, Moti Jaleta, a Senior Agricultural Economist with CIMMYT tells Food Tank. 

That’s why CIMMYT is working to introduce the idea of sustainable intensification, an approach that increases productivity while bringing positive social and environmental impacts. Minimal or zero tillage, crop rotation, and intercropping can all help farmers prevent soil erosion.

“We are trying our best to introduce conservation practices that help farmers reclaim their lands and also bring back soil fertility and then make it more sustainable for use for the next generation,” Jaleta says. 

In addition to crops, farmers in the Highlands typically raise animals as part of an integrated crop-livestock system — one that CIMMYT wants to help optimize. “They’re interdependent,” Jaleta tells Food Tank, explaining that crop residue can be used as animal feed. “They are supporting each other.” 

Listen to the full conversation with Moti Jaleta on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about the sustainable practices that CIMMYT is helping farmers adopt, the impact of declining development assistance on the future of agricultural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa, and the AI tools that are helping food producers adapt to changing weather patterns. 

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The post Soil First: Protecting Ethiopia’s Farmland for the Next Generation appeared first on Food Tank.

Hungria, a researcher with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), is credited with helping Brazil become an agricultural powerhouse. But her methods weren’t always widely embraced.

The World Food Prize laureate attended school in the 1970s, a time when when crop yields were seeing dramatic increases as a result of the Green Revolution, characterized by the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides. But Hungria was interested in microorganisms, and she believed they offered a solution that didn’t require farmers to rely so heavily on synthetic chemicals. She called it a micro green revolution.

The pushback that Hungria received from her teachers and peers was significant. “Everybody said that I had no future with biologicals,” she tells Food Tank. But Hungria persisted. In her research, she proved that it was possible for farmers to apply less fertilizer, thereby cutting greenhouse gas emissions, while also improving their yields and livelihoods.

And through her career, farmers remained central to her work, Hungria says. “Every research that I did, it was because a farmer came to me to talk about something. It was because a farmer came [to me] or I met a farmer in the field, and he told me what he wanted and what was happening, and that gave me ideas to do my work.”

Read more about Mariangela Hungria’s work in a new piece on Forbes, and watch or listen to a conversation with the World Food Prize laureate on a new episode of “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg.”

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Photo courtesy of Lucas Friederich, Wikimedia Commons

The post Dr. Mariangela Hungria Is Driving an Agricultural Revolution for People and Planet appeared first on Food Tank.

FOLU works in seven countries to “rewire food systems to help solve climate change,” Morgan Gillespy, the coalition’s Executive Director, tells Food Tank. 

Many members in FOLU’s network came to this work concerned about the environment, Gillespy explains. As their work to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions unfolded, they saw the many advantages their efforts—when framed correctly—can also have on health, diet, biodiversity, and people’s livelihoods. 

Some may call this systems thinking or silo-breaking, Gillespy says, “but really it’s identifying the co-benefits that we believe are achievable through the lens of food systems.”

This year, COP30 will take place in Brazil this November—and Gillespy is hopeful that it will build on the progress the food movement has celebrated over the last four years as they connect the dots between food production, consumption, and the climate crisis. 

At COP26 in Ireland, the government focused on forests, “which was a huge step forward,” allowing advocates to broaden the climate conversation to include food and agriculture, Gillespy says. At COP28 in the United Arab Emirates, “food finally made it on the scene,” through the UAE Declaration on Food and Agriculture. By signing the Declaration, more than 160 world leaders pledged to put food and agriculture front and center in their climate policies.

This year, Gillespy sees another significant opportunity, pointing to the Brazilian Government’s newly released action agenda for the Conference. Of the six pillars, one is focused on food and agriculture, with sub-elements honing in on land restoration, climate adaptation, and food security. 

“This…is the most comprehensive inclusion of food systems that we’ve had to date in a COP,” Gillespy tells Food Tank. She also adds that the COP30 Presidency is adamant that this year’s COP will prioritize implementation—it isn’t one for vague commitments and target setting. 

“We’re thrilled that COP30 is really going to be yet another unique turning point on food systems.”

Listen to the full conversation with Morgan Gillespy on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about why she’s optimistic about Brazil’s potential to put food and agriculture at the center of climate negotiations at COP30, how to make the business case for climate action, and how small changes can lead to big breakthroughs to drive transformation.

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The post Can COP30 Be a Turning Point for Food and Climate? appeared first on Food Tank.

CornerJawn takes a Food is Medicine approach to corner stores, stocking them with nutrient dense produce in urban neighborhoods. 

Inspiration for CornerJawn struck during the COVID-19 pandemic, Barfield explains. She became curious if corner stores, which are often more accessible than larger supermarkets, would carry more than a few items of produce that might be needed to round out a recipe. 

While on a walk, Barfield stopped at several corner stores around her neighborhood to ask owners if they would consider stocking more variety. At each one, she received the same answer: No.

“It was a business decision purely, and that made sense to me,” Barfield tells Food Tank. “You’re not going to buy something that’s going to die on the shelf.” She realized that a mindset shift would need to take place, and wanted to offer a model that demonstrates what corner stores can be. 

At CornerJawn, Barfield strives to create a shopping experience where eaters can learn about the produce they’re buying and the nutritional benefits they offer. She also wants them to feel comfortable with the options available. 

“It’s very important for us to stop limiting food options, but at the same time, keep things culturally relevant for the communities that we’re in,” Barfield tells Food Tank. “I want to make sure that nobody feels like nutrient density is above them.”

Barfield thinks deeply about eaters’ connection to their food. “I want people to see the quality of food relates back to their health,” Barfield says. And she sees this relationship between food and wellbeing extending far beyond the individual. “How you eat now isn’t just about you. Food is about lineage. It’s about everyone in your bloodline before you and the ones that are coming after you.”

Listen to the full conversation with Christa Barfield on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about how corner stores can nourish communities, Barfield’s regenerative organic production model at her 128-acre farm FarmerJawn, and how Barfield’s travels in Martinique helped her transition from a career in healthcare into one in agriculture. 

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Photo courtesy of FarmerJawn

The post Christa Barfield Wants to Flip the Script on Corner Stores appeared first on Food Tank.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports the virus has affected well over 150 million poultry in commercial and backyard flocks in the United States. And 17 states have reported outbreaks in dairy cows.

But since President Trump took office, Adalja tells Food Tank, the flow of information on the virus has slowed. “What we’ve seen is a real dearth of information coming from the federal government in terms of the avian influenza outbreak on poultry farms, on dairy cattle farms. We’re sort of blind.” This, he says, makes it harder to monitor and respond to outbreaks.

Although the current risk of the virus to humans is low, as reported by the CDC, the spread to humans and other mammals is concerning to Adalja. The more times the virus is able to infect these other species, “it will start to mutate, to be able to thrive in a mammalian organism.” This jump is what gives a virus the potential to become the next pandemic. “That’s what we worry about,” he says.

Adalja notes that there are steps that can be taken now to prevent and control the spread of the disease, including diagnostic testing, vaccine development and stockpiling for humans and animals, and the use of personal protective equipment by the farmers and farm workers who come into contact with infected animals most frequently. But, he tells Food Tank that despite the many tools within reach “they’re not being used optimally—and they’re not being used optimally by choice.”

Learn more about why public health experts are concerned about the spread of bird flu—and what can be done—in a new piece on Forbes by clicking HERE.

And watch or listen to the full conversation with Amesh Adalja on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about how federal funding cuts are making it harder to prevent and contain bird flu, why politics are getting in the way of pandemic preparedness, and why a coordinated global response is so important to protecting people everywhere.

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Photo courtesy of Brett Jordan, Unsplash

The post We’re Dropping the Ball on Avian Flu Preparedness—Dangerously appeared first on Food Tank.

Since its founding in 2011, the Fund has invested US$33 million through 617 grants in 96 countries. The hope is to “usher this wave of activity for agroecology,” Daniel Moss, Co-Director of the Agroecology Fund, tells Food Tank

At its core, “one shorthand for agroecology is farming with nature,” Moss explains. It sounds obvious, he says, but in many cases, “we viewed nature as an enemy,” seeing pesticides and herbicides as a solution to tame the natural environment. 

Agroecology is also a science and a practice of movement building, Moss adds. “The food system is controlled by very narrow economic interests and to make changes, you need a movement that can propose and push policies and, importantly, hold them accountable in their implementation.” 

To advance these goals, the Fund prioritizes participatory grantmaking, which Moss refers to as a model of trust-based philanthropy. They work to develop deep connections with social movements and create space for funding recommendations to come from those who are closest to frontline change networks. 

The Fund tries to remain flexible, allowing for experimentation from their partners. Instead of mandating particular projects or initiatives, they ask grantees to share solutions that seem to be most effective in their local context. There will be mistakes, Moss says, but partners will revise and adapt their approach until they get it right. 

It will take around US$430 billion to transition to agroecological and regenerative food systems, according to estimates from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food. Current funding represents roughly 10 percent of that. 

Moss acknowledges that, despite an increased investment in the space in recent years, food businesses and policymakers will need to play a role. “There’s no hubris here that the philanthropic sector is going to be the main investor in agroecology and push it over the finish line.” But, he says, support from philanthropic organizations can help communities demonstrate the power of agroecology and “prove their case to bigger funders” like governments. 

Listen to the full conversation with Daniel Moss to hear more about the work of the Agroecology Fund’s partners, the opportunities that agroecology creates for women and youth, and hopes for the 30th U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil.

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Photo courtesy of the USDA NRCS

The post Agroecology Fund: Catalyzing Food Systems Transformation through Trust-Based Philanthropy appeared first on Food Tank.

Organic Valley holds membership agreements with the roughly 1,600 farmers who make up the co-op’s network. These agreements represent “a commitment to know that you have a market with us for now and into the future,” Shawna Nelson, CEO of Organic Valley, tells Food Tank. 

This means that Organic Valley will help farmers navigate supply and demand in the marketplace to ensure that they’re producing the right amount, Nelson explains. Farmers aren’t “seeing the instability that potentially exists in the market,” she says. “It’s pretty big, when you think about it” 

The co-op tries to think about the best ways to support farmers across the spectrum, whether they are entering into farming, looking to transition from conventional practices to organic, or putting together succession plans for their land as they prepare for retirement. And Nelson says that their professional services and staff across the country allow them to work with more producers than before, determining how best to meet their needs—and it’s working. 

“We’re seeing lights turn back on in some of the barns that weren’t running a year ago, two years ago, five years ago,” Nelson tells Food Tank. “We’re figuring out what the gaps are that farmers are facing and how we, as a co-op of many farmers coming together, help solve those challenges.”

Nelson believes this model is sustainable, offering security far into the future. “I’m hoping that we can continue to set our cooperative up for generations to come.”

Listen to the full conversation with Shawna Nelson on “Food Talk with Dani Neirenberg” to hear more about how Organic Valley is providing the economic support as farmers transition to organic, protecting the co-op’s members from the risks of avian flu, and how branching out into oat-based dairy alternatives is supporting Organic Valley’s existing network of producers.

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Photo courtesy of Daniel Quiceno, Unsplash

The post Turning the Lights Back On: A Co-op Model for a More Secure Farming Future appeared first on Food Tank.

Uncertainty is “inherent” in agriculture, Larew says, and it’s something producers are accustomed to. But under the Trump-Vance Administration, he tells Food Tank that the uncertainty “seems to be placed on us by our leaders, our elected leaders.” 

The National Farmers Union is one of the oldest farm organizations in the United States and the second largest farm organization, representing a diversity of farms. “But I think across the board, this uncertainty and additional stress is affecting nearly everyone,” Larew says. 

According to Larew, the funding cuts, such as those supporting local food procurement, are partly to blame. They “pulled the rug out from underneath so many farmers here,” Larew tells Food Tank. He points to West Virginia, where several farmers in their network had “amazing contracts” with schools and food banks that gave them a more secure market. But that’s now gone.

Larew says that staff and members from NFU have met with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and they are waiting to see if she follows through on recent promises to put small and medium farms first. But, he adds it doesn’t make sense to disrupt existing networks while still talking about the need for it.

NFU is also keeping an eye on tariffs and the escalating trade war. Larew believes tariffs “have a role” in trade policies. But he calls those imposed by the Trump-Vance Administration “unprecedented attempts to try to bully the rest of the world into policy change.” The consequences for farmers, who can’t be sure where they can sell their products, is more uncertainty. 

Although the White House announced that they would consider bailouts for farmers if the harm from the trade war continued, Larew argues that this isn’t what they want. And while he notes that the desire to provide aid is appreciated, he says, “as farmers, we want to get our prices out of the marketplace…Hope for a government bailout is certainly not the approach that any farmer I know wants to have.”

Listen to the full conversation with Rob Larew on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about concerns about the capacity at USDA, why food and agriculture policy can’t pit farm and nutrition priorities against one another, and hope for action on antitrust enforcement.

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The post Uncertainty on Top of Uncertainty: The Political Instability Facing Farmers appeared first on Food Tank.

Alsobrooks first announced that she planned to file a Senate resolution of Disapproval during her Sick Of It rally outside the offices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. 

In less than 40 days, the Trump-Vance Administration cut more than US$1.8 billion in NIH grants, affecting research on issues from diabetes to cancer to Alzheimer’s. HHS also announced in March that it was cutting 10,000 full-time employees across health agencies, in addition to the 10,000 employees who left voluntarily. 

Kennedy “has absolutely no idea about the nature of many of the cuts…And I’m convinced he doesn’t care, and I think that’s the most frightening part of it all,” Alsobrooks tells Food Tank. “There is a real sense of destabilization, chaos, and even cruelty, and I think that has been very intentional.” 

Kennedy’s desire to crack down on artificial food additives or pesticides has drawn praise from some advocates working on food and agriculture issues. And Alsobrooks acknowledges that there are points of the Health Secretary’s that are worth considering, saying that it would be “intellectually dishonest” not to. But, she adds, “My father used to say even a broken clock is right twice a day.”

The Senator is also doubtful of Kennedy’s ability to follow through on any promises around these points. “Much of it is just talk, and I think that’s the misfortune of all of this,” she tells Food Tank. “I’d be very surprised if we see any of it materialize in a way that benefits the people.”

Although Alsobrooks believes that it may take a while before it’s clear just how much harm has been done, some Americans are already beginning to see the effects. One patient, she says, was forced to wait an additional four weeks before her cancer trial could begin as a result of the recent cuts. “That’s life and death,” she says. 

As a growing population realizes the impacts of these decisions at the federal level, Alsobrooks believes that people—including those who voted for President Trump—will begin to speak up. 

“I know that it is really scary for some,” but it’s important for voters to make their voices heard, Alsobrooks says. “I think it’s important for them to be encouraged to continue speaking out and saying that they disagree with what we’re seeing.”

Watch or listen to the full conversation with U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks to hear more about the effect that the funding cuts will have, the Senator’s concerns with Kennedy’s guidance around vaccinations, and her advice for people to take care of their mental health during these times as best they can. 

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The post Sick of It: The Human Toll of Political Chaos appeared first on Food Tank.

Last year, dollar sales for organic products amounted to US$71.6 billion. OTA finds that despite pressure from inflation and supply chain changes, the organic marketplace grew at a rate of 5.2 percent compared to growth of 2.5 percent seen in the overall market. 

While Gen X recognizes and cares about the organic label, it’s Gen Z and millennials driving this trend, Matthew Dillon, Co-CEO of OTA tells Food Tank. This is true “regardless of income,” noting that “organic consumers are aspirational” and they want the opportunity to purchase more when they can. 

Many eaters are drawn to the organic label for its “free from and clean label claims,” Dillon explains. But he adds that younger eaters are increasingly associating organic practices with healthier soils, farm worker wellness, and climate. 

“I think that folks are realizing that what you do to the planet, you do to yourself,” Dillon tells Food Tank. 

As demand increases, farmers require encouragement and support during the three-year transition period before they can become Certified Organic, Dillon says. This means they need “clear signals” that the market for their products exists so they can take that leap. They also require strong infrastructure to get their products into the marketplace, technical assistance, and financing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) can support producers with some of their needs, but Dillon wonders if the agency has enough capacity in light of cuts to both funding and staff. “Do we have a National Organic Program in the USDA that’s funded at the right level to meet the growth and meet the demand that consumers have for more acres on the ground, more products on the shelves?” he asks.

Dillon isn’t sure how this will play out, but he adds that “it could have an effect on our ability to delight consumers with more organic products.”

The private sector has a role to play as well, Dillon notes, building on his point about financing. “There are some creative ways that businesses have done it, including giving long-term contracts for farmers who are in transition,” he says. These agreements offer stability as farmers convert their fields so they can sustain themselves during the transition and have a guaranteed market to sell into once they’re Certified Organic. 

“I want us to think about organic not just as an investment in any given season,” Dillon tells Food Tank, “but an investment in the future generations.”

Watch the full conversation on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about the trust eaters have in Certified Organic, opportunities for the organic industry as the Make America Healthy Again movement grows, and why organic standards will continue to evolve.

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The post Meeting the Moment: What the Organic Sector Needs to Sustain Growth appeared first on Food Tank.

CGIAR unites 15 research centers around the globe —collectively employing more than 9,000 scientists, researchers, technicians, and staff—as they work to transform food, land, and water systems. But investment in this work is on the decline, Elouafi reports. 

“Really what we are seeing is that hunger is rising, but funding is falling,” Elouafi tells Food Tank. “Everybody should remember that…one in every eleven people globally is going to bed without food and feeling hunger and malnutrition.”

While the recent dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development is alarming, Elouafi says that she has been “very concerned” for the last few years, “particularly since COVID started.”

According to a study published in World Development, CGIAR funding peaked in 2014. By 2020, it had declined by more than 25 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars.

“I think all scientists feel frustrated and feel helpless when they know that they can produce solutions,” Elouafi tells Food Tank, “but they don’t have access to that funding to bring the solutions.”

Elouafi reports that the returns on agricultural research are significant: Every dollar spent yields 10 dollars in return. And it’s more important than ever to invest in innovation and help communities adapt to the climate crisis.

From farmers to urbanites, “every one of us feels it,” Elouafi says. Yields are falling as temperatures rise and droughts become more severe. Producers, particularly small-scale farmers, are struggling with the unpredictability in weather patterns. The fragility is “unprecedented.”

That’s why CGIAR is reaching out to partners and funders, telling them that the pace of progress—and investment—needs to speed up, not slow down. 

Despite the challenges, Elouafi still holds onto hope. She believes that if the financing is available, the research centers have cultivated the proper environment “to create those breakthroughs and the innovation that can help us.”

As part of the network’s new five year research portfolio, they are working to facilitate knowledge sharing even more effectively through the cultivation of stronger relationships. Elouafi reports greater collaboration between the Global South and Global North and, particularly in the last two decades, “a surge of South-South collaboration.” CGIAR’s programs connect researchers and farmers in, for example, Morocco and Ethiopia, Ethiopia and the Ivory Coast, the African continent and China, and Brazil and Africa. 

And none of this work can advance without engaging farmers directly. “I think CGIAR, be it in our breeding program, be it in our policy work, be it in our data generation work, we have been really engaging the stakeholders at large, but particularly the farmers,” Elouafi tells Food Tank. And producers’ input isn’t simply taken for consideration. Rather, it’s used to inform new innovations that match the context they’re developed for. 

“We don’t know what we cannot see and we need farmers’ experience over decades, over generations. It’s super important.”

Listen to or watch the full conversation with Dr. Ismahane Elouafi to hear more about the current funding landscape for agricultural research, why a critical mass is needed to unleash the power of science, and where CGIAR is finding success. 

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Photo courtesy of the World Bank

The post The Climate Is Changing and Science Has Answers—But What Happens if the Funding Dries Up? appeared first on Food Tank.

The latest data from Food Prices for Nutrition show that 2.8 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2022. “We’re a long way from getting to zero,” economist Will Masters, a Professor at the Friedman School and the Principal Investigator on the project, tells Food Tank. 

But Masters believes that this issue is “clearly actionable.” He explains that steps can be taken to lower the cost of healthy foods, provide nutrition assistance, and make nutritious choices easier. 

Nigeria is one country putting the results of the project’s research to use. In 2020, the government began releasing monthly estimates of the cost of a healthy diet. When the country began to reconsider the minimum wage—which hadn’t been increased in years—for certain jobs, trade unions used the data to push for a figure they deemed fair. 

Taking home enough money to afford a healthy diet “was an important part of human dignity that could help set a minimum wage,” Masters says. 

But as the world begins to witness the fallout of U.S. aid disruptions and cuts introduced by the Trump-Vance administration, Masters worries about the impact it will have on global food and nutrition security. 

“The current government in Washington is taking 20 steps back and reversing so much of what people have fought for,” Masters tells Food Tank. “All the scientific apparatus, all of the faith in expertise, all the understanding that we had built up is being destroyed.”

Masters believes that it is a “terrifying” time. But he also hopes that once people can account for all that is being dismantled, they can find a way to rebuild. “We have some years in the wilderness to organize ourselves and to think straight about how to survive this terrible period that we’re in right now.” And he stresses that this must be done “in solidarity with those who are most affected.”  

Scientific knowledge and a belief in a better future will be key to get through this period, Masters asserts, stating, “the secret to improvements each time has been science. It has been discovery as much as it has been faith and trust and hope.” 

“We need to keep our trust in each other high and our ability to hear each other and listen and share with each other — that’s very important,” Masters continues. “Just to learn, just to understand is a magical superpower.”

Listen to the full conversation with Will Masters on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about the guidance that Food Prices for Nutrition offers, the impact of recent U.S. tariffs on food systems, and how Masters is making food economics more accessible through his open access textbook Food Economics: Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health.

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The post Improving Access to Healthy Diets Is ‘Clearly Actionable’ appeared first on Food Tank.

ANAPRI “was born out of the need to share knowledge, share data, and also to be able to learn lessons from the different institutions that are involved in policy research in Africa,” Antony Chapoto, ANAPRI’s Executive Director, tells Food Tank.

The organization unites 16 agricultural policy research institutions in 15 countries, with the aim of producing high-quality evidence that can guide and inform policy decisions in support of long-term food security, environmental sustainability, and economic growth.

Chapoto says that it’s common for advice and guidance shaping Africa’s agriculture sector to come from other regions. But, he says, “it doesn’t mean we don’t have good evidence coming from Africa.” That’s why ANAPRI is prioritizing localization. “We need our countries to embrace local institutions, help them build capacity, help them build sustainability.” 

“It’s common knowledge that climate change is real, and we have been witnessing it in Africa,” Chapoto says. He points to the increasing frequency of droughts, floods, and dramatic temperature fluctuations, which affect farmers and their agricultural yields. 

Chapoto policymakers understand the need for change, but he says it is important to identify practices that work for farmers for their implementation to be effective. “We have to be much more innovative because the solutions that work in other developed nations won’t work in most parts of Africa because of the nature of the farming systems,” he argues. 

Building resilience for the future also requires ANAPRI and their member institutes to plan strategically for future generations. Africa’s youth population, already the largest in the world, is expected to double to 1.56 billion by 2050, the World Economic Forum reports. And Chapoto wants to make sure that young people see exciting opportunities in food and agriculture systems.

“Often when we say ‘agriculture sector,’ people tend to look at primary production, but the agriculture sector is a chain,” Chapoto tells Food Tank. “We need to see exactly where the opportunities lie for these youth.

Retaining local talent requires incentives that encourage young people to stay within Africa instead of leaving to pursue careers abroad, Chapoto says. This not only includes well-paying jobs, but also the integration of tools and technologies that improve existing systems. “We are still trying to find the right mix of policies that will encourage our youth to stay in the continent.”

Listen to the full conversation with Antony Chapoto on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear about the challenges that farmers are facing as a result of soil degradation, policies and programs that can promote diversified farming systems, and the high price of staple crops despite their abundance. 

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The post The Power of Local Knowledge: ANAPRI’s Vision for African-Led Food Systems Solutions appeared first on Food Tank.

CIW’s Fair Food Program (FFP) is a partnership between growers, farm workers, and retail food companies. Participating growers and buyers agree to implement a code of conduct, informed by farm workers themselves, which outlines health and safety protections. It also mandates the Fair Food Premium—a bonus added to farm workers’ paychecks on top of their regular income. 

The FFP was created as the solution “to address the imbalance of power between workers and their employers,” Gerardo Reyes Chavez, a former farm worker and a key leader for the CIW, tells Food Tank. Chavez describes conditions of “modern day slavery” in agriculture fields, where sexual assault and harassment are rampant and farm workers are forced to work under “threat of death,” including in times of extreme heat. 

The FFP’s legally binding Fair Food Agreements, which are enforced through market consequences, guarantee that farm workers are free from these conditions. Buyers participating in the Program are required to suspend purchases from growers when they fail to comply with the CIW’s code of conduct. But outside of the FFP, these abuses “continue to be the status quo,” Chavez says. 

Companies from Burger King to Walmart have signed onto the FFP since its launch in 2011. But some chains such as Wendy’s have refused, despite calls to join. “They continue to refuse to do the right thing,” Chavez tells Food Tank. But, he adds, “the last word is with the consumers.” That’s why Chavez hopes that eaters will boycott the fast food chain and apply the necessary pressure to push Wendy’s to sign on. 

“If you can do something to help some of the most vulnerable workers in this country, do it,” he implores. 

The FFP is particularly important now, when Chavez believes that there is “no doubt” that attacks on immigrant communities from the Trump-Vance Administration will make conditions harder for farm workers. But he remains hopeful that the Program has an opportunity to expand and increase protections. 

“We can choose to let [the abuses] break us, or we can use that as the fuel to propel us forward,” Chavez says, “And I think that we, as a community, refuse to wear the cape of victims, and we decided to become the propellers of change together.

And while Chavez encourages eaters to support farm workers, he implores them to never defend them out of pity. “Do it,” he says, “because you understand that the solution and the fight is not something that is the responsibility of the workers alone.” 

Listen to the full conversation with Gerardo Reyes Chavez on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to learn more about the development of the FFP, the harsh conditions that many farm workers endure without protections in place, and how the CIW is continuing to combat human rights abuses.

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Photo courtesy of Marie, Wikimedia Commons

The post Fair Wages, Safe Conditions: Expanding Farm Worker Protections through the Fair Food Program appeared first on Food Tank.

The Food Systems and Public Health Fellowship for Journalists aims to encourage coverage on “overlooked and misunderstood topics rooted in the prevailing model of food production” as well as efforts to advance food systems solutions. 

Early- to mid-career reporters participating in the program receive a “crash course in food systems with our Hopkins researchers,” Philpott, a Senior Research Associate at the Center for a Livable Future, tells Food Tank. They also have the chance to go on field trips to nearby farms and learn from visiting journalists. 

Philpott says that readers are interested in stories about food and agriculture systems. But journalists dedicated to these topics are lacking in many newsrooms, and he believes the level of complexity may have something to do with it. The Center for a Livable Future launched the fellowship, in part, to help journalists feel more comfortable navigating the nuances food and agriculture systems. “I’ve been on the beat for 20 years and I still feel like it’s a lot to keep up with.” 

Editors are eligible for the fellowship for a similar reason. There may not be “a lot of editors out there who feel comfortable editing pieces on [these topics], feel like they have a big enough knowledge base,” Philpott tells Food Tank. “If there’s an editor who’s more confident in assigning these stories, maybe there will be more stories.” 

There are also broader challenges the media industry is facing that contribute to this shortage of food and agriculture coverage, Philpott acknowledges. “Media is under a lot of pressure right now,” he says, noting that business models that companies relied on for years no longer work. And despite experimentation with new ways of operating, “nothing has really stuck yet.” 

As a result, Philpott tells Food Tank that “we’re seeing this hemorrhaging of critical, fact-based media outlets.” And he thinks it’s likely the pressure will only increase. 

Already, the New York Times reports that news organizations of all sizes are preparing for an onslaught of attacks from the Trump-Vance Administration. In addition to the criticism and lawsuits, Philpott anticipates that time and resources will be eaten up “reacting to the outrage of the day.” But, he adds, “you can’t turn your head away from it…It has to be reported on.” 

Philpott argues that now is the time to support journalists and media outlets that readers depend on for their news. “It’s the time to rally around those organizations.”

Listen to or watch the full conversation with Tom Philpott on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about the Center for a Livable Future’s approach to supporting journalists, what Philpott expects for the future of food and farming policy under a new administration, and the far-reaching consequences of industrialized livestock production. 

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The post A New Fellowship Is Helping Journalists Navigate the Complexity of Food Systems appeared first on Food Tank.

The event, co-hosted by Food Tank and Nespresso during the Sundance Film Festival, featured food-focused films that uplift the benefits of regenerative farming, emphasize the potential of traditional and Indigenous foods, and celebrate education that deepens the connection between young eaters and their food. 

The forthcoming docuseries “The Envoy Show,” for example, will focus an episode on the climate-resilient, nutritious crop fonio and the farmers in West Africa growing it. 

“The story of fonio hits the pillars of health, wealth, and world so perfectly,” says Anne Marie Hagerty, Host and Founder of the series.

Chef Pierre Thiam, who founded the company Yolélé, believes that creating a market for fonio—as his brand does by selling the grain along with snacks made from it—it’s possible to improve biodiversity, heal soils, and support farmers’ livelihoods. It can also promote what Hagerty describes as “culinary diplomacy.”

And while “The Envoy Show” highlights fonio, Thiam sees the crop as a Trojan horse. He believes that the model he uses can be scaled and applied to other traditional crops that offer similar social, economic, and environmental benefits but haven’t received the necessary attention. 

“It’s not just about one grain,” Thiam says. “It’s about all of those that are underutilized, that need to be reintegrated into our food system, and we need to do it by supporting the small farmers that have been growing them for the past generations.”

In another documentary, “Farming While Black,” the camera lens is turned on Leah Penniman, Co-Founder of Soul Fire Farm, among other Black farmers and advocates. Produced by Konkent Films, the documentary examines the historical plight of Black producers in the United States, while looking at the efforts of the new generation of Black farmers as they work to reclaim the land. 

Lynn Waymer, a social impact producer with Kontent Films, explains that since its release “Farming While Black” has resonated with viewers and reached audiences they didn’t initially expect. She is even excited to see universities integrating the film into curricula to teach about topics such as heirs property. 

“Everyone can understand the history of our country, how we move forth with hope, how we can become a liberated society, how we become free,” Waymer says. “And a lot of that has to do with being able to provide for yourself, for your family, for your community, and that begins with food.”

Listen to the full conversations with Lynn Waymer, Pierre Thiam, and Anne Marie Hagerty from the “All Things Food and Environment” Summit on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about the inspiration behind these documentaries and the process of producing them, the importance of trust and collaboration in telling the stories most effectively, and the power of culinary diplomacy. And watch the full series of sessions from the event by clicking HERE. 

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Photo courtesy of Katie Lasak for Food Tank

The post How Film Is Changing the Narrative on Farming and Food Justice appeared first on Food Tank.