Governments need to prioritize an integrated, nutrition-sensitive, cross-policy approach to healthy diets that considers the Right to Food Guidelines and enact and enforce laws that uphold the right to food, considering vulnerable groups. They should establish policy goals based on food security needs and assess the degree of food insecurity, its causes, and the nutrition and food safety situation while promoting economic growth and sustainable development of agricultural and food markets.
Effective governance means promoting and safeguarding a democratic, peaceful and stable society and an enabling environment in which individuals can feed themselves and their families in freedom and dignity. This requires promoting secure and equitable access to natural resources (land, water, forests, fisheries, livestock and agricultural inputs etc.); fostering inclusive decision-making processes that involve local communities, Indigenous Peoples, women, and youth; and forging public-private partnerships with mechanisms for accountability.
While promoting sustainable agricultural practices, governments need to address increasing outbreaks of plant pests and disease that quickly move across geographical borders by investing in national plant health systems. This calls for empowering national plant protection organizations with relevant training, adoption of international phytosanitary standards set by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and providing infrastructure and tools to facilitate monitoring, detection and timely response to plant pest and disease outbreaks.
Governments should set, enforce and regularly update national food-based dietary guidelines and food safety standards, and integrate them in food security and nutrition strategies to guide interventions such as school food and nutrition programmes, public food procurement and food assistance. Dietary guidelines need strong political support and buy-in from a range of stakeholders from health professionals to the general public. Governments also need to incentivise the private sector to offer healthier, sustainably produced foods.
Governments should foster global cooperation and ensure, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, safe and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid for populations in need and by humanitarian agencies involved in the distribution of life-saving assistance, including food and emergency agriculture.
Governments must design policies to support small-scale farmers, provide them with financial assistance and access to markets, to affordable credit and technologies, while investing in rural infrastructure including roads, storage facilities and irrigation systems. They should also offer participatory, gender-transformative and inclusive training to improve agricultural practices and productivity for small scale producers, promoting models such as Farmers Field Schools.
In an effort to better prepare for and respond to shocks, governments need to adopt a comprehensive agrifood systems approach that prioritizes food security and resilience, as well as ensures equal access to natural resources and promotes environmental sustainability. Governments should take measures to reduce disaster risks and address land restoration, water management, and soil health, adapting agrifood systems to climate change and fostering environmental resilience.
Governments need to establish appropriate safety nets for those who are unable to feed themselves in dignity. Social protection can provide security and promote livelihoods. It is a positive investment for economies, even low-income countries, and if managed well, it can make a significant contribution to preventing and responding to crises, saving lives, safeguarding livelihoods and mitigating the costs.
The Codex Alimentarius provides guidelines on nutrition labelling and advice on how to make labels more accessible, appealing and legible. Codex guidelines are used by most countries to establish their own food standards and as the basis for nutrition labelling regulations. Nutrition labelling policies need to be enforced and monitored rigorously and backed by public awareness and education efforts to bring about behavioral change.
Governments should prioritize efficient, evidence-based policies that benefit people and the planet, focusing on nutritional quality and diversity of diets, and promoting environmentally-friendly and ecosystem-based sustainable solutions in the production of crops, livestock and fisheries to agroforestry. To encourage farmers to adopt sustainable practices, it is crucial to provide training and, when appropriate, incentives and financial support.
Consumers need to be encouraged to make healthier food choices through ongoing public awareness campaigns, nutrition education in schools, community interventions and point of sale information, including clear and consistent food labeling practices. Food taboos and social norms, which are discriminatory and prevent all people from having access to diverse, nutritious food should be addressed and debunked. Governments need to partner with academia and invest in a workforce of nutrition practitioners and empower civil society and ombudsman-type institutions that can also protect consumers’ rights.
Knowledge, science, evidence, and technology can be powerful tools for driving food systems transformation. Governments can enhance their engagement with the scientific community and make use of technological advancements to shape more inclusive, sustainable and resilient agrifood systems that meet the nutritional needs of a growing population while also preserving natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystem health.
Collaborate with FAO to build a future where everyone has access to enough nutritious, safe and affordable foods. FAO can provide technical assistance on policy and legislation, help strengthen governance and monitoring mechanisms, develop capacities and promote multistakeholder and cross-sectorial policy dialogue to transform agrifood systems, facilitate South-South and Triangular Cooperation and enhance the right to foods for a better life and a better future for all. Consult the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) policy guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition.
