Reshaping food systems: The imperative of inclusion

Abstract

Redesigning food systems to be inclusive of poor and vulnerable people is a moral imperative.
KEY FINDINGS
- Inclusive food systems can help break the intergenera­tional cycle of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.
- Including marginalized people in food systems can help them secure well-paying jobs and make gains in other areas that impact long-term livelihoods, such as education.
- A value chain framework is key to designing inclusive food systems—from improving farmers’ access to resources and information to creating off-farm jobs and enterprises in the midstream of the chain.
- Recent innovations such as mobile phone technologies offer opportunities for marginalized and excluded populations to access information and services, and to participate all along the food value chain.
- Education is a major driver of inclusion, increasing life­long income and improving nutrition, health, civic engagement, and gender equality.
- Marginalized people should be empowered to make strategic choices within food systems and have a voice in holding governments accountable for delivery of inclusive food systems.