Leading scientists and experts have called for an over arching framework to monitor food systems. They say the High-Level Panel of Experts of the Committee on World Food Security should be adapted to develop it.
Writing in Science Direct, American scientist Jessica Fanzo and others including Lawrence Haddad, the Executive Director of GAIN, called for data and analyses that are accurate, timely, trusted, comprehensive, and accessible.
They propose five sets of initial indicators: Diets, Environment, Livelihoods, Governance and Resilience.
The authors say that monitoring the whole food system is essential to support the course corrections needed to meet the UN’s sustainable development goals.
They say food production and waste are responsible for 21–37 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
People who earn their livelihoods in food systems are among the most marginalised, vulnerable, and exploited.
A longstanding power imbalance across gender, ethnicity, and wealth, including the legacy of colonisation and slavery have caused structural inequities.
“These challenges necessitate urgent transformation,” they write, adding that this must be done throughout the food system, rather than at isolated points.
They say, “the urgent need for transformation is undeniable, yet there is currently no coordinated effort to monitor all aspects of food systems and their interactions.”
