Natural resource degradation, climate change and other crises are undermining food systems’ ability to respond to growing global population's demand for nutritious food. In turn, unsustainable food systems globally continue to drive loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functions, land degradation, and GHG emissions, resulting in reduced production of nutritious food, eventually leading to malnutrition, food insecurity, and migration. This vicious cycle must be broken.
The Food Systems Integrated Programme (FSIP), led by FAO and IFAD, focuses on transforming global food systems from farm to table, so that they are sustainable, regenerative, nature-positive, resilient, inclusive, and pollution-free. Building on GEF's integrated programs from GEF-6 (Food Security in Africa and Taking Deforestation out of Commodity Supply Chains) and GEF-7 (Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program), the FSIP will address the underlying drivers of unsustainability along the whole length of the food system, by transforming and strengthening value chains, business models, incentive and finance frameworks, and policy and institutional conditions, all of which support the application of models of integrated and sustainable landscape and farm management on the ground.
FSIP is supported at global level by the Global Coordination Platform (GCP), and it incorporates 32 child projects in the following countries: Angola, Argentina, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Türkiye, Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Target systems
Aquaculture
This sector is experiencing rapid growth globally, especially in Asia. With its high land use- and feed-efficiency, it has major potential to function as an alternative way of meeting growing global demand for protein and can function as a tool for ecosystem remediation by acting as a nutrient sink, especially in coastal areas and inland waters suffering from nutrient overload and hypoxia. However, it has potential environmental impacts of its own, so its development needs to be managed carefully, in accordance with principles of environmental sustainability.
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Commodities
Commodities are vital for the economies of many developing countries and important elements of global food supply, but they are associated with major environmental impacts. Cocoa and soy occupy large areas of landscapes, in many cases displacing other land uses, replacing food crop production, and impinging on tenure and resource use rights of smallholders and local communities, including indigenous peoples. The price volatility of these crops on global markets also exposes commodity-dependent producers and countries to high levels of risk.
Food crops
While vital for global food supply, unsustainable production of crops such as rice, wheat and maize lead to major environmental impacts. Improved management that favor sustainability and resilience may need to be complemented by well-planned crop diversification. International trade in these crops needs to be balanced with the promotion of local food systems and short value chains to foment vibrant and inclusive local economies, and buffer food supply against the vulnerabilities of global food supply chains to shocks such as conflict, pandemics and economic cycles.
Livestock
Livestock is a highly important source of protein and income worldwide, but is also a major global cause of deforestation, land degradation and GHG emissions. Addressing these impacts, by improving the management of livestock systems, promoting alternative sources where possible, and promoting healthy diets with reduced intake of animal protein, is one of the food system entry points with greatest potential for delivering global environmental benefits.
Expected Global Environmental Benefits
| Core Indicator | Expected Impact |
| SUSTAINABLY MANAGING AND RESTORING LAND CI 3. Area of land and ecosystems under restoration | 870,434 hectares |
| CONSERVING & SUSTAINABLY USING BIODIVERSITY CI 4. Area of landscapes under improved practices | 13,844,366 hectares |
| REDUCING GHG EMISSIONS CI 6. Greenhouse Gas emissions mitigated | 174 million tons of CO2eq |
| BENEFICIARIES CI 11. Number of People benefiting from GEF-financed investments | 3.4 million people |
Contact for more information
Hernan Gonzalez Technical Officer, FAO-GEF Coordination Unit FSIP@fao.org | Janie Rioux Senior Technical Specialist, IFAD [email protected] |
Related links
FSIP co-lead agency
