Strengthening food systems in fragile contexts

The need for action

A range of political, social, economic and environmental challenges often coalesce in fragile settings. Promoting healthy and sustainable diets can be seen as a second-order concern when so many individuals are hungry. The brief highlights the reasons why conflict and climate change are mutually linked with food system fragility and are two of the most important factors which are driving recent increases in global levels of undernourishment.

When dealing with the food system challenges presented in fragile contexts, policymakers must rethink their approach, paying specific attention to nourishing populations rather than just addressing hunger. This will require better links between humanitarian and development actors to support actions across all domains of the food system to increase access to healthy diets.

The Global Panel's Policy Brief

The new Policy Brief 'Strengthening Food Systems in Fragile Contexts' argues that the international community, and policymakers in fragile low- and middle-income countries, must put greater emphasis on making food systems more resilient to the many negative forces contributing to fragility today.

While saving lives and livelihoods in crises must remain a humanitarian imperative, steps can be taken, even in fragile settings, to make food systems more capable of providing healthy and sustainable diets for all.

Rather than proposing new policy actions, this brief recommends priorities which incorporate a combination of interventions with particular focus on the 'missing middle' between consumer demand and supply.