A3. Agroecology

This article is part of Food Tank’s primer series, “Food Tank Explains.” Each installment unpacks the ideas, innovations, and challenges shaping today’s food and agriculture systems, offering clear insights into complex topics. To explore more articles in the series, click here.

Water security refers to sustainable access to safe, affordable, and reliable water to support human well-being, livelihoods, economic development, and healthy ecosystems. It encompasses not only available water, but also water quality, accessibility, affordability, and reliability.

Although water covers approximately 71 percent of Earth’s surface, only about 3 percent is freshwater, and less than 1 percent is readily accessible for human use. Agriculture accounts for approximately 70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals, followed by industry at 15 percent and domestic and municipal uses at 13 percent.

In a January 2026 report, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) warned that the term “water crisis” no longer adequately describes the state of global freshwater resources. The researchers conclude that the world has entered an era of “global water bankruptcy,” in which prolonged overuse has depleted and damaged freshwater systems beyond realistic prospects of full recovery.

“The term “water crisis” implies a temporary shock and deviation from the baseline,” Kaveh Madani, Director of the UNU-INWEH and author of the report, tells Food Tank. “But we are dealing with a new normal—a post-crisis state of failure.”

The report estimates that approximately 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water. According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), around 4 billion people experience severe water stress for at least one month each year.

Global freshwater withdrawals have more than doubled since 1960, as populations, economies, and agricultural production have expanded. And by 2050 the world is projected to demand 20 to 25 percent more water. WRI projects that the number of people experiencing severe water scarcity could rise by 40 percent by the end of the century.

According to the UNU-INWEH, water withdrawals in many river basins and aquifers have exceeded natural replenishment rates for decades. This prolonged overuse has depleted groundwater reserves and damaged rivers, lakes, wetlands, and other freshwater systems, sometimes beyond realistic prospects of full recovery.

Meanwhile, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are affecting water availability worldwide. Higher temperatures increase evaporation, while shifting rainfall patterns contribute to more severe droughts and flooding in many regions.

Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to water shortages, which can reduce crop yields, disrupt livestock production, and threaten the livelihoods of farmers and agricultural workers. These disruptions can also reduce food availability and contribute to higher prices, particularly in regions where agriculture supports a large share of employment.

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), water insecurity disproportionately affects low-income communities and smallholder farmers, who often lack the resources to secure alternative water supplies or adapt to prolonged shortages.

Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation also threatens public health. According to the World Health Organization, contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrheal diseases, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio.

And water shortages can prevent households from meeting basic needs and force changes in daily activities, including food preparation and dietary choices. Tools like the Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales measure how water insecurity affects daily life, evaluating whether households have had to change what they eat, go to sleep thirsty, or forgo basic activities because of inadequate water access.

FAO calls for more efficient agricultural water use, alongside policies that balance the needs of farmers, communities, industries, and ecosystems. Measures such as improved irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and soil moisture conservation can help farmers maintain production while reducing pressure on water supplies.

But the UNU-INWEH warns that efficiency improvements alone are insufficient where water use exceeds sustainable limits. Its 2026 report calls for stronger governance, enforceable limits on withdrawals, and protection of freshwater ecosystems, supported by cooperation within and across national borders.

In a Food Tank op-ed, Lee Recht, Founder of Table of Choices, Hosni Ghedira, Chair of MENA2050’s Water Security Committee, and Hakima El Haite, Chair of MENA2050’s Climate Action Committee, emphasize the need for regional cooperation, noting that water resources, food systems, and energy infrastructure are interconnected across national borders. They highlight emerging solutions in the Middle East and North Africa, including renewable-powered desalination and farming practices that improve water retention, and call for greater investment to expand their use.

“Water is not a resource like any other. It is the crux of human security, global food systems, biodiversity, public health, and peace,” Madani tells Food Tank.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Nishaan Ahmed, Unsplash

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Useful Tips on the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM) for Relations with the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) – (2026 edition)

The kit is an accessible tool for CSIPM participants and Coordination Committee members to find their way through the CFS and the CSIPM. We want to unpack these spaces for everyone carrying out the struggle at the local level!

Download the kit  and share it widely across your constituencies and sub-regions.

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This Fall, Food Tank is highlighting 24 books that help us understand how food connects us to our communities, cultural heritage, and the natural world. Food is Medicine by Dariush Mozaffarian and Food Sense by Christopher Gardner both tackle pressing questions that will help us create systems that support mental and physical wellbeing. In Sugar Coated, Marion Nestle and Lisa Sutherland examine American breakfast cereals to expose the strategies big food companies have used to influence food policy and public health. And in Cooking Thai, award-winning chef Pim Techamuanvivit broadens readers’ understanding of Thai cuisine with 100 of her best recipes. Together, these titles offer inspiration and insights for creating a sustainable, more equitable food future.

1. A Practical Farmer’s Journey: A History of Community, Stewardship, and Resilience by Ronald L. Rosmann

More than 60 percent of Iowa farmland is dedicated to corn and soybean, according to research from Iowa State University. But the state is also home to another story—one of transformation. Ronald L. Rosmann traces the history of agriculture in Iowa, from when farming offered families promise and hope to the struggles driven by vertical integration. The book closes with a message of optimism, highlighting how Iowa’s farmers are rebuilding rural communities, tackling climate change, and restoring the unfulfilled potential of rural America.

2. All Hours: Crazy Good Food for Whatever, Whenever by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein

The San Francisco Chronicle calls James Beard Award-winning Kwame Onwuachi “the most important chef in America.” In his new cookbook, he shares recipes that bring together unexpected flavors in dishes that can be enjoyed for any occasion and any time of day. It covers everything from breakfast to late night snacks, with dishes such as Corn Milk French Toast, Curried Chicken Patties, Brussels Sprout Suya, and Sticky Toffee Pudding.

3. Black Farm Boys: The Untold Story of the New Farmers of America by Bobby J. Smith II

Black Farm Boys unearths the history of New Farmers of America, the first—and overlooked—national organization for Black boys studying agriculture in segregated high schools. Sociologist Bobby J. Smith II details the growth of the NFA, its influence, and its swift decline as it was overtaken by the predominantly white Future Farmers of America. The book confronts the question of how an organization with 55,000 members at its peak was nearly forgotten from history in the United States.

4. Black Farmers in America: Fighting for an Equitable Food System by Mya O. Price

Mya O. Price’s research highlights how systems of oppression have shaped the experiences of Black farmers in the United States from slavery to the present day. It also uncovers the ways they are overcoming these barriers. Black Farmers in America brings these pieces together, grounding readers in history. And it offers case studies that show how models of restorative justice, cooperative farming, and urban agriculture are creating opportunities for Black food producers to build power and resilience.

5. Captive Consumers: Hunger, Violence, and Inequality in American Prison Food by Chin Jou

Captive Consumers questions assumptions about what a food system inside prisons can—and should—look like. Drawing from historical records and prison newspapers, author Chin Jou documents the challenges incarcerated people face, from chronic hunger to unmet dietary needs. She argues that these conditions perpetuate violence and endanger those inside these institutions, ultimately making the case for reform that centers dignity and humanity.

6. Cooking Thai: Heritage and Modern Recipes from My Kitchen Notebooks by Pim Techamuanvivit with Andrea Nguyen

When Pim Techamuanvivit moved to the United States from Bangkok, she encountered assumptions around Thai food she was eager to change. In response, the award-winning chef opened multiple restaurants to celebrate the richness and diversity of her culinary heritage. In Cooking Thai, Techamuanvivit brings together 100 of her best recipes like Massaman Curry with Beef Cheeks and a Grilled Shrimp and Lychee Salad, while providing tips to help cooks source ingredients at home.

7. Depression Cooking: Feeding Yourself When It All Feels Too Hard by Sonali Menezes

It can be challenging to feed yourself during difficult times. That’s what artist Sonali Menezes realized when she was struggling with mental illness and disordered eating. It drove her to look for easy, delicious ways to stay nourished, leaning into approaches that were non-judgmental, anti-diet, and approachable. In Depression Cooking, Menezes combines recipes, memoir, and illustrations to share lessons from these hard times. It serves as a guide to caring for yourself when you’re navigating grief, unemployment, or the stress of becoming a new parent.

8. Famine in World History by R. Douglas Hurt

Douglas Hurt offers an overview of famines throughout history, from antiquity to the present day. While acknowledging that not all cases are alike, he points to patterns that emerge in examples from western Europe, China, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Hurt also delves into the roles that policy and war play, how environmental issues intersect with hunger crises, and what happens to communities after famines end.

9. Food Heritage: Critical Perspectives edited by Loïc Bienassis and Fabio Parasecoli

“Does food heritage exist?” That’s the question historian Loïc Bienassis opens with in his introduction to this new anthology. The chapters that follow aim to understand what food heritage means and the ways that foods and food practices are defined, recognized, and mobilized as heritage. To unpack these questions, chapters span the globe, drawing on case studies from countries including Brazil, Catalonia, Japan, and Morocco.

10. Food Is Medicine: Healing Our Bodies, Nourishing Our Minds, and Transforming Our Food System by Dariush Mozaffarian (forthcoming October 20)

“Being a healthy American adult is an anomaly,” cardiologist Dariush Mozaffarian tells Food Tank. He believes food systems represent the biggest challenges facing humanity today. As Director of the Food is Medicine Institute, Mozaffarian says, “we really can actually fix our food system in a really short amount of time.” In Food Is Medicine, he explains the decisions that have shaped food systems today and offers a blueprint to help policymakers, physicians, communities, and individual eaters drive a nutrition revolution.

11. Food Sense: What to Eat and Why by Christopher Gardner

In Food Sense, nutrition scientist Christopher Gardner tackles myths about diet and health on to eaters make more informed choices about the food they put on their plates. He acknowledges that health claims can be confusing and contradictory, and he hopes to use his book to cut through the noise. His book addresses questions on everything from seed oils to plant-based proteins while pointing readers to some of his favorite recipes that support long-term health.

12. Fundamentals of Flavor: 100 Recipes for the Science of Better Cooking by Nik Sharma

Former molecular biologist Nik Sharma wanted to help eaters make delicious meals at home while understanding the science behind their food. The result is Fundamentals of Flavor, a cookbook containing 100 recipes, from Caramelized Shallot and Feta-Labneh Dip to Icelandic Rye Bread, that are accessible yet rich in flavor. It’s also filled with information on how different cooking techniques bring out the most in every dish.

13. Foods of La Frontera: Recipes and New Taste Frontiers from Both Sides of the Border by Pati Jinich

In Foods of La Frontera, Pati Jinich offers 125 recipes to celebrate the region where the United States and Mexico meet. Rather than calling it the border, Jinich thinks about it as a frontier—a place of beginnings, opportunity, and rich, varied cultures. Dishes such as Tamales de Frijol con Chile Verde y Queso (Mashed Bean, Green Chile, and Cheese Tamales) and Enchiladas Navideñas de Pollo (Christmas Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas) demonstrate that the cuisine is more than traditional Tex-Mex, encompassing cooking styles and ingredients from across Mexico.

14. Happy Snacking, Don’t Die! Foraging and Vegan Recipes with Black Forager by Alexis Nikole Nelson

Alexis Nikole Nelson, also known as BlackForager on social media, uses her platform to educate others on foraging and cooking wild foods. In Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!—part foraging guide and part plant-based cookbook—Nelson shares her love for the outdoors and encourages people to safely embrace the abundance that surrounds them. Recipes include Magnolia Bud Tea, Stuffed Morels, and Potato Mugwort Pancakes.

15. How to Cook Everything Vegan: Build on the Basics for Exciting Plant-Based Meals by Mark Bittman

In the latest installment of the How to Cook Everything series, Mark Bittman makes plant-based cooking accessible and craveable. This collection of straightforward recipes covers everything from paellas and dumplings to ice cream and cookies. Bittman also includes technique and ingredient guides to help home cooks feel more comfortable and empowered in the kitchen.

16. Medicine for All People: Science and Ancient Wisdom for Revolutionary Healing by Geeta Maker-Clark

Integrative medicine physician Geeta Maker-Clark learned at an early age that food is medicine. But many people, she knows, didn’t have the experience. Even many doctors go without adequate nutrition training. “Food got pushed out of medical education,” Maker-Clark tells Food Tank. Medicine for All People encourages readers to embrace the healing properties of food, along with other medicines of the Earth, community, and the spirit that are ancient and urgently relevant. It also helps readers build their own kitchen apothecary, use breathwork to calm the mind, and integrate dance meditation into daily life.

17. Plant Teachings from My Auntie: Gathering Coast Salish Plants for Medicine, Textiles, Nourishment, and Ceremony by C’tasi:a, Geraldine Manson and Nancy Turner

Plant Teachings from My Auntie introduces readers to herbal remedies found in the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. Geraldine Manson (C’tasi:a), a Snuneymuxw Elder and Traditional Knowledge Keeper, shares lessons from her aunt, Dr. Ellen White, to foster cultural understanding and ecological responsibility. Throughout the book are detailed descriptions of 65 different species and more than 130 beautiful color photographs to support accurate plant identification.

18. Reining in the Bulls: How to Stop Corporate Abuse in an Age of Unbridled Greed by Michael Marx

Corporations hold immense power that too often goes unchecked by government, leading to pollution, dangerous work environments, and defective or harmful products. In Reining in the Bulls, Michael Marx offers advocates practical guidance to challenge corporate abuses. Drawing from his experience pressuring companies to change their ways, he helps advocates understand, plan, and execute effective campaigns that can build more equitable and just systems.

19. Saved by Seeds: Embracing Diversity, Adaptation and Resilience by Chris Smith

In Saved by Seeds, Utopian Seed Project Founder Chris Smith makes the case for seed diversity. He explains how seed saving can build resilience, unpacks the beliefs holding us back, and offers guidance for farmers and gardeners of all backgrounds to play an active role in building adaptive, dynamic food systems. The book shows that seed saving isn’t just a practice of the past, but one that is still highly relevant and necessary to carry us into the future.

20. Seeding Hope: What Plants Teach Us About Being Human by Jack Algiere

As Director of Agroecology at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Jack Algiere has dedicated his career to scaling farming practices rooted in land stewardship, innovation, and community. In Seeding Hope, Algiere shares the lessons that he has learned along the way, highlighting how deeply connected humans are to the world around them. As Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns says, the book is ultimately “a portrait of the natural world as teacher, and an ethic for how to live, drawn from the ground up.”

21. Sugar Coated: Unboxing the Hidden Forces Shaping America’s Favorite Breakfast Food by Marion Nestle and Lisa Sutherland

Sugar Coated by nutritionist Marion Nestle and former Kellogg executive Lisa Sutherland, reveals the influence American cereal companies have on food policy and public health. The book digs into marketing tactics, from ads targeting children to health claims, that companies have employed to make these sugary foods the breakfast staple they are today. When did it become okay to feed kids vitamin-supplemented cookies for breakfast, “which is basically what kids’ cereals are?” Nestle asks.

22. Sustainable Agriculture in Ukraine: From Resource-Intensive Farming to Agroecological Systems by Sergiusz Pimenow, Olena Pimenowa, and Lubov Moldavan

Sustainable Agriculture in Ukraine helps readers understand how the country can transition to farming systems that are more environmentally sound and resilient—and why this matters for global food security. Economists Sergiusz Pimenow, Olena Pimenowa, and Lubov Moldavan break down the evolution of Ukrainian agriculture and how it fits into global food systems, while considering the trajectory of post-war recovery and offering a roadmap for a more sustainable future.

23. The Ecology of Food: Sustainable Food Systems and Diets edited by Nicolas Bricas, Damien Conaré, and Marie Walser

The Ecology of Food marks the 10th anniversary of the UNESCO Chair in World Food Systems, a platform created to increase and disseminate academic knowledge on world food systems. Broken into five parts, the anthology considers food as relationships, the dynamics of contemporary food systems, food and ecology, guiding principles of sustainable food systems, and the transformation of food systems. Together, these essays offer a well-rounded introduction to contemporary issues in food, farming, and nutrition.

24. Wine Liberated: The Ecological Revolution and the Vintners Inspiring Change by Adam Huss

Just a few grape varieties dominate the wine market today, a fact that prompted winemaker Adam Huss to ask if it’s possible to build something different. Several years ago, he launched the podcast “Beyond Organic Wine” to learn from producers who are rethinking wine. Now, in Wine Liberated, he takes a deeper dive into these questions to understand what it will take to transform the wine industry into one that is environmentally sustainable, diverse, and more delicious.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

The post Food Tank’s Fall 2026 Reading List appeared first on Food Tank.

Framed as sustainable development, these projects restrict local access to traditional territories and resources, endangering livelihoods, cultural identity, and community rights.

The post Thailand : Luxury Tourism, Blue Carbon, and the Displacement of Small-Scale Fishers – Voices from Ao Kung Bay as Capital Advances appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

The 12th session of negotiations on a Binding Treaty opens in Geneva, aiming to hold transnational corporations accountable for human rights violations and environmental destruction across their operations and value chains.

The post UN Binding Treaty process resumes in Geneva – Checkmate on Corporate Impunity appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

As the oil blockade cripples Cuba’s farms and food supply, the island is becoming a stark preview of what happens when fossil-fuel dependent agriculture collides with geopolitical and climate instability, and a powerful illustration of why an agroecological transition is becoming increasingly necessary.

In recent months, scenes from Cuba have become increasingly stark as access to energy, food, and water has become a daily struggle for most. The immediate trigger is fuel scarcity resulting from the de facto oil blockade imposed by the Trump administration since January 2026. But conditions on the island have been deteriorating for years, exacerbated by the decades-long blockade by the United States coupled with domestic structural challenges. Cuba, like most countries, depends heavily on imported oil to power its electricity grid, transport goods, and sustain its food system.

For ordinary Cubans, the consequences are dire. The state rationing system, once a pillar of food security, now covers only a small fraction of household needs. Market alternatives exist, but inflation has pushed them beyond the reach of many households. The average monthly wage is roughly US$20; a carton of eggs can cost half that. Food insecurity and malnutrition are no longer isolated concerns. They are becoming widespread.

Domestic food production has fallen for years. Staples such as rice, maize, and beans remain well below national demand. Farmers face acute shortages of diesel, fertilizer, animal feed, and spare parts. The consequences ripple across the food chain: land goes unploughed, irrigation systems sit idle, harvests are delayed, transport networks seize up, and food spoils before reaching consumers.

Today’s crisis is not a temporary disruption. It is part of a structural polycrisis in which energy scarcity, economic contraction, climate instability, and demographic decline reinforce one another. Cuba’s food system is not simply experiencing a bad moment. It is confronting the limits of fossil-fuel-dependent agriculture in an era of permanent instability.

Many proposed solutions—import more food, revive export-oriented industrial agriculture, restore fuel flows—remain trapped within the same agricultural paradigm that exposes it to crisis. They offer relief, but not resilience.

But Cuba’s story is not only one of crisis. It is also one of adaptation and resilience—and of a path not fully taken.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, Cuba abruptly lost access to fuel, fertilizers, and imported food. In response, the country embarked on an ambitious agroecological transformation.

Land was redistributed to cooperatives and family farmers who now manage more than 70 percent of agricultural land. Urban gardens spread through cities. Farmer-to-farmer networks trained more than 200,000 farming families in agroecological methods.

For a time, Cuba became a global symbol of what post-fossil-fuel agriculture might look like.

However, the transition remained incomplete.

As economic conditions improved intermittently, policymakers often shifted back toward conventional industrial agriculture. Agroecology was never fully institutionalized as the foundation of the food system. Instead, it was treated as an emergency substitute: embraced in crisis, sidelined in recovery.

That cyclical approach left Cuba with an unfinished transformation—and a food system still deeply vulnerable to external shocks.

Today, the constraints facing all types of farmers are immense. Beyond fuel shortages, they lack tools, seeds, equipment, refrigeration, processing facilities, and reliable transportation. Credit is scarce. Decades of outmigration have weakened the social fabric of rural areas. Bureaucratic hurdles remain high, and a centralized economy, coupled with state monopolies, leads to inefficiencies and stifles innovation. An estimated 40 percent of food produced in Cuba is lost before reaching consumers due to failures in harvesting, storage, transport, and processing.

And yet the productive potential remains considerable.

Critics often dismiss agroecology as idealistic or insufficiently productive. Yet the evidence increasingly points the other way. Global governance institutions now recognize agroecology as a comprehensive solution that goes beyond organic farming to redesign food systems around biodiversity, local knowledge, human health, and democratic governance, aiming to build resilience, equity, and local control rather than simply growing food differently.

Diversified agroecological farms in Cuba can produce around 7 tons of nutritious food per hectare annually—enough to meet the caloric and protein needs of roughly eight people. Scaling such systems across 200,000 family farms—covering just over two million hectares of the more than six million hectares of arable land—could enable Cuba to meet its national food requirements, with potential surpluses for tourism and export.

Recent reforms suggest renewed support for local agroecological food systems. Cuba’s 2022 Food Sovereignty Law and 2025 Agroecology Decree provide a framework for decentralizing food governance and supporting municipal food planning. But implementation remains uneven. After decades of centralized administration, many local governments lack the capacity and institutional culture needed to manage participatory, territorial food systems.

In June 2026, the government approved a package of 176 economic measures that open much of the economy to private actors. In July, it followed with a new Agricultural and Forestry Land Law that allows land rights to be inherited and transferred and opens idle state land to private businesses and foreign investors. Other new regulations give cooperatives the right to import inputs, export directly, set their own prices, form second-tier cooperatives, and partner with foreign investors. Decree-Law 161/2026 ends mandatory state intermediaries, lets supply and demand set prices, and creates an Agricultural Bank to finance the sector.

For cooperatives and family farmers, these changes could bring autonomy, fairer prices, access to credit, and secure land tenure. Second-tier cooperatives could pool resources for shared infrastructure, credit, and markets. But none of these measures explicitly prioritize agroecology. Without safeguards, they could concentrate land and capital in the hands of larger commercial players and pull production toward export and tourism markets instead of local food needs.

If agroecology is to move beyond rhetoric, it will require sustained investment in seed systems, irrigation systems, decentralized biofertilizer production, small- and medium-scale storage and processing facilities, transportation infrastructure, and renewable energy (solar, biodigesters, and wind turbines).

It will also require supporting the social infrastructure of transformation—farmer training, cooperative management, peer-learning networks, participatory governance, and local enterprises. And a rebalancing of roles across public institutions, new non-state actors, and civil society—each of which has a part to play in rebuilding a more resilient food system.

Funding that transition will require more than state spending or donor aid. Cuba must diversify its financing ecosystem – drawing on diaspora investment, impact capital, justice-oriented funds, climate finance, and local development banking alongside public and multilateral funds. But attracting that investment will require clearer rules, less bureaucracy, and more predictable economic governance. And of course, an end to the debilitating web of unilateral coercive measures imposed by the US for more than 60 years.

Done well, such investment could create rural jobs, reduce food waste, strengthen local economies, lower import dependence, and improve climate resilience—all while keeping wealth circulating within communities rather than flowing outward.

The lesson is clear. In a world of tightening constraints, resilience will not come from securing more oil and fossil-fuel fertilizers and pesticides. It will come from needing less of it.

For Cuba, that means embracing a transition already underway within its own agricultural traditions: toward agroecology, toward local production, and ultimately toward food sovereignty grounded in the strength of local ecosystems and communities.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Leidy Casimiro

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Ahead of CFS 54 Plenary Session, the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM) for relations with the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) is pleased to invite you to the closing of the  CSIPM Forum 2026. 

• Time and date: 18 October, 2026 at 16.00 CEST 
• Where: Università Roma Tre. Aula Magna, Dipartimento di Architettura. (Piazza Orazio Giustiniani 4, 00155, Roma)
• Modality: In-person 
• RSVP at cso4cfs@gmail.com

Why it is relevant 

Wars, occupations, violence, exploitation, the concentration of corporate power and climate disasters are tearing food systems apart. This is when multilateral institutions are needed most: they should be where governments cooperate, where rules are upheld and where power is held accountable guided by the principles of the United Nations, human rights and the 2030 Agenda.

Multilateralism rests on a principle: States are the duty-bearers for human rights, and their obligations apply to all. Today those obligations are being bypassed. Rules are applied selectively and double standards go unchallenged, while corporate power, including that of big tech, gains influence over public decisions.

What to expect

The session will bring governments, UN institutions and CSIPM organisations into dialogue on these questions. The first panel looks at the state of multilateral food governance, and the second at what the CFS should take up next. The session closes with the CSIPM’s key messages to the CFS 54 Plenary.

Consult the programme 

The post Human Rights, Not Rule of Might: Centring Grassroots Voices in Food Governance – CSIPM Forum 2026 Public Session appeared first on CSIPM.

SeaShare is working to transform donations from the fishing industry into meaningful nourishment for food banks across the United States. They are the only nonprofit dedicated solely to putting fresh seafood on the tables of families in need.

Through a nationwide network of fishers, processors, and distribution partners, donated seafood is helping to close the protein gap at food banks across the country. Donations span salmon and halibut to Alaska pollock, Pacific white shrimp, rockfish, catfish, and tilapia.

In all stages of life, from pregnancy to childhood to adulthood, there is strong evidence for health benefits of consuming seafood, reports the World Health Organization. Fish and other seafood can be excellent sources of protein, vitamins, and micronutrients. Seafood consumption during pregnancy is linked to improved birth outcomes, and adults who eat seafood regularly face lower risks of cardiovascular and neurological diseases.

A study in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics finds that the nutritional quality of donated food parcels in food banks is inconsistent. Food available at points of access like food banks often falls short of national dietary recommendations across developed countries, including the U.S.

“Protein can be expensive, and seafood is one of the more expensive forms of protein,” SeaShare’s Executive Director Hannah Lindoff tells Food Tank. “In general, protein makes up only about 2 percent of donations to food banks and is in huge demand.”

Since its founding 31 years ago, SeaShare has delivered more than 270 million seafood servings to food banks and feeding centers across the country. The organization grew out of the pollock industry in Alaska, where fishers chose to donate bycatch—which refers to fish that cannot be legally sold—rather than let it go to waste.

Relationship building and tax incentives have since encouraged regular donations of first-run, marketable seafood from the fishing and processing industry. Today, bycatch makes up just 8 percent of SeaShare’s total donations.

The nonprofit also works to ensure culturally relevant foods reach the right communities. Lindoff points to northern Washington as an example. “We have some surimi flake coming in so we reached out to an agency that serves a Korean community services center,” she says, “so we know that this product is going to people who know how to work with it and have a real love for the item.”

Seafood is obviously is highly perishable, requiring either canning or refrigerated transportation. SeaShare acts as a connector between fishers, processors, and food banks, ensuring donations move efficiently from source to consumer. In the contiguous U.S., SeaShare operates along established shipping routes, leveraging its partner Feeding America’s network of food banks to find distribution near the site of donation.

Nicole Candon, Director of Brand & Social Impact at Oddisea SuperFrozen, understands that distribution complexity. Oddisea SuperFrozen is a U.S. importer and distributor of seafood and a SeaShare partner. In 2025, they donated approximately 38,000 seafood servings through the partnership. Some of the seafood the company imports, though safe for consumption and high quality, cannot be sold commercially, leaving the organization in need of a responsible distribution channel.

SeaShare identifies appropriate food bank partners for the business and arranges direct pickups from Oddisea’s warehouse. “From there, the product moves through the food bank’s distribution network and is delivered to local communities,” Candon tells Food Tank. “Because seafood is so rare, our product was usually fully distributed within days of pickup.”

In Alaska, one of SeaShare’s key service areas, those distribution logistics become considerably more challenging. At times, SeaShare donates to highly isolated communities accessible only by boat.

“If we have a 30-pound box of salmon heading to an elder feeding program on an island with 65 residents, that donation is moving well outside of normal shipping lanes,” says Lindoff. “We rely on good partners at the Alaska seafood plants and within the air or barge freight companies who take the time to do the right thing and make sure our elders get this fish.”

Lindoff tells Food Tank she has been moved to tears as she speaks with food bank managers who report being “overcome” by the impact of SeaShare’s donations. She says she’s happy to be part of the solution.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of SeaShare

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Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.

Medically Tailored Groceries Improve Health Outcomes

A new peer-reviewed study published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease looked at patients receiving free, plant-based medically tailored groceries from a food pantry connected to a community health center.

The groceries include fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains, and foods like nut butter. Researchers found that people who received more of the grocery packages had improvements in diastolic blood pressure, weight, and BMI.

This was an observational study, not a randomized controlled trial, meaning the researchers can’t say the groceries caused those improvements. And they didn’t find significant overall improvements in systolic blood pressure or blood sugar. But the findings are encouraging they’re another reason to keep studying what happens when nutritious food is more accessible.

Food is Medicine isn’t a new idea. Indigenous communities and cultures around the world have understood the connection between food and health for centuries. What’s changing is that the healthcare system is finally beginning to catch up.

Food Scrap Collection Services Grow

The Associated Press reported this week on the growth of small food-scrap collection services across the United States.

In Detroit, the company Scrap Soils collects coffee grounds, eggshells, vegetable scraps, and other food waste from homes and businesses and turns it into compost for farms and gardens. And this isn’t happening only in Detroit. There are now more than 400 food waste collection programs around the country including in Baltimore.

Food waste is often framed as an enormous, almost impossible problem.But solutions don’t always need to be so big. They can be a truck, buckets, a compost pile, and people who understand that what we call waste can actually be a resource.

Companies Fail to Grasp Supply Chain Vulnerabilities Caused by Climate Change

A recent analysis from the Food and Land Use Coalition is warning that many of the world’s biggest food companies still don’t fully understand how vulnerable their supply chains are to climate change.

Companies may model drought or extreme heat, for example, but don’t account for what happens when drought, wildfire, pests, deforestation, and water shortages start interacting with one another. And that’s increasingly the world farmers are operating in.

Climate change doesn’t arrive one problem at a time. That’s why resilience isn‘t just about developing a new technology. The world needs healthier soils, more diverse farms, better water management, better data, and supply chains that aren’t built around the assumption that tomorrow will look like yesterday. And companies need to invest in that resilience alongside farmers, not simply push the risk down the supply chain.

FAO Pushes for Investment in Dryland Forests

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is highlighting the need for more funding to support the world’s dryland forests.

These landscapes support communities, livestock, biodiversity, and food production, but they’re under enormous pressure from climate change, degradation, and unsustainable land use.

This is sometimes forgotten when talking about food systems. Food doesn’t begin and end on a farm. Forests are part of our food and agriculture systems. Water is part of our food system. Biodiversity is part of our food system. Protecting those resources isn’t separate from feeding people. It’s fundamental to it.

African Union Calls for Support for Climate-Resilient Seeds

The African Union is calling for greater investment in affordable, high-quality, climate-resilient seeds as countries across the continent confront drought, floods, rising temperatures, and growing food insecurity.

But there’s an important distinction here. Innovation shouldn’t mean telling farmers that everything they’ve been doing is wrong and handing them a new technology. Farmers already hold extraordinary knowledge about their crops, their soils, and their communities.

The best innovation happens when researchers, policymakers, businesses, and farmers work together—combining that knowledge with new tools and making sure farmers actually have access to them. Because the goal isn’t technology for technology’s sake. It’s helping farmers grow food, earn a living, nourish their communities, and become more resilient in a climate that is changing faster than any of us would like.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Arthur Medeiros, Wikimedia Commons

The post Food Tank’s Weekly News Roundup: Medically Tailored Groceries, Dryland Forests, Climate-Resilient Seeds appeared first on Food Tank.

It wasn’t that long ago that bison were scarce in South Dakota.

In just six years, that’s changed dramatically. Now, more than 1,100 bison roam the grasslands, already the largest Native-owned bison herd in the world and still growing. The Sicáŋğu Food Sovereignty Initiative is also helping community members learn to grow, produce, harvest, and prepare their own food, while workforce development programs support farmers, ranchers, aspiring entrepreneurs.

The name of the organization speaks for itself: This is not only a success story for one Indigenous group; it’s a success story for efforts everywhere toward food sovereignty.

“When I first started, [people couldn’t] really articulate what food sovereignty was or understand the importance of it. But now, people are seeing the urgency and that importance,” says Matte Wilson, Deputy Director of the Sicáŋğu Community Development Corporation.

The urgency of building food sovereignty in Indigenous communities is stark. Food insecurity levels among Native households in the United States are significantly above the national average. Indigenous people are “up to three times more likely to die from cardiometabolic diseases compared to other groups,” a Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems report notes. And tragically, this is no accident. Over recent centuries, federal policies have restricted traditional food systems, disinvested in reservations, interfered in organizing efforts, and more.

But when Indigenous communities set the terms for their own food and agriculture systems, land management practices, economic structures, cultural expression, and health policy, things change for the better. There’s deep wisdom in these foodways—wisdom that’s lasted thousands of years and can continue to protect and nourish communities to this day.

Michael Kotutwa Johnson’s work at the University of Arizona’s Indigenous Resilience Center, for example works to advance Indigenous resilience research, education, and outreach. And Johnson’s work in particular has focused on bringing back traditional varieties of Hopi crops.

Without biodiversity, “we have no true sustainability,” he says. “[These seeds are] a backbone of our community. They’re the things that survived us, and it’s taken us years and years to cultivate. So to bring them back home, finally, is very important.”

Within Indigenous models of food sovereignty, we also see concepts like Food is Medicine and local foodways as inherent truths. This is why acclaimed Chef Sean Sherman is so frustrated with the U.S. government’s new upside-down-pyramid model of dietary guidelines, he told us at Climate Week NYC a couple weeks ago. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, he created the RING Diet (Regional Indigenous Nutritional Guide).

“We’re all different people and that’s what’s beautiful about this one because it’s regional, so you can make rings everywhere and it can go global quickly,” he said at Climate Week. “The more we eat for health, the better off we’ll be and the more understanding we have.”

Those benefits extend beyond food systems, to all parts of people’s livelihoods. I love seeing how the First Nations Development Institute works to not just invest in Native food and agriculture systems but also to strengthen research and advocacy for Native economic justice, support the stewardship of Native lands, and help protect and amplify Native arts, language, and knowledge systems.

And the organization Native Agriculture Financial Services (NAFS) provides capital to support agriculture production, rural business development, and rural infrastructure for Native American farmers, ranchers, and agricultural communities.

“Health isn’t just about individual choices. It’s about community, environment, and the systems around us,” says A-dae Romero Briones, a Vice President at the First Nations Development Institute.

Across the entire food system, we would all do well to continue elevating Indigenous voices—and, for those of us who come from different backgrounds, deeply listening. How can we learn from these traditions to build stronger local food networks and more resilient land management practices everywhere? How can we advocate for food sovereignty in even more communities? How can we embed this interconnected understanding of food and environment and health into all parts of our political and economic systems?

None of us has all these answers, of course—but there’s no question that, the harder we work toward a food system model rooted in local sovereignty, the better off we’ll all be!

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Anne Preble, Unsplash

The post Celebrating Indigenous Food Sovereignty Efforts that Drive Wide-Ranging Change appeared first on Food Tank.

La Via Campesina, hosted by its member organisation, the Assembly of the Poor (Thailand), came together on 7 October to raise a strong collective voice against the debt crisis and the neoliberal policies promoted by the World Bank and IMF, which have devastated rural communities, food systems, and people’s livelihoods.

The post The Collapse of Rural Agrarian Societies under World Bank-IMF Policies – Seminar & Press conference appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

From October 12-18, 2026, the World Bank and IMF will hold their Annual Meetings in Thailand. Assembly of the Poor will mobilize to demonstrate that their policy prescriptions have inflicted severe harm on our people from the past to the present, and threaten our future.

The post Development Without the Poor: The Footprint of the World Bank and IMF in Thailand appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is inviting proposals from consultants or teams to examine how African seed systems are financed and strengthen the evidence on the economic benefits of farmer managed seed systems and agroecology.

Building on AFSA’s existing research, the study will map public, private and philanthropic funding, identify who benefits, and assess how finance could better support farmers. It will examine yields, production costs, household income and profitability, alongside wider outcomes for climate resilience, nutrition, biodiversity and livelihoods.

The assignment will combine desk research and remote interviews with 8–10 proposed case studies, including at least four newly documented cases developed with AFSA members and other networks. Findings will inform practical recommendations for donors, development finance institutions and philanthropic foundations, with clear recognition of evidence gaps and trade-offs.

The proposed duration is 14 weeks from contract signature. Applicants should demonstrate expertise in African agriculture, seed systems or agroecology, financial analysis and evidence synthesis, alongside strong English writing skills and capacity for French-language engagement.

To apply, submit a technical proposal, itemised budget, CVs, two relevant research or writing samples, and references from comparable assignments.

Deadline: 30 October 2026
Email: afsa@afsafrica.org
Subject line: Proposal for African seed systems and financial flows study

Read the full terms of reference.

Food Systems for the Future (FSF) Institute wants to make grocery retail work for all communities. According to the organization’s Founder and CEO Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, municipally-supported grocery stores may be part of the solution to the food affordability crisis.

Publicly-owned or -supported grocery stores are designed to lower the cost of groceries, helping to make them more affordable for communities. The approach has attracted growing attention following the announcement of New York City’s plan to open a publicly-supported grocery store in each borough. States from Kansas to Illinois have also explored the solution, but success has varied, with some businesses struggling to break even. 

“What happens if the economics don’t work before the store opens?” Cousin asks, arguing that some areas have overlooked or failed to focus on establishing a sustainable framework. “If you insert subsidies, but you don’t insert the operational capacity that is necessary…the stores close.”

In Atlanta, Georgia, however, Cousin sees a model that seems to be working. Azalea Fresh Market is not municipally-owned; rather the store is publicly supported and independently operated. 

The local government provided the capital needed to construct the store along with guarantees for low-interest operating capital to stock the shelves and hire employees. They also identified a strong operator that knows how to run a successful grocery store and has a relationship with the community. “That has potential for longevity,” Cousin tells Food Tank. 

Grocery prices in the United States are up by nearly 33 percent compared to 2019, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At the same time, healthcare, transportation, and housing costs are rising while millions of households have lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. 

It’s not just low-income families who are struggling, says Cousin, who sees more people making difficult choices about what to put in their shopping cart. “We also have economically distressed households that are what we often call the working poor and up to middle-income households…who are now beginning to feel the pinch of affordability.” 

Government-supported food retailers may not be a silver bullet to solve this, but they are “part of the answer,” Cousin explains. 

FSF Institute recently held its second Grocery Retail for All Summit to bring together leaders from across sectors to identify practical, scalable solutions already working in communities across the country. Cousin believes that it’s important to build a “platform of information” so that retailers, nonprofits, and governments “are not constantly reinventing the wheel.” Needs may be context-specific, she says, but lessons can be adapted to create retail models that endure. 

Ultimately, Cousin tells Food Tank, “it’s not the opening of the grocery store that should be celebrated. It’s the resilience and longevity of the operation of that grocery store.” 

Listen to the full conversation with Ertharin Cousin on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about the growing food crisis, alternative models of food retail, and legislative solutions for food access.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The post Opening a Grocery Store Is Only the Beginning: Making Food Retail Work for Communities appeared first on Food Tank.

The renewal of the mandate helps preserve a vital institutional space within the United Nations for the defence and promotion of peasants’ rights.

The post Another Victory at the UN: The Mandate of the Working Group on the Rights of Peasants Has Been Renewed by a Large Majority! appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Slow Food NYC will bring together New York City food businesses, producers, chefs, and community members on October 19 for SnailFest 2026. The annual event celebrates its Snail of Approval awardees and their work to advance good, clean, and fair food.

The event, which takes place at Eataly SoHo, includes a cocktail reception and a seasonal multi-course dinner. The evening will support Slow Food NYC’s efforts to build a more sustainable and equitable local food system through education, advocacy, and community engagement.

“Slow Food NYC exists because good, clean, and fair food doesn’t happen by accident. It takes real people, showing up every day, making hard choices about how they source and serve,” says Richa Mehra, Vice Chair of Slow Food NYC. “SnailFest is our chance to celebrate our Snail of Approval awardees who do this work every day and bring them together in one room with our larger community. The energy at last year’s inaugural event was so special, and we’re excited to build on that this year!”

The Snail of Approval program recognizes New York City restaurants, bars, retailers, food producers, and other food and beverage businesses that demonstrate a commitment to Slow Food’s principles. Awardees are evaluated on practices around sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support, and business values.

Awardees include businesses such as Brooklyn Packers, Café Paulette & Petite Paulette, Eataly, Farm to People, GrowNYC, Matriark Foods, Norwich Meadows Farm, Oko Farms, Osteria 57, Roscioli, and The Meat Hook, among dozens of other New York City food businesses.

SnailFest 2026 will take place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Eataly SoHo in Manhattan. Tickets can be purchased here, and include food, drinks, and access to the silent auction.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Anne Preble, Unsplash

The post Slow Food NYC Celebrates Good, Clean, and Fair Food appeared first on Food Tank.

Land, collective work, and organization are the pillars of an unprecedented cooperative experience: 14,000 tons of pesticide-free rice, reaching thousands of people, purchased by the government, and even exported.

The post Brazil | Towards the massification of agroecology appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

With the help of RAFI’s Beginning Farmer Stipend, Aronson will purchase a small 4x6 enclosed trailer to hitch it to the farm’s SUV in order to transport more product to markets, which will make farmers market participation much more financially viable.

The post Ida Aronson appeared first on RAFI.

Cameron and his wife Terris now operate Brownstone Family Farms in Scranton, South Carolina, growing produce for their local farmers market.

The post Jason Cameron appeared first on RAFI.

Class’s Beginning Farmer Stipend will be used to rehabilitate and convert a stall in the property’s 60-year-old pole barn into a drying area for seed saving.

The post Deena Class appeared first on RAFI.