Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

Professionals working in food and nutrition policy and institutional environment need to understand the major nutrition problems and their consequences on human, social and economic development. In addition, they have to possess competencies to design, implement, monitor and evaluate policies and programmes, adopting a holistic and integrated approach. They should be able to apply “systems thinking” in support of equitable, integrated, sustainable food systems and healthy diets. 



This MOOC covers the interlinkages between food, nutrition, and agri-food systems, and the importance of adopting a multisectoral and multidisciplinary approach for promoting healthy diets and nutrition through food systems. It offers collaborative activities such as live webinars, video recordings of experts’ contributions, publications and other relevant learning materials including links to other relevant self-paced e-learning courses.



At the end of each week of learning, participants will be offered to pass a graded test. Only students who participate actively and pass all weekly tests will be granted the final certificate, that attests the acquisition of competencies related to the MOOC.



Structure of the MOOC

Target audience

This MOOC is especially relevant for decision makers, policy makers, policy advisors  and formulators, investment planners, project managers involved in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of agri-food system policies and programmes for healthy diets and improved nutrition.



The course is also aimed at professionals and students  in the areas of food systems, nutrition, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, who are also interested in obtaining the FAO Certificate for “Nutrition and Food Systems”.



Learning objectives



At the end of this MOOC, you will be able to:

• Explain how food systems shape peoples’ diets, and affect their nutritional and health status and the socio-economic development of countries;
• Describe the linkages and impact pathways between agri-food systems, food and nutrition;
• Advocate for a multisectoral and multidisciplinary food-systems approach for promoting healthy diets and addressing malnutrition;
• Contribute to the design of actions and programmes drawing on lessons learned from different countries and contexts. 

How to attend



The MOOC is free and open to everyone, provided you have the link to the platform.

To join the MOOC, kindly register here.

Each module is unlocked on a certain date, and all resources will remain available until the last day of the course. On average, participants will spend about 5 hours working on the MOOC each week.



Registrations by interested applicants must be submitted by 12 September 2021.



Registered participants will receive the credentials to access the course no later than 15 September 2021.

Watch the teaser here.

Knowledge is at the core of FAO’s mandate.

Ahead of the Food Systems Summit, join the Publications team to find out more about where to find FAO publications, the different formats available, how you can re-use the material, how to sign up for the latest releases, and more. Each of the five sessions in the series links to one of the Food Systems Summit Action Tracks.

Last on the agenda: Wednesday 22 September at 2 pm (Rome time) – "Knowledge session on Action Area: Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress".

This session will focus on resources around emergencies, resilience and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please register here. More information on FAO resources can be found here. 

If you missed the previous webinars, check out our resources related to the other Action Areas, including “Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all”, “Shift to sustainable consumption patterns”, “Boost nature-positive production”, and “Advance equitable livelihoods, decent work, & empowered communities”.

The technical webinar "Nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems" is part of the series organised by the FAO elearning Academy, Agreenium (l'Institut agronomique, vétérinaire et forestier de France) and UN-ESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific). 

The webinar aims to: 1) provide an overview of the existing resources on the formulation of nutrition-sensitive outcomes for sustainable food system policies, investments and programmes; 2) promote an understanding of current country needs to prioritize interventions, and 3) share the results of national research as evidence of the importance of sustainable nutrition-sensitive food systems.

The webinar will take place on 24 February 2021, 15:00-16:30 CET.

Please register here to participate in the event.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in agriculture are a critical solution for positive change. Farmers, ranchers, and food producers are on the frontlines of climate change and play an important role in developing and implementing solutions. Climate and biodiversity actors are increasingly seeing agriculture as a central solution set and they are engaging the agricultural community to solve our collective challenges. When deployed properly, NbS can provide a triple benefit: improving the productivity and resilience of agriculture, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and enhancing nature and biodiversity.

FAO and The Nature Conservancy collaborated to explore the potential of NbS in the much-needed transformation of our food systems. This collaboration has generated three reports addressing NbS in agricultural production systems: 1) a literature review on the state of the science; 2) a policy brief on the case and pathways for adoption, and 3) a finance guide for identifying and creating investable projects. A jointly organized webinar will address the question of how NbS in agriculture can help address climate change and conserve land, water and biodiversity.

The webinar will take place on 11 February at 10:00 AM EST.

Please register here to attend.