Food Systems

Food Systems

Cheap food is often very expensive
- Alexander Müller
Agriculture is a major driver of biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and human-driven climate change. Most food systems today neither provide sustainable livelihoods nor sufficient and healthy diets. At TMG, we recognise the urgent need to transform our food systems to support the resilience of our ecosystems, ensure equitable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food, and provide secure livelihoods for farmers.
Drawing on in-depth scientific knowledge, and our long-standing experience in the governance of food systems, we advise and shape agricultural policy reforms at national and regional level. In partnership with leading food producers and financial institutions in Europe, we seek to build broad alliances to co-design economic and financial systems that account for the harmful environmental and social costs of current food systems, opening up avenues for their transformation.

Latest

World Bee Day 2023: Time for sustainable solutions to tackle locust upsurges
Blog Post
World Bee Day 2023: Time for sustainable solutions to tackle locust upsurges
An urgent call to safeguard pollinators during pest eradication campaigns.

Topics

Digitalization

Digitalization

Exploring the role of digitalization and social innovation for inclusive and resilient food systems.

While there are many successful development initiatives in the African region, entrenched structural inequalities and power asymmetries continue to lock out millions of people from taking charge of their own development aspirations.

Projects

Food Systems Transformation

Food Systems Transformation

Exploring equitable transformation pathways for a sustainable future of food systems

The global food system is broken – it is unsustainable, unhealthy, unjust, and in dire need of transformation. Our food systems contribute to climate change, biodiversity loss, unhealthy diets, hunger, and social inequality. There is need for fundamental changes to the way our food is grown, processed, distributed, and consumed. This aspiration is at the heart of the shift from the old agricultural productivity paradigm towards food systems, in line with the concept of planetary boundaries and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Projects

True Cost Accounting in Agri-food Systems

True Cost Accounting in Agri-food Systems

Developing integrated accounting standards for the food and farming sector

Standard accounting and economic evaluation systems do not take full account of all four capitals − produced, natural, social and human − that are involved in the production, processing, marketing and consumption of food, and related services. This means that businesses and other actors are often not held liable for the negative externalities of their activities. Instead, the costs are often borne by society, and the environment. Examples include paying more for clean water due to the cost of removing pesticides from water sources, or higher prices for food due to reduced harvests from poorly managed soils.

Projects

News & Blog Posts

World Bee Day 2023: Time for sustainable solutions to tackle locust upsurges
Blog Post

World Bee Day 2023: Time for sustainable solutions to tackle locust upsurges

An urgent call to safeguard pollinators during pest eradication campaigns.
Adam Prakash: A tribute
Publication

Adam Prakash: A tribute

Remembering a valued colleague
Food system transformation requires strong Rio Conventions!
News

Food system transformation requires strong Rio Conventions!

An open letter to heads of the three Rio Convention secretariats and other multilateral environmental bodies
Unveiling the hidden costs of climate-related disasters in eastern Africa
Blog Post

Unveiling the hidden costs of climate-related disasters in eastern Africa

Lessons in integrating True Cost Accounting to support disaster risk management
Right to food (in German)
News

Right to food (in German)

A world without hunger by 2030?
New report series explores entry points for the global governance of agri-food system transformation
News

New report series explores entry points for the global governance of agri-food system transformation

Reports address gaps as well as windows of opportunity to safeguard the right to food amidst multiple crises

Publications

FORESEE (4C) Summary Report: The Transformation of Agri-Food Systems in Times of Multiple Crises

Report

FORESEE (4C) Summary Report: The Transformation of Agri-Food Systems in Times of Multiple Crises

Tavseef Mairaj Shah, Olivia Riemer

Exploring equitable, healthy, resilient and sustainable pathways for agri-food transformation.

FORESEE (4C) Report 3: Blindspots in the Debate on Agri-Food System Transformation

Report

FORESEE (4C) Report 3: Blindspots in the Debate on Agri-Food System Transformation

Patrick Caron, Maureen Gitagia, Michael Hamm, Ulrich Hoffman, Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, Tania Martinez-Cruz, Kathleen Merrigan, Pat Mooney, Olivia Riemer, Nadia El Hage Scialabba, Tavseef Mairaj Shah

Analysing blind spots in the debate around agri-food systems transformation and how to address them.

FORESEE (4C) Report 1: Current Conditions and Policy Frameworks of Agri-Food Systems Transformation

Report

FORESEE (4C) Report 1: Current Conditions and Policy Frameworks of Agri-Food Systems Transformation

Olivia Riemer, Tavseef Mairaj Shah, Sarah Zitterbarth

Analysing the 4Cs and their interaction with agri-food systems

FORESEE (4C) Report 2: State of the Debate on Agri-Food Systems Transformation

Report

FORESEE (4C) Report 2: State of the Debate on Agri-Food Systems Transformation

Nadia El-Hage Scialabba, Sarah Zitterbarth, Tavseef Shah

A multi-actor review of current debates around agri-food systems transformation.

Videos

  • Strengthening Early Warning & Early Action on Transboundary Pests and Diseases

    Strengthening Early Warning & Early Action on Transboundary Pests and Diseases

  • Transforming food systems from the bottom up: Social innovations for soil restoration

    A conversation around land rights and agricultural transformation

  • In Harmony with Humanity and Nature: How a Project in Southern India Creates New Perspectives

    An application of the True Cost Accounting methodology in India

  • Innovative digital tools to enhance food security in Africa (Highlights)

    A contribution to debates on the EU Comprehensive Strategy with Africa

  • The Interconnectedness Between the Ongoing Desert Locust Crisis 2019-2021+ and the Climate Crisis

    Session hosted by TMG, BMZ, IGAD and the Swette Center at Arizona State University.

  • Land-Food-Climate: Tackling the climate implementation gap

    Second event of the series "Land-Food-Climate: An African-European Dialogue on Climate Resilience"

  • Land-Food-Climate: Climate Resilience through the Right to Food

    First event of the series "Land-Food-Climate: An African-European Dialogue on Climate Resilience"

  • Land-Food-Climate: An African-European Dialogue on Climate Resilience

    Teaser video for the "Land-Food-Climate: An African-European Dialogue on Climate Resilience" event series

  • True Cost - From Costs to Benefits in Food and Farming

    A short video presenting the "True Cost - From Costs to Benefits" in Food and Farming initiative

Events

Learn more about our activities

Check out our different channels where we publish articles, videos, and analyses of global and local debates

TMG Think Tank for Sustainability consists of TMG Research gGmbH, an independent, non-partisan, non-for-profit organization registered in Berlin (District Court Charlottenburg, HRB 186018 B, USt.-ID: DE311653675) and TMG - Töpfer, Müller, Gaßner GmbH, a private company registered in Berlin (District Court Charlottenburg, HRB 177576 B USt.-ID: DE306832549).

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