Building on a program of work launched in 2019 — “Beacons of Hope: Stories of Transformation” — this short report shares stories of food systems initiatives and the people who responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with creativity, adaptability, and resilience.

These Beacons of Hope are as diverse as they are inspiring. Led by community groups, innovative policymakers, and progressive private sector players, each initiative intervenes at a different point in the food systems. Each initiative pushes back against prevailing narratives that shape discourse and thinking about the future of food — including productivity-at-all-cost, privatization, and those who claim our food systems can be run only by technical or scientific experts. Together, they demonstrate that transformative change is happening all around the world — and that it can and must be accelerated. Their stories seep under the skin and take a seat at the very core of our mental models.