Earth Day is this week, on Wednesday, April 22. From my vantage point, two of the most impactful forces shaping the health of our planet are converging—the climate crisis and urbanization—and it’s up to us whether it’ll be a cataclysmic collision or a chance to collaborate on change.

We’ve just lived through the three hottest years ever on record: 2023, ‘24, and ‘25. Ocean temps were higher than ever last year. And the global population is not only growing but getting more dense: According to United Nations data, close to 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2030.

What does this mean? In my view, this cements the power—and the responsibility!—of local food and ag systems to lead the charge toward more sustainability and climate resilience on a global scale.

“With bold investments and good planning and design, cities offer immense opportunities to slash greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the effects of climate change, and sustainably support urban populations,” says António Guterres, Secretary-General of the U.N.

Through efforts like the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP)—signed by more than 330 cities worldwide—local leaders can share knowledge and experiences in strengthening equitable food systems. Earlier this year, I had the honor of emceeing a MUFPP Regional Forum, and the collective food system power we have in each of our communities is electric and unbelievably inspiring.

Already, so many municipalities and local governments and advocates are stepping up to the plate, which is amazing to see and learn from. This Earth Day, I want to highlight some success stories that are turning cities into sites of big-picture transformation:

On the subject of procurement: Last year, Seoul, South Korea launched a new Climate-Friendly Meal Service initiative to expand nutrition education for students and improve the sustainability of food grown for the country’s universal school meals.

“Because school meals are universal and publicly funded, they embody social equity, while simultaneously shaping demand for eco-friendly and local agricultural products,” says Seulgi Son, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Yonsei University.

New York City is prioritizing plant-based meals in public institutions such as schools, where students participate in Meatless Mondays and have “plant-powered” options, and hospitals, where vegetarian options are default. In just the first year of this transition, the city reported a 36 percent reduction in carbon emissions!

When it comes to fighting food waste: Milan, Italy, has launched an award-winning food waste hub model to help the country halve food waste by 2030 by facilitating food recovery and distribution, and each of five hubs within the model have recovered the equivalent of over 260,000 meals per year.

Or, take Baltimore, where the Baltimore Zero Waste Coalition is dedicated to promoting waste diversion practices that minimize landfill or incineration use and maximize recovery work through education, collaboration, and advocacy. Meanwhile, the city is also focusing on better managing the waste that does occur. The city’s Department of Public Works adopted a 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan in 2024, aimed at increasing organics recycling and promoting backyard and community composting.

And cities can also vitally support farmers and food production: In Brazil, São Paulo’s Connect the Dots program brings together urban buyers for organic produce, helps train the family farms growing those crops in more sustainable practices, and safeguards farms and forests from urban development.

In Xochimilco, in Mexico City, researchers, farmers, and government entities have partnered to create a sustainable certification program that has helped to restore 40+ floating farms, protect endangered axolotls, and connect producers to premium markets while improving local livelihoods.

And across the world in Kenya, we’re seeing action on the county level, too. Several Kenyan counties have adopted policies to expand agroecological production and help farmers access markets.

As U.N. Habitat analysts write, “While the overlapping challenges of environmental stress and rapid urbanization are uniquely daunting, it is precisely this intersection that makes urban climate action so opportune.”

If cities or other local governments where you live are taking bold action on food systems and climate, share their stories. And if your city is not doing its part, then it’s time for us as citizen eaters to use Earth Day as an opportunity to push for change! Reach out to your local elected officials and community advocates this week to share these success stories from other cities. And do reach out to me via email too, to let me know how Food Tank can use our resources to help.

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 Earth Day Is Global—But We Know Food and Climate Solutions Start Locally appeared first on Food Tank.

I want to share some good news about the state of food waste in the United States: According to a new report from ReFED, total surplus food dropped by 2.2 percent between 2023 and 2024, including a 950,000-ton reduction in residential food waste. For me, this is a clear sign of the power of citizen eaters to help steer the global food system!

But we still have a long way to go. The total value of surplus food in 2024 was about US$380 billion, meaning consumers still spend an average of US$762 per person per year on food they ultimately waste—and reducing food waste remains a key solution to a variety of climate and food equity challenges.

This month, Food Tank is co-hosting the 10th Annual Stop Food Waste Day Celebration, with Compass Group and Envision Charlotte, on April 29th at Innovation Barn in Charlotte, North Carolina. I hope you’ll join us as we reflect on the progress we’ve made and continue to strategize for the future!

You can CLICK HERE to find out more about the event, which will be a wonderful day of live music, important conversations, delicious food, and interactive experiences. And if you’re in Charlotte, just email Food Tank’s Events Director Kenzie Wade at kenzie@foodtank.com to request a ticket.

No matter where you live, though, Stop Food Waste Day is a global day of action—so you can join us via livestream as well HERE.

Speakers for this year’s Stop Food Waste Day include Amy Aussieker, Envision Charlotte; Richard Armenia, Feeding Charlotte; Michiel Bakker, Culinary Institute of America; Eliza Blank, Farmlink; Palmer Brown, Compass Group; Cate Brinley, Youth Changemaker; Chris Ivens-Brown, Compass Group; Chayil Johnson, Community Matters Cafe; Chef Sam Kass, Acre Venture Partners and Trove; Amy Keister, Compass Group; Riley Nelson, NASCAR; Kris Steele, Crown Town Compost; Harry Tannenbaum, Mill; Alyssa Wilen, Alyssa’s Kitchen, and Eleanor Zhang, Youth Changemaker; plus a very special surprise musical guest!

“My grandma would always remind me not to waste food, (but) it wasn’t just about the food itself,” Amy Keister, Global Director of Sustainability for Compass Group, told us at Stop Food Waste Day last year. “It was about respect for resources, respect for the folks who grow the food, and an understanding of how interconnected we all are.”

Throughout the afternoon, we’ll celebrate the people, ideas, and innovations helping to reduce food waste and build a better food system—one that keeps good food in our kitchens and communities, instead of in landfills. We’ll hear from producers and youth storytellers who are shaping the next generation of the movement, and we’ll conclude with a delicious reception to help us connect and keep building momentum.

Once again, you can CLICK HERE to grab your tickets to join us starting at 2PM ET on Wednesday, April 29.

As I mentioned—and as the data proves—citizen eaters at the household level have tremendous power to drive real change when it comes to food waste reduction, and I want to hear stories of how you and your communities are helping to bring value back into all parts of the food system!

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

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I’m in Nairobi right now conducting ground-truthing research alongside farmers, plant biologists, beekeepers, and local food system leaders in cooperation with our partners at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe).

In fact, we just announced an event with Enviu and The Rockefeller Foundation, “Celebrating our Farmers and Spotlighting Food System Visionaries.” Please share with colleagues on the ground or join us in person on Saturday April 11 if you’re local in Kenya. Tickets are free and available HERE!

One of the things I appreciate about icipe’s work is how deeply rooted it is within what they call the One Health paradigm: integrating plant, human, animal, and environmental health.

And insects sit at the intersection of these spheres, making them a vital player in solutions to climate risks, biodiversity loss, poverty, hunger, and other global challenges. Sometimes, we lump all insects together into negative categories—bugs, pests—which I think shows how tragically misunderstood some of these creatures can be!

“Food is produced in the field. You have a diversity of living beings, including insects, that are part of that production landscape,” Abdou Tenkouano, Director General of icipe, tells Food Tank.

One example: in just the commercial poultry sector, replacing half of conventional protein and energy feed sources (fishmeal, soymeal, maize) with insect-based feed could free up fish and maize as food for 4.8 million people per year; create employment opportunities for 33,000 people per year; and lift 740,000 people out of poverty in Kenya alone.

As I’m seeing first-hand here in Kenya this week, this is just one potential success story of many. Insects can be used “to recycle organic waste [into fertilizer], mitigate environmental pollution, and produce rich biomass,” among other benefits, says Chrysantus Tonga, Senior Scientist and Head of icipe’s Insects for Food, Feed, and Other Uses Program.

Today, I’m opening up my notebook to you and introducing eight of the many beneficial insects that can help shape a healthier food system.

Black Soldier Flies: icipe researchers consider the black soldier fly to be one of the most versatile insects. Larvae can become high-protein feed for livestock and aquaculture. Mature flies can be used to manage organic waste. Then, an organic mixture called frass fertilizer (made of uneaten substrate, feces, and exoskeletons) can also help boost agricultural productivity.

Crickets: When it comes to insects and food systems, crickets have earned their high profile: A study of 60 edible species shows they’re rich in protein and also contain notable levels of calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, zinc, manganese, and copper, as well as vitamins in the B group and vitamins A, C, D, E, and K. Researchers at icipe say crickets are “among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition,” and they’re investigating how the insects can also contribute to ethnomedicine, livestock feed, and pest management strategies.

Dung Beetles: I know the name isn’t doing them any favors, but these insects have huge potential, icipe research concludes. Their larvae are protein-rich and safely consumed globally. When mature, these beetles recycle nutrients from organic waste and carry more nitrogen into the soil, which can help soils retain water and support healthy crops.

Locusts: This week was also Passover, so let’s talk about locusts! A small swarm can consume the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people, per the World Bank. But for millennia in more than 65 countries, about half of known locust species have been consumed by humans or fed to animals, and icipe research shows that “their nutritional composition is comparable or superior to that of conventional meat” and may support heart health.

Mealworms: Yellow mealworms are high in protein and rich in micronutrients including zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium, and vitamin B12. Fascinatingly, mealworms can also be used to combat plastic waste! An icipe study shows that these insects can ingest polystyrene, which could offer a better alternative to current recycling practices that are expensive and can actually produce toxic byproducts.

Parasitic Wasps: Another insect whose name belies the good it can do: Yes, these wasps lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods—but icipe finds that one particular species can be used to naturally control an invasive and highly destructive caterpillar known as a tomato leafminer, which tends to quickly develop resistance to major pesticides. These wasps have also proven helpful in controlling fall armyworm, which can be “devastating” to maize crops on the African continent.

Silkmoths: Silk farming, or sericulture, offers sustainable employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for women and youth, icipe finds. And the global silk market is projected to double in value to around US$34.1 billion by 2031—making sericulture especially attractive for rural off-farm employment and in areas where the risk of crop failure is high. And icipe has provided direct support to these folks through its MOre Young Entrepreneurs in Silk and Honey (MOYESH) Program.

Stingless Bees: Stingless bees, like other bees, offer important ecosystem services by pollinating crops. But in particular, these more than 600 species with highly reduced stingers make honey used for medicinal and traditional purposes, and beekeeping offers yet another way for smallholder farmers—particularly women and youth, like silk farming—to diversify their income.

And, as I do with all Food Tank’s ground-truthing trips around the globe, I want to continue bringing you along with me! Over the next couple days here on the ground, we’re continuing to meet with farmers and conduct interviews and field observations. And in the coming weeks, I’ll share more updates in the newsletter and in our “On The Ground with Dani Nierenberg” series on FoodTank.com. Plus, filmmaker Haven Worley, who directed Food Tank’s recent debut documentary short “Irish Farmers: A Love Story,” is here with me, helping share stories in different mediums.

It’s been eye-opening so far both to spotlight the good work of organizations like icipe—prioritizing science and collaboration to build a healthier planet—and to bear witness to the destruction that can result from national governments unjustly pulling away funding for international development programs like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

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 James Tiono, Unsplash

The post Inside My Ground-Truthing Notebook: Here in Kenya, Insects Are Success Stories appeared first on Food Tank.

When we talk about food and agriculture systems, there’s a fundamental truth that I think we have to remember to re-ground ourselves in: These systems are made up of people.

Whether we’re looking at farms or school cafeterias or global supply chains, food stories are stories of people, of our cultures and communities and our values and visions for the future. I genuinely believe that, by working to understand food systems, we can better understand people. And vice versa: By building meaningful connections with people, we can build better food systems.

And this also speaks to the reasons I love sharing our seasonal reading lists with you. When discussions about large-scale systems and social movements—about food as a tool for power and resilience and change—can feel a bit theoretical or academic, the books on our spring reading list ground us with stories of people.

In “Africulture,” 11th-generation farmer Michael Carter, Jr., braids together the stories of his own family history and 5th-generation family farm with the story of the decline in Black-owned farmland over the past century and the activists working to reverse that trend.

And in “Free-Range Religion,” scholar Adrienne Krone examines the intersections of alternative food movements and religious life through people-focused ethnographic research. Or, take “The Secret History of French Cooking,” by Luke Barr: The great-nephew of food writer M.F.K. Fisher introduces us to the men and women who transformed French cuisine in the 1960s and 1970s.

A few weeks ago, anthropologist Ashanté M. Reese, the author of the forthcoming book “Gather: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness,” joined us for a fantastic conversation at Food Tank’s SXSW Summit to discuss precisely this topic.

“If we’re thinking about what is wrong, we’re pre-oriented toward thinking about solutions—but first, we actually need to know what’s happening with people, both good and bad,” she says. “I think that shifts everything about how we orient ourselves toward other people.”

Here are 20 of the books we’re reading this spring that put people at the heart of food systems:

A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior by Crystal Wahpepah with Amy Paige Condon

A School Lunch Revolution: A Cookbook by Alice Waters

Africulture: How the Principles, Practices, Plants, and People of African Descent Have Shaped American Agriculture by Michael Carter, Jr.

Against Heritage: The Reinvention of Traditional Foods by Lily Kelting (forthcoming May 2026)

Between Feast and Famine: Food, Health, and the History of Ghana’s Long Twentieth Century by John Nott

Crayfish, Crawfish, Crawdad: The Biology and Conservation of North America’s Favorite Crustaceans by Zackary A. Graham

Feed the People! Why Industrial Food Is Good and How to Make It Even Better by Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg

Free-Range Religion: Alternative Food Movements and Religious Life in the United States by Adrienne Krone

Gather: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness by Ashanté M. Reese (forthcoming April 2026)

Ghosts of the Farm: Two Women’s Journeys Through Time, Land and Community by Nicola Chester

Living Roots: The Promise of Perennial Foods edited by Liz Carlisle, and Aubrey Streit Krug

Nurturing Food Justice: Expansive and Intersectional Visions by Alison Hope Alkon and Julian Agyeman

On Eating: The Making and Unmaking of My Appetites by Alicia Kennedy (forthcoming April 2026)

Restoring the Soil (Second Edition) by Roland Bunch

Salt, Sweat & Steam: The Fiery Education of an Accidental Chef by Brigid Washington (forthcoming April 2026)

School Food Programs in Canada: Models for Success edited by Amberley T. Ruetz and Rachel Engler-Stringer

The Jackfruit Chronicles: Memories and Recipes from a British-Bangladeshi Kitchen by Shahnaz Ahsan

The Secret History of French Cooking: The Outlaw Chefs Who Made Food Modern by Luke Barr

The Sovereign Poison: Glyphosate, Poisoncraft, and Regulatory Politics by Tom Widger

Unrefined: How Capitalism Reinvented Sugar by David Singerman

Check out the full list, with descriptions and links for each book, by CLICKING HERE. And if you missed our winter reading list a couple months ago, you can add those books to your to-read list here.

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 Siwawut Phoophinyo, Unsplash

The post Reminding Ourselves that Food System Stories Are People-Centered Stories appeared first on Food Tank.

I want to share a fact that should blow us all away: According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global pesticide use has just about doubled since 1990.

This is already quite worrying—but I’m even more concerned by the question of where we’re headed from here.

Amid a warming global climate, some pest problems are getting worse, not better. In hotter conditions, pests can reproduce faster, sometimes adding a generation or more per growing season, which can make them more virulent and damaging. A team of international biology researchers projected that, under 2ºC of warming, increased pest damage could drive additional yield losses of 46 percent for wheat, 19 percent for rice, and 31 percent for maize.

And we can’t sustain more significant increases in pesticide use to compensate—because the health consequences simply cannot be ignored. Chronic exposure to these synthetic pesticides is linked to a variety of health issues from cancer to Parkinson’s disease, plus other endocrine disruptions and neurological issues. These chemicals are also devastating for biodiversity, threatening a variety of bird, bee, and other insect populations that are integral to the health of our food and climate systems.

At the same time as we’re seeing these ballooning rates of synthetic pesticide use, we have an off-ramp out of this downward spiral. We just need to use it.

As part of food production and land management models rooted in agroecology—including regenerative practices like cover cropping and rotation and policy structures that support climate-smart, biodiverse, community-centric farming—what really deserves more attention are biopesticides, which are derived from natural sources including bacteria, plants, animals, and certain minerals.

This makes them “inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Rather than conventional pesticides that affect a broad spectrum of organisms, biopesticides are generally more targeted, are able to be applied in much smaller quantities, and decompose much more quickly and cleanly without necessarily affecting crop yields.

And this is not theoretical—it’s proven on the ground. Across Africa and Asia, for example, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is using microbial biopesticides to control pests like the cotton bollworm.

“This is not just science in the lab. It’s innovation in the hands of farmers,” says Dr. Stanford Blade, the Deputy Director General for Research and Innovation at ICRISAT. “By working with nature instead of against it, we’re helping smallholder farmers build resilience against droughts, restore biodiversity, and grow healthier food.”

Like any solution, biopesticides are not perfect. Regulatory hurdles, skepticism from farmers, and challenges accessing the products themselves are all factors that are interfering with or slowing the adoption of biopesticides, according to analysts. Price is, too: While we know sustainable practices make better business sense long-term, we need to work to improve the immediate affordability of some of these techniques.

But as the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) is showing, public-private sector partnerships are effective at developing biopesticides and educating farmers to encourage their use.

“Globally, the replacement of synthetic pesticides with biological alternatives is seen as an ideal strategy towards sustainable agriculture and the conservation of biological biodiversity,” the organization’s experts say. I’m excited that I’ll be visiting icipe in early April as part of my ground-truthing work to document the impacts of the dismantling of USAID.

Building meaningful and effective partnerships between big players in the plant science industry, policymakers, and small-scale farmers and advocates is exactly what I had the opportunity to talk about this week on the Food Talk podcast with Emily Rees, the President & CEO of CropLife International.

It’s a nuanced conversation I hope you’ll check out, and one thing she and I agree on is the importance of what she called “radical collaboration”—giving everyone not just a seat at the table but also real decision-making power, because what affects one part of the food system affects us all.

As she phrased it, “If you’re not listening to the ground as to what the farmers want, then it will be difficult to respond to that in the international policy sphere.” Give the whole episode a listen or watch below.

Over the past week, at Summits in Austin, Texas, during SXSW and in Boston for our inaugural Blue Foods Summit, we’ve handed over our stages to farmers for evenings of authentic storytelling and films like Food Tank’s debut original documentary short “Irish Farmers: A Love Story.” I want to extend a huge thank you to all the Food Tankers who joined us in person and via livestream this month!

I can’t lie: I get emotional hearing farmers of all ages and backgrounds speak so powerfully and emotionally about their connections to the land. But there’s no question that these are fully tears of joy and hope. When we let passionate farmers and regenerative ethics and sustainable steps—like biopesticides rather than synthetics—lead the way, our future is in good hands.

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 Ilham Wicaksono, Unsplash

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We have a busy week ahead of us here at Food Tank!

At summits across the country, we’re bringing regional and global food system leaders together to break bread, share success stories, spotlight creative visionaries, and highlight ways we can build a stronger food system across urban and rural communities and sectors.

We’re tackling a lot—and that means there’s something for everyone! So I’m looking forward to meeting you all in person or seeing your faces in our livestream audiences as we learn together. I want to use this note to you today to highlight our upcoming events, and I hope you’ll find what resonates with you and inspires you.

Starting off, at the annual SXSW festival on March 11, I have the honor of emceeing the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) Regional Forum, “A Recipe for Change: Cities Leading Food Systems Change.”

The program is hosted by the City of Austin in collaboration with the City of Baltimore, the City of Guadalajara, and Food Tank and aims to provide a platform for city food policy leaders to learn from one another, collaborate more effectively, and use the MUFPP framework as a pathway toward more sustainable, resilient food systems!

Plenary speakers include Karen Bassarab, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future; Moe Garahan, Food Communities Network, Just Food in Ottawa; Tia Schwab, BITE (formerly Food for Climate League); Raj Patel, University of Texas at Austin; Ashanté Reese, University of Texas at Austin; and more for a day of expert presentations, interactive sessions, and tangible deep-dive workshops.

Then, on March 12, we’re kicking off our 7th annual “All Things Food and Environment” Summit at SXSW in collaboration with Organic Valley, the City of Austin, and Huston-Tillotson University. If you’re in Austin, find more info on joining us by clicking on the title of each program. Otherwise I hope to see you in our livestream audience, which you can join HERE.

And with five distinct events throughout the day, the schedule is jam-packed! From 10 to 11:30 AM, in collaboration with the Environmental Working Group conversations will focus on reimagining systems of urban sustainability and food processing.

From 11:30 to 1:30 with Organic Valley, we’re tackling “Farmstead to Future: CEOs, Chefs, and Farmers Building a Better Food System.” Then, we’ll explore “From Cowboys to Carbon: Grazing Solutions for Carbon, Water, Biodiversity & Supply Chain Resilience” from 1:30 to 2:30 in collaboration with Grassroots Carbon.

After a short afternoon break, we’re hosting an amazing short film festival from 2:30 to 5:30PM in collaboration with American Farmland Trust and Common Table Creative. We’ll be able to see clips and selections from works including “America the Bountiful,” “Farm Hero,” “Food 2050,” and Food Tank’s debut original documentary short “Irish Farmers: A Love Story.”

To close out the day, we’re handing over the stage to the folks who know the food system inside and out—farmers. From 5:30 to 8:30 PM, we’re excited to present “Voices of Female Farmers: A Love Story” with Whole Foods Market and in collaboration with Harvest Earnings.

Here’s the lineup of amazing speakers who will be joining us: Xiye Bastida, Climate Justice Activist; Sara Burnett, ReFED; Capri Cafaro, Host, America the Bountiful; John Chester, Farmer and Filmmaker; Richard Chute, Kerry Dairy Ireland; James Clement, EarthOptics; Katie Collins, ROAM Ranch; Chef Kareem El-Ghayesh, KG BBQ; Oliver English, Common Table Creative; Simon English, Common Table Creative; Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group; Brooke Freeman, Food Systems Coordinator, City of Kansas City, MO; Jerome Foster II, OneMillionOfUs; Vanessa Fuentes, Austin City Councilmember; Filippo Gavazzeni, Milan Urban Food Policy Pact; Johanna Hellrigl, AMA; Michelle Hughes, National Young Farmers Coalition; Steven Jennings, Ahold Delhaize; Diana Johnson, Bezos Earth Fund; Ora Kemp, New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Food Policy; Taylor LaFave, City of Baltimore; Jenny Lester Moffitt, American Farmland Trust; Chef Adrian Lipscombe, 40 Acres and Muloma Heritage Center; Finian Makepeace, Kiss the Ground; Gerardo Martinez, Wild Kid Acres; Edwin Marty, City of Austin; Amanda Masino, Huston-Tillotson University; Melanie McAfee, Barr Mansion; Chef Joshua McFadden, Chef and Author; Shawna Nelson, Organic Valley; Jim O’Toole, Bord Bia; Raj Patel, University of Texas at Austin; John de la Parra, The Rockefeller Foundation; Chef Colter Peck, Dashi Hospitality; Ashanté Reese, The University of Texas at Austin; Carina Roseingrave, Burren View Farm; Grace Rude, City of Minneapolis; Rick Simington, Organic Valley; Dr. Jason Slipp, Rodale Institute; Brad Tipper, Grassroots Carbon; Stephanie Tranel, Tranel Family Farms; Todd Wagner, FoodFight USA; Jake Wedeberg, CROPP Cooperative; Haven Worley, Filmmaker; Laura Zaspel, Farm Hero; and more.

Again, please CLICK HERE to join us in-person, and our livestream link is HERE to bookmark in advance.

Then, we’re heading to Boston for Food Tank’s inaugural Blue Foods Summit on Sunday, March 15, presented alongside our friends at Better Food Future, Marine Stewardship Council, the Culinary Institute of America, and Bluefina, taking place at WBUR-NPR’s CitySpace starting at 2:00PM.

I hope you’ll lend your voice to these important conversations we’re having on the future of aquaculture, either in person by CLICKING HERE or in our livestream audience, which you can join HERE.

Throughout the afternoon, we’ll be joined by experts to discuss everything from traceable supply chains and sustainable protein sources to diversifying blue food systems and strengthening retail leadership—plus a book giveaway opportunity by celebrity chef and seafood expert Barton Seaver.

Our speaker and moderator lineup includes: Deb Becker, WBUR; Daisy Berg, New Seasons Market; Jayson Berryhill, Wholechain; Imani Black, Minorities in Aquaculture; Adam Brennan, Thai Union Frozen and Chicken of the Sea; Niaz Dorry, NAMA; Alexandra Emery, Wakefern Food Corp; Alicia Gaiero, Nauti Sisters Sea Farm; Citlali Gomez Lepe, COMEPESCA Mexico; Kelly Hilovsky, ButcherBox; Robert E. Jones, Culinary Institute of America; Mark Kaplan, Wholechain; Charlotte Langley, Nice Cans; Jackie Marks, Marine Stewardship Council; Barton Seaver, Chef and Author; Huw Thomas, Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability; Manuel Vazquez Escudero, Baja Aqua Farms Group; and Andrew Young, Baja Aqua Farms Group.

Following the Summit, we’re headed to the 4th annual Night at the New England Aquarium, an invite-only opportunity to continue the conversation around traceability, transparency, and needed change within seafood supply chains.

At the Aquarium, in collaboration with Wholechain, Envisible, BlueYou, Pesca Con Futuro, Sea Pact, and Better Food Future in support of the UN Global Compact Ocean Stewardship Coalition, we’ll hear from leaders including Mark Kaplan, Wholechain; OB Bera, Beacon Fisheries; Sam Grimley, Sea Pact; René Benguerel, BlueYou; Nick Andoni, Envisible; Blake Stok, Chicken of the Sea; Erin Taylor, Wholechain; Stephanie Pazzaglia, JJ McDonnell; Jon Black, Floribbean; Alex Golub, Acme Smoked Fish; and more to be announced. More info can be found HERE.

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 Vitolda Klein, Unsplash

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Around the globe, 36 percent of working women are employed within agriculture and food systems—around the same percentage as men. But sadly, that’s about where the similarities end.

Women working in agriculture make about 82 cents for every dollar men earn, and much of the work women do, more than 4 hours a day, goes unpaid altogether. Women are often more economically vulnerable than men, who tend to have greater ownership or management rights over their land and more stable employment in off-farm food jobs, according to data from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

But from major cities to rural communities, women are at the forefront of leading sustainable and equitable food system transformations!

Over the past year or so, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with some amazing women on the front lines of building a better food system. I’ve been reflecting on these inspiring conversations, especially now during International Year of the Woman Farmer and with International Women’s Day coming up on March 8.

From St. Lucia across the Caribbean, Keithlin Caroo-Afrifa is transforming women’s food and farm leadership through the organization Helen’s Daughters, which she founded and directs.

“We try to take a very holistic approach,” she told me on Food Talk. “So we’re not just building the capacity of a farm worker or farmer, we’re building the capacity of somebody who could essentially be a leader in their family, in the community, even in the region.”

In Philadelphia, Christa Barfield’s Farmer Jawn is a 128-acre working farm, building a model that enables regenerative organic food production by and for underserved communities. As she reminded us, “How you eat now isn’t just about you. Food is about lineage. It’s about everyone in your bloodline before you and the ones that are coming after you.”

And in the Philippines, men and women farmers both experience challenges accessing land, markets, and training—but these are much more severe for women, says Esther Penunia, Secretary General of the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA). The organization works across Asia to increase resilience and well-being for small-scale family farmers.

“When we unleash their potential to contribute to food security, to health and nutrition, when we help them to be able to fulfill these roles…[there will be a] dramatic increase in terms of the availability of healthy food,” she told me on Food Talk. “It is very important for women farmers that they are able to see that their work is valuable…and their work is supported.”

The data also backs this up: Empowering women means strengthening the food system! If even half of producers were able to benefit from development programs that focus on uplifting women, some 58 million people would see higher incomes; closing that wage and productivity gap would lift 45 million people out of food insecurity, per the FAO.

“Particularly for women, the inequalities are deeply entrenched in the food system,” Ismahane Elouafi, the Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, told me on Food Talk. “As we are talking about women, adaptation to climate change is very important, and nutrition is super important because they are the custodians of nutrition when we talk about the household, particularly for small kids.

As entrepreneurs and leaders at major companies, women are helping transform the private sector, too. As the Vice President of Sustainability at Whole Foods Market, Caitlin Leibert told us at Climate Week NYC last year that her goal is “to strip out the elitism of regenerative agriculture and get back to the joy, beauty, and importance of farming.”

And as the Founder and CEO of Matriark, Anna Hammond is showing how farm surplus and fresh-cut items can be upcycled into nutritious food service and retail products that are climate-smart while supporting farmers’ incomes. Down in Australia, Ronni Kahn is also transforming food rescue through OzHarvest, for which she’s the Founder and Visionary in Residence.

“Innovation is in our DNA,” Ronni told me on Food Talk. “I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur, but clearly what I care about most is innovation, creating, and recreating. … We really have to redesign society. Some people probably think I’m completely mad—they probably always have, and that’s okay—but I have set a goal that we need to end hunger because we’ve created it, so we can uncreate it.”

We’ve been able to feature so many more amazing changemakers on the Food Talk podcast and at our events, too. Ndidi Nwuneli, the President and CEO of the ONE Campaign, talked about how important women are not just on farms but as chefs and storytellers and business leaders, too. Mariangela Hungria, the 2025 World Food Prize Laureate, explained why “the science of the future will be a female science.”

And as we’ve turned the stage over to farmers for evenings of authentic storytelling, we’ve heard heartwarming and motivating stories—like at Climate Week NYC last year, when we heard personal tales from folks like Karen Washington and Sea Matías.

When we talk about a sustainable, resilient, nourishing future for the food system, we need to be talking about gender equity! And trust me, I could go on forever sharing stories from women who are leading the way. For now, I hope you’ll take time to dive deeper into the conversations I’ve linked throughout this newsletter, and find even more over on our Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg podcast feed and on our YouTube channel.

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 Gatete Pacifique, Wikimedia Commons

The post These Stories Prove How Inspiring Women Are Leading Food System Transformation appeared first on Food Tank.

Here at Food Tank, we talk a lot about the power of optimism and community solidarity to combat feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. And these are not abstract conversations! On the ground around the world, true food system transformation starts with local success stories like the one I want to share with you today.

Over the past couple years, Kenya has celebrated a number of local agroecology wins that can illuminate the path forward for countries around the globe.

The story starts in Murang’a County, a predominantly agricultural county in south-central Kenya. In 2022, leaders there passed the Agroecology Development Act and enacted a 10-year agroecology policy. The legislation was the first of its kind in the country—and was a powerful recognition of the transformative effects of agroecology, from food systems to climate resilience to youth empowerment to Indigenous food sovereignty.

Since then, momentum has grown! Last year, four more counties launched their own agroecology policies, and five more have advance legislation in the works with support from organizations like the Participatory Ecological Land Use Management Association (PELUM).

PELUM is a network of civil society organizations working with small-scale farmers in East, Central, and Southern Africa to strengthen agroecology through policy work, network capacity development, knowledge sharing, and more.

“Agroecology has been feeding the world and will continue to feed the world,” Rosinah Mbenya, the Country Coordinator for PELUM Kenya, told me on the Food Talk podcast this week.

And national leaders have taken notice, too. In 2024, Kenya adopted the National Agroecology Strategy for Food System Transformation, which aims to promote a sustainable transformation of Kenya’s food and agriculture systems to build nutrition security, climate-safe livelihoods, and social inclusion. By integrating and coordinating local approaches at the national level, the Strategy is helping Kenya bring about more resilient, long-lasting change than county-level governments alone could.

Agroecology is “a practice, a science, and a social movement,” Million Belay, General Coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, tells Food Tank.

And as Rosinah explained on Food Talk this week, other legal wins in Kenya have helped build a brighter food system. A recent court decision affirmed farmers’ right to save, share, and exchange seeds—which had not always been guaranteed, she said. And last summer, Kenyan policymakers banned more than 75 pesticides and tightened restrictions on hundreds more that are linked with health complications and climate impacts.

“Agroecology builds resilience,” she said. “In Africa, we need solutions that enable the community to be adaptive to climate change.”

But investment is still lagging far behind, she said. The public demand and policy frameworks are falling into place, and it’s time for the private sector to step up and scale up agroecology.

“There is a lot of work that needs to go into capacity-building,” she said, but without investments into landscape transformation, youth- and women-focused initiatives, and other on-the-ground efforts, “there’s usually that gap. But I’m looking forward to seeing more investments so that we can have increased financing and attention.”

I hope you’ll take a moment to listen to my whole conversation with Rosinah Mbenya of PELUM Kenya on Food Talk by clicking here.

Rosinah reminded me that local steps matter toward building a better food system for the next generation! Making a change in your neighborhood, in your city, or in your county can have much wider ripple effects across your entire country or even continent. I hope you’ll keep the momentum going by sharing grassroots progress in your 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 McKay Savage, Unsplash

The post The Local Step that Changed an Entire Country’s Approach to Agroecology appeared first on Food Tank.

Next week, I’ll be writing to you from Australia.

Australia—like everywhere on this planet—is beautiful and complicated. It’s one of the most biodiversity-rich countries in the world, from the arid Outback to tropical urban coastlines to temperate rainforests in Tasmania. At the same time, also like many other nearby South Pacific island nations, Australia is experiencing the effects of the climate crisis particularly acutely.

Nine out of the country’s 10 warmest years on record have taken place within the past two decades. As sea levels rise, more than 1.5 million Australians are at risk. And severe weather events are becoming much more devastating: The summer bushfire season, which peaked last month, was the worst in more than five years and burned around 1 million acres (400,000 hectares).

It’s also a place where people struggle to afford food. The country’s official Bureau of Statistics reports that 1 out of every 8 Australian households is food-insecure, but organizations like OzHarvest say it’s actually closer to a staggering 1 in 3 households.

But here’s what gives me hope: In the face of these cascading crises of food insecurity, climate change, and land degradation, Australia is showing how farmers and ag system leaders can be key players in building more resilient food and climate systems!

This year, Australia is stepping up in a big way on the global stage as the country prepares to lead negotiations at COP 31, the United Nations climate change conference in Turkey, this fall. And on the ground, sustainability work has long been deeply engrained: The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), for example, has worked since 1965 to push governments and businesses to not only protect but also regenerate the country’s wildlife and natural resources—and to support farmers doing the right thing.

“Australian farmers care for over half the country’s land, nurturing some of the richest ecosystems on this incredibly biodiverse continent,” Nathaniel Pelle, the Business and Nature Lead at ACF, told Food Tank. “It makes sense for a conservation organisation like ACF to work with farmers who are producing food in harmony with nature—we know we can’t fix our climate nature crisis without farmers.”

And because some 22 percent of food waste in Australia originates on farms, we need farmers on the front lines of building food security, too. Every week, the organization OzHarvest saves over 250 tonnes of good food from over 2,600 food donors and delivers it directly to more than 1,500 charities. Agriculture, the organization has said, is “largely untapped for food rescue.”

“We have forgotten how to value our farmers and the effort it takes to grow food,” Ronni Kahn, the Founder and Visionary in Residence of OzHarvest, told me on the Food Talk podcast.

Uplifting the voices of farmers—giving farmers the microphone to tell their own authentic stories—is itself a food system intervention! As Pelle put it: “With smart, sustainable practices, and the community’s support, farmers can heal damaged land, restore soil health, lock away carbon, and help create a food system that works for people and nature.”

Next week, on the opening night of Adelaide Fringe, Food Tank is presenting “Voices of Australian Farmers: A Love Story,” with our partners OzHarvest, Woolworths, Aquna Murray Cod, and the Australian Conservation Foundation. We’re so excited to celebrate Australian farmers as the kickoff to the world’s second-largest annual theater festival—and we’re thrilled to announce that the evening’s special celebrity guest host is none other than the renowned actress, director, and regenerative farmer Rachel Ward.

For the evening, we’re handing the stage over to mushroom farmer Georgia Beattie; cod aquaculturist Mat Ryan; poultry and beef farmer Hannah Greenshields; Ngarrindjeri Elder and pipi harvester Derek Walker; grain farmer Matthew Haggerty. We believe deeply in the power of bringing artists and farmers together for deeper collaborations like this, so we’re grateful for an amazing creative team including director Shannon Rush, the Artistic Associate at State Theatre Company South Australia; producer Isabella Strada; and musician Jamie Hornsby.

If you’re in the Adelaide area and want to join us, be sure to grab a ticket before they sell out! Public tickets are HERE, but as a Food Tanker, you can CLICK HERE to reserve a free spot as our special guest.

Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you at another “Voices of Farmers” event! Within just the next few months, we’re visiting Dublin, Ireland; Austin, Texas, during SXSW (find info and access free tickets HERE); Boston, Massachusetts; and more.

In Australia just as in each of your home communities, it’s the wisdom of farmers that can help solve our most pressing challenges!

Hearing farmers’ stories firsthand—listening as they describe the love they have for the land, for their animals, for the food they produce—is incredibly powerful. I’m moved to tears and filled with hope by these folks who literally embody resilience in the face of the climate crisis.

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 Jeff Muir, Unsplash

The post In Australia, Farmers Lead the Way to a More Resilient Food System appeared first on Food Tank.

I always love hearing food stories—I’m a food systems nerd, after all!—but I especially love it when farmers, fishers, and other folks on the front lines of our food system have platforms to share their own stories themselves.

A highlight of Food Tank’s recent Summits has been “Voices of Farmers,” where we’ve handed over the stage to farmers for an evening of authentic storytelling. In a couple weeks, we’ll be hosting these storytelling events in Dublin, Ireland (more info HERE), and in Adelaide, Australia (more info HERE), too.

Storytelling is at the heart of food sovereignty! This is why I’m inspired by the books on Food Tank’s winter reading list.

In the powerful book Eating Behind Bars: Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison, we read firsthand accounts of nutrient-poor meals, privatized food contracts, and systemic neglect in the carceral system—and explore emerging efforts to bring accountability and care back into prison food systems.

Samin Nosrat, in Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love, brings us a joyful guide to using our ordinary ingredients to connect with others. And in her bestselling memoir Accidentally on Purpose, Top Chef winner and host Kristen Kish tells stories of her childhood as an adoptee, her career in the kitchen, and navigating missteps on the way to finding her voice.

Several titles on this list tell stories of specific ingredients and crops themselves, too, from breadfruit trees across continents as an embodiment of resilience to the ways macaroni and cheese intersects with social movements from 1700s English sophisticates to the American Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century.

Here are the books we’re reading this winter, in alphabetical order:

Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish

Al Dente: A History of Food in Italy by Fabio Parasecoli

Breadfruit: Three Global Journeys of a Bountiful Tree by Russell Fielding

Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly by Hannah Selinger

Dark Laboratory: How Colonialism Shaped the Climate Crisis by Tao Leigh Goffe

Eating Behind Bars: Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison by Leslie Soble with Alex Busansky and Aishatu R. Yusuf, based on research by Impact Justice

Food Fight: Misguided Policies, Supply Challenges, and the Impending Struggle to Feed a Hungry World by Richard Sexton

Food Intelligence: The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us by Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall, PhD

Food Justice Undone: Lessons for Building a Better Movement by Hanna Garth

Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand by Jeff Chu

Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love: A Cookbook by Samin Nosrat

Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity’s Favorite Food by Bruce Friedrich

Native Food Plants of Texas: an Austin Forager’s Guide Based on Indigenous Knowledge by Cyrus Harp

Reclaiming the Black Body: Nourishing the Home Within by Alishia McCullough

Revolutionary Science: The Struggle for Agroecology in the Americas by Bruce Jennings (forthcoming March 2026)

The Almond Paradox: Cracking Open the Politics of What Plants Need by Emily Reisman

The Bottomless Cup by Kevin Boehm

The Chesapeake Table: Your Guide to Eating Local by Renee Brooks Catacalos

The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese: From Ancient Rome to Modern America by Karima Moyer-Nocchi

Will This Make You Happy by Tanya Bush

You can check out more details about all these books by CLICKING HERE.

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 Alireza Attari, Unsplash

The post Putting Storytelling at the Heart of Food Sovereignty appeared first on Food Tank.

I’m writing to you broken-hearted and outraged—again—after United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents killed another person in Minnesota last weekend.

Let’s be clear: We, as a nation, cannot stand for the murder of innocent people, the disappearing of immigrants, the shooting of nurses and poets, and kidnapping of children. What kind of Americans are we—what kind of people are we—if we allow this to continue?

Wherever we live, we must stand up. We must speak out. Here are some starting points.

Make sure your elected officials know where you stand. CLICK HERE to find contact info for the policymakers who represent you, and make it clear that federal agents cannot continue to threaten people’s lives and livelihoods.

Give to food banks and other mutual aid efforts. If you can donate food, bring groceries or meals to those who don’t feel safe leaving the house. If you can donate money, find local food banks and grassroots nonprofits doing this work. Via Feeding America, HERE is a searchable guide to food banks in your area. The site standwithminnesota.com is an incredibly thorough guide to the kinds of social justice organizations you can search for in your own communities.

Donate to organizations offering legal help. Nationally, organizations like the ACLU and the National Immigrant Justice Center are working to help defend immigrants’ rights, and you can use the National Immigration Legal Services Directory to find local pro-bono resources that could benefit from donations.

Support restaurants who are stepping up. This is a difficult moment for the food system. Immigrant-owned restaurants are struggling, and there are plenty of restaurants that are stepping up. In Minneapolis, one brunch spot turned into a makeshift field hospital; others are offering free soup, coffee, and warmth. To support these restaurants: Besides visiting for dinner, you can also buy gift cards and merch to help them continue to keep the doors open, pay their staff, and share culture on a plate.

Attend a bystander training. Learn how to stand up for human rights every day in safe and effective ways with best practices from organizations like Right To Be at a national level, or from local response organizations in your community, like Monarca in Minnesota.

We all have the responsibility to push back against the destruction and intimidation that anti-immigrant policy brings to communities around the country. From Minneapolis to worldwide, it’s inspiring to see how collective action and community organizing are tangibly building a society rooted in kindness, equity, and health.

When our voices join together, we speak louder. When we stand together, we move more forcefully. When we eat together, we deepen our relationships. When we link arms with our neighbors and protect one another, we build justice.

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 Myotis, Wikimedia Commons

The post No More Targeting Immigrants, Killing Nurses and Poets, and Intimidating Communities appeared first on Food Tank.

The co-op is an incredibly powerful model: The women can sell their coffee directly to coffee shops, rather than having to go through middle-men. They’re involved in every part of the supply chain, from planting to harvesting to roasting to selling—which gives them influence and access to resources that are sadly not always afforded to women farmers.

I asked the women of ADAT what advice they had for other women farmers around the world.

“Cada paso que damos abre una puerta para otra mujer. Organizarnos nos ayudó mejorar nuestro producto, para tener la mejor calidad; pero sin las herramientas necesarias no llegaríamos lejos. Hoy sabemos que las mujeres merecemos participar y aprender en toda la cadena: desde sembrar hasta comercializar. Queremos que nuestro café sea reconocido a nivel internacional—Café de la Mata—a la taza, café de la sierra de los Cuchumatanes Guatemala con rostro de mujer.”

“Every step we take opens a door for another woman,” said group members, initially in the Spanish above, after holding a workshop to communally phrase their advice. “Organizing ourselves helped us improve our product, to have the best quality; but without the necessary tools, we would not get far. Today we know that women deserve to participate and learn throughout the chain: from planting to marketing. We want our coffee to be recognized internationally—Café de la Mata—in your cup, coffee from the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes in Guatemala, with a woman’s face.”

This focus on organizing and collaboration, the women told me, is how they’re able to participate so meaningfully in each step of the coffee value chain. For example, they’re working with a youth-focused organization to learn coffee roasting. They collaborate with an organization CARE Guatemala to help “transform the coffee value chain by positioning women producers as key actors in production, transformation, and commercialization processes.”

But these farmers and other women across Guatemala continue to face significant challenges. About 2.6 million Guatemalans experience high levels of acute food insecurity. Seven out of 10 people in poverty live in rural agricultural areas, but their subsistence farming is jeopardized since Guatemala is one of the top ten countries in the world most vulnerable to climate change.

And sweeping cuts to global foreign aid programs like USAID are making things even more precarious. Take CARE, for example: The organization has existed since 1959 to address economic disparities, gender equity and safety, and inclusive sustainability. But the dismantling of USAID threatens CARE’s ability to continue supporting changemakers like the women of ADAT, and has also severely restricted CARE’s work on gender-based violence and reproductive healthcare rights—affecting not just farmers but all women everywhere.

Empowering women is the solution to building a nourished, resilient planet!

When women have equitable access to financial resources—as I heard firsthand from women farmers in ADAT—they not only improve their own lives and livelihoods but become better equipped to nourish their entire communities, too.

Now is the time to rally behind the women farmers all across the globe who fuel our food and agriculture systems!

This year, 2026, is the International Year of the Woman Farmer. The FAO has plenty of recommendations for policymakers, business leaders, academics, and investors to take action—and citizen eaters and Food Tankers also have vital roles to play.

Let’s prioritize buying ingredients from women farmers, producers, and cooperative networks. Let’s visit women-led local markets; let’s support labor unions and other collective action for gender rights; and let’s mentor the next generation of women food system leaders. In short: Let’s use the International Year of the Woman Farmer as an opportunity to recommit ourselves to taking steps that, to paraphrase the women of ADAT, open the door to a more locally rooted, equitable future of food sovereignty.

In the meantime, I plan to continue to share insights from my ground-truthing in Guatemala, so stay tuned for more installments of our “On the Ground with Dani Nierenberg” series. A big thanks to CARE Guatemala for hosting me.

Before another ground-truthing trip last summer, in Ethiopia, I encouraged Food Tankers to spend some time ground-truthing in our own 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 Shelby Murphy Figueroa, Unsplash

The post For Women Farmers in Guatemala and Worldwide, ‘Every Step We Take Opens a Door’ appeared first on Food Tank.

Transforming the food system is about more than just what’s on our plates—it’s about building a society rooted in sustainable agriculture, worker justice, local culture, and accessible diets that nourish and heal us. In short, telling stories of food means telling stories of people.

This is what Food Tank is planning to do next week during Sundance. At our annual All Things Food and Environment Summit, on Saturday, Jan. 24, in Park City, UT, we’re planning an amazing lineup that connects the dots between media storytelling, visionary changemakers on the ground, and cultural leaders who are inspiring us to move forward.

Following a screening of documentary Food 2050, by The Rockefeller Foundation and Media RED, we are convening a fireside reflection with Jian Yi, Mama’s Kitchen; Sara Farley, The Rockefeller Foundation; David Osogo, African Population and Health Research Center; Matthew Thompson, the Director of Food 2050; and more to be announced. Then, a reception will be introduced by Chef Bleu Adams of Indigihub, and cocktails will be available from our partners at Wheyward Spirits.

Then, we’ll present “Voices of Farmers: Growing the Future” in partnership with Niman Ranch, handing the stage over to farmers from around the world for an evening of authentic storytelling. Hosted by a surprise celebrity emcee, we’ll hear from folks including Elle Gadient, a fifth-generation Iowa hog and cattle farmer; Lynsey Gammon of Gracie’s Farm in Utah; Albert Betoudji, a New Roots immigrant farmer in Utah; Paula Swaner Sargetakis of Frog Bench Farms, an urban farm in Salt Lake City; David Chen of Zoe’s Garden in Utah; AJ Kanip of Ute Tribal Enterprises; Hannah Greenshields of The Food Farm on the NSW Central Coast in Australia; David Moscow, Actor, Creator, Host, and Author, “From Scratch”; and Dr. Lisbeth Louderback, Natural History Museum of Utah.

If you’re in Utah, you can find more information about how to join us by CLICKING HERE.

And for Food Tankers around the world who might not be able to join us in person, I encourage and challenge you to make next Saturday, Jan. 24, a day of food system and people-centric storytelling in your own communities!

There’s no shortage of topics to explore. For starters, you can read and watch more about each of the visionaries featured in the Food 2050 documentary HERE.

Or take a moment to head to your local bookstore to grab one of the titles on our most recent reading list, ranging from personal histories to broader cultural analyses.

You can explore how supermarkets shape eaters and the planet in the PBS episode “Shelf Life,” or tune in to chef and creator Brad Leone’s YouTube series “Local Legends,” focusing on sustainable food and community-driven resilience. Or, check out these 18 eye-opening documentaries exploring inspiring efforts of farmers and advocates around the globe.

And finally, I want to make one thing clear: Food Tank stands firmly with all immigrants seeking better lives for themselves and their families through the food system. It has been sickening to witness the intimidation and violence that the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has brought to U.S. cities, including the unjustified murder of poet, wife, and mother Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Every person deserves a life free from violence, free from intimidation and discrimination and dehumanization, wherever they were born and wherever they live.

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 Marc Fanelli Isla, Unsplash

The post Join Us for a Day of People-Centered Food System Storytelling! appeared first on Food Tank.

I want to challenge us to think big as we start this year and beyond. What are the commitments we want to make not just in 2026 but, say, by 2050?

This is why I’m so inspired by the 10 initiatives named Top Food System Visionaries in a global US$2 million challenge, which are now being spotlighted in the documentary Food 2050 by The Rockefeller Foundation and Media RED.

With the challenges our world is facing, “somewhere we have to give ourselves the oxygen to keep going. And hope is what gives you that,” Sara Farley, Vice President of the Global Food Portfolio at The Rockefeller Foundation, told me on this week’s episode of Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg.

From the stories of these 10 food system visionaries, she hopes folks come away with “hope, hope, and a side order of hope.”

More than 1,300 proposals were submitted when the Food System Vision Prize launched in 2019. The 10 finalists participated in an accelerator program with focused mentorship, implementation support from a variety of stakeholders, and a US$200,000 investment each.

And the documentary follows these activists, scientists, agriculturalists, and entrepreneurs—across five continents and eight countries—who are pioneering solutions to challenges ranging from climate change and soil degradation to food access and nutritional quality.

In Kenya, the vision “A Place of Cool Waters,” led by scientist Dr. Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, is bolstering grassroots organizations to rethink food production and access in rapidly urbanizing areas, with a particular focus on a “right to food movement” in Kenya.

In the Netherlands, researchers Evelien de Olde and Dr. Imke de Boer envision “Re-rooting the Dutch Food System,” which is helping reposition the country’s agriculture system on the cutting edge of the shift toward circular food systems that work with natural processes rather than against them.

In Perú, the organization Lima 2035 is building a holistic three-innovation strategy—equitable water access, local food sovereignty, and reactivating ancient food cultural values—that’s a blueprint for how community-led food leadership can transform cities facing deep inequality.

In the U.S., on the Rosebud Reservation that is home to the Sicáŋğu Lak̇óta people in South Dakota, the 7Gen plan is building Indigenous food sovereignty to not only transform individual lives but community health and climate systems, too. And in New York’s Hudson Valley, Stone Barns is working to catalyze a future where food quality, regional cuisine, and human connection to the land are at the heart of agriculture.

In India, Arakunomics seeks to empower local communities to ensure fair wages for farmers and end nutrition insecurity, and Eat Right educates and empowers the country’s 1.4 billion consumers to choose safer and healthier foods. In Nigeria, FoodNerve is using technology like solar panels and online platforms to nourish a rapidly growing population the traditional agricultural system is not equipped for. In China, Mama’s Kitchen reimagines the modern diet for a plant-forward future where sustainability and public health are prioritized. In Canada, the collective kwayeskastasowin wâhkôhtowin is decolonizing the food system through Indigenous food sovereignty work and youth education.

In a series on Food Tank, we’re spotlighting how these organizations have been able to move these visions forward. CLICK HERE to learn more about how these global initiatives are transforming the way we’ll feed a growing global population in nourishing, regenerative and equitable ways!

On January 14, Food Tank will be in Los Angeles to co-host a premiere screening of Food 2050. Along with special panel discussions, The Rockefeller Foundation and Media RED are also presenting the special Food 2050 Global Humanitarian Achievement Award to Viola Davis, the Emmy-, Grammy-, Oscar-, and Tony Award-winning actress who narrates the documentary.

We are also excited to be screening the documentary at our upcoming Summit, “All Things Food and Environment,” during Sundance in Park City, Utah.

Let’s recommit ourselves to ambitious, long-term steps that can make our visions of a better food system come true!

As Sara Farley told me, “We have our ideas, we have our strategies—and we need a mechanism to really hear what it is the future could be… If we don’t visualize it, if we don’t dream it, it certainly is not going to happen accidentally.”

Watch or listen to the full conversation with Sara Farley to hear more about the intentionality and hope that’s needed to build the future we want to see, food as a connector and act of love, and the idea that “systems change isn’t so complicated that it’s impossible.”

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 From 2026 To 2050 And Beyond, These 10 Visionaries Are Changing The World Through Food appeared first on Food Tank.

The global food and agriculture landscape looks very different than it did this time last year.

In January, the Trump-Vance Administration acted quickly to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, cancelling life-saving food aid and health programs around the world.

In the following months, I have spent time during my travels to meet with farmers, researchers, and community leaders, beginning to understand what this all means for agricultural communities. What I’m hearing is alarming.

In Ethiopia, I spoke with an NGO leader called the impact “immediate and disastrous.” Their organization laid off nearly two dozen staff, canceled two major projects focused on women’s nutrition and healthy behaviors, and lost about US$1 million in funding.

In Guatemala, the organization CARE has had to lay off more than 20 staff and cut programs that helped women impacted by domestic violence. CARE staff members have also had to reduce the number of women’s farmers groups they were working with—and staff told me that the news hit the farmers very hard and they had a difficult time understanding why the U.S. would pull funding so abruptly.

The disruptions like these will cost human lives—they already are. Modeling from Boston University shows that funding cuts are already contributing to the deaths of close to 700,000 people, including more than 450,000 children, due to malnutrition and infectious diseases. By 2030, we may see as many as 14 million people die whose lives could have otherwise been saved, a study published in The Lancet reveals.

The cruelty doesn’t stop when you get to the U.S. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, an estimated 15 million will lose health coverage by 2034 following the passage of the tax and spending bill this summer. And more than 3 million people are at risk of losing some or all of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Crystal FitzSimons, President of the Food Research & Action Center calls these cuts “bad for families, bad for businesses, and bad for the economy as a whole.”

The ripple effects are likely to be as significant as FitzSimons suggests. One study from the George Washington University estimates that we may see 1 million jobs lost and a reduction totaling US$113 billion in states’ GDPs next year.

What’s happening now is only the beginning. We will not know the full consequences of these changes for years, even generations, to come.

What I do know is that we need new solutions, new ways of thinking and doing. Some friends and allies in this space have called this moment an opportunity. But I don’t see it that way. I want to be clear that we are adapting because we’re forced to.

Food Tank and the Global Food Institute at GW launched our “Growing Forward” series at the start of the year to spotlight the innovative solutions that will help us tackle the most pressing challenges in our food and agriculture systems. I always understood that they would be needed—I just couldn’t have predicted how urgent they would become.

The World Bank is demonstrating the power of new tools that will help us monitor and better respond to global hunger crises. The University of the District of Columbia is showing us how we can equip community leaders with the knowledge they need to scale urban agroecology to feed cities and build climate resilience. And medical professionals like Kofi Essel are illuminating the benefits we can unlock if we fully integrate food into our healthcare systems.

I’m also excited by organizations like the Food Security Leadership Council, launched this year to align American policy, science, and action to solve global hunger. “I don’t want this government to lose the partnerships that we’ve developed with other countries,” Fowler told me during a recent conversation. Protecting those relationships will be essential. 

And just last month at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Brazil, we saw several new initiatives announced, like the Food Waste Breakthrough. Led by the U.N. Environment Programme, new funds are being invested to unite governments, cities, and civil society to halve food waste by 2030. 

The uncertainty we have faced in the last 12 months is not going away, and if we’re going to be prepared for the future, these are the types of solutions we need. If we can lean into them, we can collectively forge a future that is built on care, solidarity, and shared responsibility. Now we need the will to act. 

Photo courtesy of German Fon Brox, Unsplash

The post The Path Forward for Food and Farming Is Clear. Now Is the Time to Act! appeared first on Food Tank.

2025 was a year marked by immense uncertainty. Cuts to nutrition assistance and climate smart agriculture programs in the United States, the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and declining Official Development Assistance from countries including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have raised hard questions about what the future holds.

But around the world there is so much resilience and excitement as organizations prove food and agriculture systems can be a solution to our most pressing social and environmental challenges. They are establishing models that nourish children and support local farmers. They are creating more opportunities for women and young farmers to become leaders in their communities. And they are cultivating new and innovative partnerships to fund and scale the solutions already working on the ground.

As we enter 2026, here are 126 organizations and initiatives to learn about, engage with, and support as they work to build a more equitable, regenerative, and delicious future.

1. African Population & Health Research Centre, Kenya

APHRC is an African-founded, African-led research-to-policy institution driving evidence-informed decisions on health and development. Headquartered in Nairobi, they work across 35+ countries to strengthen African research leadership and advance sustainable progress across the continent. They are also behind the award-winning initiative Restoring Nairobi to “A Place of Cool Waters,” to transform Kenya’s capital into a greener, food secure city.

2. Agroecology Fund, International

Since 2011, the Agroecology Fund has pooled resources to strengthen grassroots agroecology movements advancing fair, biodiverse, climate-resilient food systems. Guided by civil society advisors, it supports community-led organizing, learning, and policy advocacy. With US$41 million granted in 100+ countries, the Fund helps build food systems where producers and consumers govern locally—and where agroecology, not industrial agriculture, shapes a just future for people and planet.

3. AKADEMIYA2063, Africa

AKADEMIYA2063 equips African governments with the data, analysis, and technical capacity needed to achieve Agenda 2063’s vision of prosperity and sustainability. Based in Rwanda with a regional office in Senegal, it leads core initiatives to strengthen knowledge systems, empower African experts, and accelerate evidence-based agricultural transformation across the continent. Together with GAIN, they recently launched a toolkit to help governments align policies across sectors to accelerate food systems transformation.

4. Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), Africa

AFSA unites a powerful network of 48 member alliances across 50 countries working to secure food sovereignty rooted in agroecology, traditional knowledge, and community rights. Representing small-scale food producers, Indigenous Peoples, and environmental defenders, AFSA amplifies African-driven solutions and resists industrial agriculture that threatens land, culture, and biodiversity—mobilizing a strong, unified voice for just and resilient food systems.

5. American Farmland Trust (AFT), United States

American Farmland Trust is safeguarding the future of U.S. agriculture by protecting farmland, restoring soil health, and keeping farmers on the land. From advancing smart land-use policies to supporting new generations of producers, AFT links food, climate resilience, and rural prosperity. Amid rapid land loss, AFT’s No Farms No Food message continues to spotlight farmland as the foundation of our food system.

6. Annie’s Project, United States

Annie’s Project empowers women farmers, ranchers, and growers with the business skills and confidence needed to lead thriving agricultural operations. Through peer networks, practical training, and locally tailored learning environments, participants strengthen decision-making across financial, legal, and risk-management challenges. Honoring a legacy of women as equal partners on the land, Annie’s Project is helping shape stronger farms, families, and communities.

7. Aragón Agri-Food Institute, Europe

Based at the Aula Dei research campus in Spain, CITA drives scientific innovation to strengthen sustainable agriculture, forestry, and rural economies. Its teams advance agroecology, climate resilience, and the bio- and circular economy through collaborative research and living labs. From conserving genetic resources to improving livestock and plant systems, CITA helps shape a more competitive and sustainable agrifood sector across Europe.

8. Arrell Food Institute, Canada

Based at the University of Guelph, the Arrell Food Institute connects scientists, policymakers, industry, and communities to advance sustainable, equitable food systems. Its work spans reducing waste in supply chains, supporting climate-smart production, and improving nutrition access. Through initiatives like ag-tech innovation and net-zero food system challenges, AFI helps Canada lead in resilient food futures.

9. Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), Asia

AFA unites small-scale farmers, fishers, Indigenous Peoples, and pastoralists across Asia to advance food sovereignty and resilient rural livelihoods. Through advocacy, cooperative development, youth engagement, and farmer-to-farmer learning, AFA strengthens secure land rights and agroecological production. With members in 20+ countries, the alliance amplifies community voices in policies that shape a just farming future for the region.

10. Australian Conservation Foundation, Australia

For nearly 60 years, the Australian Conservation Foundation has mobilized people across the country to protect wildlife, forests, rivers, and reefs. From securing World Heritage protection for the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu to advancing clean energy and stronger nature laws, ACF challenges harmful industries and empowers communities—driving bold action so nature and people can thrive together in Australia’s future.

11. Agroecology & Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA), Australia

AFSA is a farmer-led alliance working to democratize Australia’s food system through agroecology, land justice, and First Peoples’ sovereignty. From legal support for smallholders to campaigning for scale-appropriate regulation and local processing infrastructure, AFSA empowers producers and communities to reclaim control of food and land. Connected to La Via Campesina, the Alliance drives policy reform and grassroots solutions for just, local, climate-resilient food systems.

12. Better Food Future, International

Better Food Future brings industry, government, and civil society together to build resilient, transparent, and climate-smart food systems. By aligning sustainability goals with global data standards, the initiative strengthens traceability in seafood and cattle, expands fair market access for small-scale producers, and eliminates deforestation from supply chains—driving measurable progress and shared prosperity from source to shelf.

13. Black Feminist Project, United States

The Black Feminist Project advances food and reproductive justice for Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people in the South Bronx. Through Black Joy Farm, sliding-scale community meals, and youth programs like Guerrilla Girls and Sis, Do You!, the organization combats food apartheid, builds leadership, and cultivates joy and autonomy—placing MaGes and mother-led families at the center of community power.

14. Broadway Green Alliance, United States

The Broadway Green Alliance mobilizes theatre-makers and audiences to shrink the industry’s environmental footprint—from switching 100,000 marquee bulbs to efficient LEDs to diverting tons of textiles and electronics from landfills. With 1,600+ Green Captains on Broadway and campuses nationwide, BGA equips artists with practical sustainability tools and uses the power of storytelling to inspire climate-positive action.

15. Buğday Association, Turkey

Born from a grassroots ecological movement in the 1990s, Buğday Association works to build a culture of ecological living in Turkey. Through projects spanning seed exchange, pesticide-free farming, composting, agroecology education, and Turkey’s 100 percent Ecological Markets, Buğday strengthens links between rural producers and urban consumers while championing nature-friendly production and traditional knowledge.

16. C40 Food Systems, International

Part of a global network of 97 cities, C40 Food Systems helps mayors transform urban food into a powerful climate solution. The program supports cities to cut emissions from production to waste, improve food access and nutrition, and build resilience through circular, plant-forward, and equitable food policies—advancing a fair, green transition that protects people and the planet.

17. CARE International, International and CARE USA, United States

For 80 years, CARE has worked alongside communities to confront crises, defeat poverty, and advance dignity. Centering women and girls, CARE delivers lifesaving assistance, strengthens local leadership, and drives long-term change—from emergency response and food security to health, education, and economic opportunity. In 2024, CARE and partners reached 58.7 million people across 121 countries, proving that hope and equality can thrive even in the hardest places.

18. CGIAR, International

CGIAR is a global research partnership transforming food, land, and water systems through science and innovation. Its network includes the Africa Rice Center, CIFOR, CIMMYT, ICARDA, ICRISAT, IFPRI, IITA, ILRI, CIP, IRRI, IWMI, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, ICRAF, and WorldFish. Together, these centers advance climate-resilient crops, equitable food policies, regenerative land management, and sustainable aquatic and livestock systems—delivering research and partnerships that strengthen nutrition, farmer livelihoods, and environmental stewardship worldwide.

19. CORAF, West and Central Africa

CORAF unites the agricultural research systems of 23 countries to drive innovation, boost productivity, and strengthen food and nutrition security across West and Central Africa. Through regional centers of excellence, technology scaling, market access initiatives, and policy support, CORAF helps family farmers adopt climate-smart solutions and fosters a future where communities prosper through resilient, competitive, and sustainable agriculture.

20. Charlie Cart Project, United States

With its mobile kitchen classrooms, the Charlie Cart Project brings hands-on food education directly into schools, libraries, and community centers. Their integrated curriculum helps children and adults learn cooking skills, nutrition basics, and the origins of their food. In the last decade, they have reached over 500,000 children and families through our 500 community partners across the country.

21. City Harvest, United States

For more than 40 years, City Harvest has led the food-rescue movement in New York City—recovering over 86 million pounds of surplus food each year and delivering it, free of charge, to 400 pantries, soup kitchens, and Mobile Markets® across all five boroughs. With a focus on fresh produce, culturally responsive foods, nutrition education, and community partnerships, City Harvest fights hunger, reduces waste, and strengthens local food systems so every New Yorker can thrive.

22. Climate Group, International

Climate Group accelerates urgent climate action by mobilizing powerful networks of 500+ multinational companies and 180+ state and regional governments. Working across high-emitting systems—energy, transport, heavy industry, and food—it drives commitments, enforces accountability, and turns ambition into measurable progress. Its global collaborations push organizations to act now and help steer the world toward net-zero by 2050.

23. Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), United States

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a worker-led human rights organization transforming U.S. agriculture through organizing, enforcement, and consumer power. Since 1993, CIW has exposed and helped prosecute major forced-labor rings, liberated over 1,200 workers, and pioneered the Fair Food Program—a worker-driven model that raises wages, prevents abuse, and sets enforceable standards across farms in multiple states and crops.

24. Conflict Cuisine Project, International 

The Conflict Cuisine Project explores the deep links between food and war, using culinary traditions as a lens to understand conflict, diaspora, and peacebuilding. Through gastrodiplomacy, education programs, and collaborations with chefs and policymakers, the project shows how recipes, foodways, and shared meals can foster dialogue, integration, and a more nuanced understanding of global insecurity.

25. Community Kitchen, United States

Community Kitchen is a pilot sliding-scale restaurant at the Lower Eastside Girls Club, where chef Mavis-Jay Sanders serves multi-course, locally sourced, plant-forward dinners priced at US$15, US$45, or US$125 based on income and wealth—no questions asked. Co-founded with Mark Bittman, the project aims to prove that dignified, high-quality dining can be accessible, community-centered, and a model for policy change.

26. Crop Trust, International

The Crop Trust safeguards the world’s crop diversity by funding and strengthening genebanks and backing global seed reserves like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Its Food Forever strategy aims to permanently secure key collections and make them more accessible to researchers and farmers. Through long-term partnerships, technical support, and capacity building, the organization helps ensure agriculture can adapt to climate, conflict, and biodiversity loss.

27. Culinary Institute of America, United States

The Culinary Institute of America prepares future food leaders through its longstanding commitment to excellence, research, and innovation. CIA co-founded and leads the  Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, a worldwide partnership of universities leveraging campus dining to study behavior change and bring plant-forward, climate-smart menu innovation into practice. 

28. Cultivemos Network, United States

Cultivemos—meaning “we cultivate”—links Northeast farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers to mental-health resources, culturally relevant support, and community-driven education. Through partnerships with Farm Aid and others, the network provides bilingual materials, resilience trainings, and a growing service-provider community designed to reduce stress, strengthen well-being, and ensure agricultural families can access the care they need.

29. Dion’s Chicago Dream, United States

Dion’s Chicago Dream advances health equity by redesigning food access through last-mile logistics. Founded in Englewood, the nonprofit delivers fresh, pre-measured produce directly to households through Dream Deliveries, community Dream Fridges, and networked Dream Vaults—collectively providing millions of pounds of healthy food. By pairing nutritional philanthropy with workforce development and neighborhood partnerships, the Dream builds community, stability, and hope across Chicago.

30. Edible Schoolyard Project, United States

The Edible Schoolyard Project, founded by Alice Waters in 1995, transforms public education by integrating organic gardens, kitchens, and cafeterias into academic learning. Its Berkeley demonstration site anchors a national movement where students cook, garden, and study food systems as part of their core curriculum. Through free classroom resources and the Alice Waters Institute, the organization advances edible education, climate action, and community well-being.

31. EAT, International

EAT works at the intersection of science, policy, business, and civil society to accelerate the shift toward healthy, fair, and sustainable food systems. Through science-based initiatives like the EAT–Lancet Commission report, global convenings such as the Stockholm Food Forum, and city-level efforts advancing the Planetary Health Diet, EAT works to transform evidence into collective action and partnerships that support people and the planet.

32. EiT Food, Europe 

EIT Food brings together innovators across Europe to accelerate the shift toward a healthier, more sustainable, and consumer-centered food system. Backed by the EU, it invests in research, education, entrepreneurship, and public engagement to advance three core missions—healthier diets, resilient and transparent supply chains, and a net-zero food system—linking startups, industry, and communities to drive system-wide change.

33. European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA), Europe

The European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA) is a farmer-led coalition advancing ecological, economic, and social regeneration across Europe’s agrifood system. Rooted in diverse farming contexts, EARA elevates farmer expertise in EU policy and builds broad alliances through its Regenerating Europe Tour—a series of strategic dialogues, farm visits, and workshops across Member States designed to accelerate a soil-centered, regenerative agricultural transition.

34. FAIRR Initiative, International

FAIRR is an investor network mobilizing more than US$90 trillion in assets to address the financial and systemic risks tied to intensive animal agriculture. Through rigorous research, company benchmarking, and coordinated investor engagement, FAIRR equips members to navigate climate, biodiversity, labor, and antimicrobial resistance risks while identifying opportunities across the protein value chain to accelerate a more sustainable and resilient global food system.

35. Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO (FLOC), United States

The Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO (FLOC) is a union and social movement advancing farmworkers’ rights across the Midwest and South. Founded in the 1960s by Baldemar Velásquez, FLOC pioneered tri-party bargaining—bringing corporations, growers, and workers to the same table—to secure fair wages, safer housing, and grievance protections, while mobilizing broad public support to shift power toward those who labor in the fields.

36. Feeding Change, United States

The Milken Institute’s Feeding Change program works to build a more nutritious, sustainable, equitable, and resilient food system by activating the necessary social and financial capital needed to drive this transformation. Some of their recent policy briefs and reports have called for employer-led nutrition strategies, expanded access to pharmacy-based care, and natural capital solutions. 

37. First Nations Development Institute, United States

First Nations Development Institute strengthens the economic, cultural, and ecological well-being of Native communities by supporting Tribal sovereignty and investing in Native-led solutions. Since 1980, its national grantmaking program has directed thousands of awards to projects advancing land stewardship, food systems, economic justice, and Native arts—reinforcing community assets, uplifting Indigenous knowledge, and sustaining self-determined futures across Tribal nations.

38. Food is Medicine Institute, United States

The Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts advances the integration of nutritious food into healthcare by generating evidence, training clinicians, and supporting patient care models such as medically tailored meals, groceries, and produce prescriptions. Through interdisciplinary research, policy analysis, and community partnerships, the Institute works to embed FIM into clinical systems, reduce health disparities, and strengthen a more equitable, prevention-focused healthcare system.

39. Food Recovery Network (FRN), United States

Food Recovery Network mobilizes thousands of student leaders, food businesses, and farms to keep surplus food out of landfills and redirect it to community organizations fighting hunger. Launched in 2011 at the University of Maryland, FRN now operates nearly 200 campus and community programs, recovering millions of pounds of fresh food and expanding local food access while reducing waste and emissions nationwide.

40. Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), United States

The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) advances policies that ensure every person in the U.S. can access nutritious food. Through research, advocacy, and support for a nationwide network of anti-hunger partners, FRAC strengthens federal nutrition programs, expands benefits, addresses racial inequities, and tackles the root causes of poverty-related hunger to build a healthier, more food-secure nation.

41. Food Security Leadership Council, International

The Food Security Leadership Council unites leaders from science, agriculture, industry, and global development to reimagine U.S. engagement in global food security. Guided by evidence and nonpartisan analysis, the Council elevates the impacts of U.S. policy, advances a strategic blueprint for international action, and convenes emerging leaders to address rising hunger driven by climate change, land degradation, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss.

42. Food Systems for the Future (FSF), International

Food Systems for the Future advances market-based, nutrition-focused solutions to build equitable and sustainable food systems. Led by Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, the organization works across the U.S. and Africa to expand access to affordable, diverse, and nourishing foods through policy engagement, research, coalition-building, and partnerships that strengthen local capacity and drive systemwide change toward a malnutrition-free world.

43. FreshRx Oklahoma, United States

FreshRx Oklahoma partners with local growers and clinicians to help North Tulsa residents manage Type II diabetes with nutrient-dense, regeneratively grown produce and yearlong support. Launched in 2021 after evidence showed food access was undermining diabetes care, the USDA-funded program provides biweekly produce, cooking and nutrition classes, and regular health screenings—advancing health equity through a Food is Medicine model rooted in community.

44. Friends of the Earth, International

Friends of the Earth mobilizes a nationwide network to advance bold, justice-centered environmental action. Since 1969, the organization has pushed for transformative policies that confront the climate and biodiversity crises head-on—rejecting half-measures, challenging corporate power, and championing systemic solutions. Through advocacy, coalition-building, and movement organizing, they work to protect people and the planet while building durable political power for long-term change.

45. Full Plates Full Potential, United States

Full Plates Full Potential works to end childhood food insecurity in Maine by strengthening and expanding the child nutrition programs that reach students every day. The organization helped lead the passage of School Meals for All and continues partnering with schools and communities to ensure every child has reliable access to nutritious meals that support learning, equity, and long-term well-being.

46. Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), International

GAIN works to improve access to nutritious, safe, and affordable food by transforming food systems alongside governments, businesses, and civil society. They focus on availability, affordability, desirability, and sustainability of healthy diets—especially for women, children, and other vulnerable groups—through programs that strengthen markets, advance fortification, shape policy, and expand nutrition-focused innovation worldwide.

47. Global Alliance for Latinos in Agriculture (GALA), International

GALA strengthens Latino farmers and ranchers worldwide through regenerative agriculture, conscious capitalism, and alignment with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. The organization advances youth leadership, digital and carbon-literacy training, and cross-cultural knowledge exchange to revitalize rural communities, foster family-farm prosperity, and build resilient, sustainability-driven agricultural livelihoods across generations.

48. Global Alliance for the Future of Food, International

The Global Alliance for the Future of Food is a coalition of philanthropic foundations working with partners worldwide to accelerate the transition to equitable, climate-resilient food systems. The Alliance advances systems-level solutions by convening diverse actors, generating evidence, and driving collaborative action toward food systems that uphold health, sustainability, and human rights for present and future generations.

49. Global Food Institute (GFI) at GW, United States

The Global Food Institute at George Washington University advances evidence-based solutions across policy, innovation, and community well-being to transform food systems. Through interdisciplinary research, teaching, and convenings, GFI links science to real-world action, shaping how food is grown, distributed, and experienced to improve human and planetary health.

50. Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming, United States

Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming advances a resilient regional food system by training the next generation of farmers, promoting regenerative practices, and strengthening fair, community-based markets. Working from the Hudson Valley and sharing lessons nationally, Glynwood aligns ecological stewardship with thriving local economies and equitable access to nutritious food. 

51. Gönül Mutfağı, Turkey

Launched by chefs Türev Uludağ and Ebru Baybara Demir, Gönül Mutfağı served over 17 million meals to earthquake survivors in 2023 through the work of 4,000 volunteers. The initiative strengthens long-term recovery by employing local residents through the From Soil to Plate cooperative and supplying 10,000 breakfasts each day to Hatay students.

52. GrowNYC, United States

Since 1970, GrowNYC has helped New Yorkers access fresh food, vibrant green spaces, and environmental education. Through producer-only Greenmarkets, community garden support, and education programs, the organization uplifts regional farmers and empowers residents—particularly frontline communities—to shape a healthier, more resilient city.

53. Guyra Paraguay, Paraguay

Focused on protecting Paraguay’s natural wealth, Guyra Paraguay brings together civil society, Indigenous communities, farmers, and scientists to conserve species, restore forests, and promote sustainable livelihoods. Through projects in the Atlantic Forest, agroforestry initiatives, and innovative monitoring and climate-finance programs—such as their shade-grown yerba mate program—the organization works to build a resilient landscape for people and wildlife. 

54. Green Bronx Machine, United States

Green Bronx Machine transforms classrooms and communities through a K–12+ model that weaves urban agriculture into core academics. Students grow and distribute thousands of pounds of fresh produce while improving attendance, engagement, and achievement. Through food education, workforce development, and community partnerships, the organization builds healthier schools and stronger, more resilient Bronx neighborhoods—proving that healthy students help grow healthy communities.

55. Good Food Fund, China

Good Food Fund drives China’s transition toward healthier, more sustainable, and more humane food systems. Through chef training, youth programs, policy-aligned partnerships, and the Good Food Summit, GFF advances plant-based innovation and elevates animal welfare. Its Good Food Academy and incubator programs build knowledge and support emerging leaders working to shift production, consumption, and public awareness toward a better food future.

56. Harlem Grown, United States

Harlem Grown cultivates healthy kids and resilient communities by engaging Harlem youth in hands-on urban farming, nutrition, and sustainability education. Since 2011, the organization has expanded access to fresh food and learning opportunities by operating 14 urban agriculture sites, from soil-based farms to hydroponic greenhouses, while mentoring elementary-aged students to become advocates for their health, community, and environment.

57. Helen’s Daughters, Caribbean

Helen’s Daughters strengthens rural women across the Caribbean by using agriculture as a pathway to broader economic and social opportunity. Working at the grassroots level, the organization provides training, mentorship, micro-investment, and market access while advancing gender equity through public advocacy. Their programs—from an all-female agri-apprenticeship to FarmHers Markets—position women farmers as leaders of sustainable development across the region.

58. High Atlas Foundation, Morocco

The High Atlas Foundation advances community-led development across Morocco by helping rural families build sustainable livelihoods rooted in fruit-tree agriculture, clean water access, and women’s empowerment. Through 15 nurseries producing millions of saplings, carbon-offset programs, and post-earthquake recovery, HAF supports communities to restore land, preserve cultural heritage, and create long-term, locally driven pathways to economic resilience.

59. IndigeHub, United States

IndigeHub strengthens Indigenous self-determination by creating shared resource hubs that fuel entrepreneurship, food sovereignty, and community resilience. Through coworking spaces, commercial kitchens, and emerging food hubs, the organization expands access to tools, training, and local markets. Their culturally grounded model reduces barriers on tribal lands, supports small businesses, and equips communities to build sustainable, long-term prosperity.

60. Instituto Regenera, Brazil

Instituto Regenera works to advance regenerative food systems by co-creating applied knowledge that drives transparent, fair, inclusive, and sustainable practices. Rooted in the idea that food is climate, biodiversity, and culture, the organization partners across sectors to strengthen emerging models that restore ecosystems, uplift communities, and embed regeneration at every stage of the food system. During COP30, the organization helped secure a commitment from the Brazilian government to source at least one third of food served at the conference from local family farmers.

61. Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Americas

IICA is the Inter-American System’s specialized agency for agriculture, working with 34 Member States to strengthen rural well-being and agricultural development. Through technical cooperation spanning innovation, family farming, trade, digitalization, and agricultural health, IICA supports countries in building competitive, inclusive, and sustainable agrifood systems resilient to climate shocks and aligned with long-term regional development goals.

62. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Africa

icipe advances insect science for sustainable development across Africa, pioneering environmentally safe tools to manage pests and disease vectors while conserving biodiversity. Through its 4Hs approach—Human Health, Animal Health, Plant Health and Environmental Health—the Centre strengthens food security, rural livelihoods, and ecosystem resilience. As the continent’s only international arthropod research institution, it also builds scientific capacity through extensive training and partnerships.

63. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International

IFAD works to end rural poverty by investing in small-scale farmers and strengthening food systems. A U.N. agency and international financial institution, it provides grants and low-interest loans that expand market access, boost production, and build climate resilience. IFAD’s people-centered approach ensures women, youth, and Indigenous communities shape and benefit from rural transformation.

64. International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food), International

IPES-Food unites 25 leading researchers and practitioners to accelerate food system transformation. From analyzing power dynamics to proposing concrete policy reforms, the panel produces influential reports and builds alliances that center equity, sustainability, and health. Rooted in science and informed by frontline realities, IPES-Food provides a clear roadmap for fixing failing food and agriculture systems.

65. International Potato Center, International

Headquartered in Lima, Peru, the International Potato Center (CIP) supports science-based solutions to improve root and tuber agri-food systems. They do this to ultimately enhance nutrition security, support sustainable business, and improve communities’ livelihoods. CIP leads the project Lima 2035, which aims to make the city of Lima’s food and agriculture systems regenerative and human-centered.

66. James Beard Foundation (JBF), United States

The James Beard Foundation strengthens the independent restaurant sector by recognizing excellence and equipping chefs and culinary leaders to drive a more equitable, sustainable food system. Through its awards, training programs, and national initiatives, JBF champions Good Food for Good—supporting an industry that enriches American culture and empowers the people who shape our food future.

67. John Hopkins University Center for Health Security and Center for a Livable Future, United States

At Johns Hopkins University, the Centers for Health Security and a Livable Future are working to reshape our systems in support of human and planetary health. The Center for Health Security works to protect communities from epidemics, biological threats, and public health emergencies while the Center for a Livable Future (CLF) advances alternatives to industrial food systems. CLF also recently launched a program to support the next generation of food and agriculture journalists. 

68. Kiss the Ground, United States

Kiss the Ground advances the regenerative movement by elevating healthy soil as a solution for human and planetary well-being. Through films, digital storytelling, education, and direct farmer support, the organization has inspired millions and helped transition more than two million acres toward regenerative agriculture—mobilizing public awareness toward a tipping point for systems-scale change.

69. La Via Campesina, International

Formed in 1993, La Via Campesina brings together 200 million small-scale food producers in 81 countries to defend land, water, seeds, and territory. The movement centers food sovereignty—healthy, culturally rooted food produced sustainably—and trains members in agroecology and peasant feminism. Its sustained mobilization shaped major global governance spaces, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants.

70. Local2030 Islands Network (L2030IN), International

This global network amplifies the leadership of island communities working toward the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Members share knowledge, strengthen public-private partnerships, and implement initiatives in support of a circular economy to create solutions that are locally driven and culturally informed.

71. McKnight Foundation, United States

The McKnight Foundation is working toward a more just and creative future through investments that celebrate culture bearers, strengthen farmer-centered agroecological research, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and more. Taking a silo-breaking approach, they also blend their program areas to bring food and the arts together. 

72. Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, International

Launched in 2015, the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact unites over 250 cities in a mayor-led commitment to build sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban food systems. As the leading global framework for municipal food policy, the Pact drives action through a shared 37-point agenda, peer learning, capacity building, and annual Milan Pact Awards showcasing innovative city solutions.

73. Naandi Foundation, India

The Naandi Foundation works across 438 districts in 21 states of India to create a better future for farmers and girls. In support of farmers, the organization encourages knowledge-sharing and the use of sustainable agricultural inputs, finding innovative ways to bring a regenerative and profitable agriculture system. Their goal in the coming years is to support 10 million girls with schooling and employment and 100 million farmers by planting 1 billion trees.

74. National Farm to School Network, United States

The National Farm to School Network builds equitable farm to school systems that support children, farmers, and communities. Through policy leadership, hands-on training, and a nationwide coalition spanning all 50 states, NFSN helps schools serve local food, integrate gardens and food education, and strengthen regional economies—advancing a vision of a racially just and community-driven food system.

75. National Farm Worker Ministry, United States

The National Farm Worker Ministry brings together denominations, congregations, and advocates to back campaigns led by farm workers seeking fair pay, safe conditions, and basic rights. Grounded in faith and racial justice, NFWM organizes actions, educates supporters, and builds solidarity networks that help transform the systems shaping life and labor in U.S. agriculture.

76. National Farmers Union, United States

The National Farmers Union (NFU) represents more than 220,000 family farmers and ranchers, advancing policies rooted in grassroots decision-making. NFU works to strengthen rural economies through farmer-driven advocacy, cooperative solutions, and education, promoting fair markets, resilient communities, and a future where family agriculture can thrive. In response to the increase in political and economic uncertainty farmers are facing in the last year, NFU has continued fighting to put growers first. 

77. National Young Farmers Coalition, United States

The National Young Farmers Coalition is a farmer-led network shifting power and transforming federal policy to equitably resource a new generation of growers. The Coalition centers BIPOC leadership and organizes young farmers nationwide to secure land access, climate resilience, and structural change so farming can remain viable, just, and community-rooted.

78. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), International

Since 1970, NRDC has paired legal action, scientific expertise, and grassroots advocacy to safeguard people and the planet. With offices across the U.S. and in Beijing, its attorneys, scientists, and policy experts tackle climate pollution, toxic exposures, biodiversity loss, and environmental inequity while advancing durable protections for communities and ecosystems.

79. New York Botanical Garden, United States

Each year the New York Botanical Garden reaches tens of thousands of families through exhibitions, botanical experiences, art, music, and events. Their scientists work around the world to find actionable, nature-based solutions to the climate and biodiversity loss crises, striving to create a green future for all. 

80. Niman Ranch Next Generation Foundation, United States

Rooted in Niman Ranch’s commitment to smaller-scale, humane farming, the Next Generation Foundation supports young producers through scholarships and targeted grants. With over US$2 million distributed since 2006, the Foundation helps new farmers pursue education, adopt regenerative methods, expand their operations, and build resilient rural livelihoods.

81. North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS), North America

Founded by Chef Sean Sherman, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS) is rebuilding a regional Indigenous food system through education, enterprise, and access. From its Minneapolis-based Indigenous Food Lab—combining a professional kitchen, market, and training center—NATIFS supports tribal communities in restoring Native foodways, expanding Indigenous culinary businesses, and advancing Indigenous food sovereignty across North America.

82. NOW Partners Foundation, International

For over three decades, NOW Partners Foundation has collaborated with businesses, investors, and institutions to advance regenerative land use, equitable leadership, and new industry logics. Their global partnership guides companies through transitions that integrate profitability with positive impact, demonstrating how Regenerative Value Creation can scale solutions that restore ecosystems, strengthen communities, and build resilient economies.

83. ONE Campaign, International

The ONE Campaign unites activists, data experts, and trusted messengers to influence global decision-makers and secure investments that strengthen opportunity and health across Africa. Strictly nonpartisan and independently funded, ONE pairs hard evidence with public pressure to drive lasting policy change—amplifying millions of voices for a world where dignity and equity are shared by all.

84. One Fair Wage, United States

One Fair Wage unites service workers, employers, and allies to confront the legacy of subminimum pay and win lasting wage justice. By driving research, mobilizing voters, and advancing bold state and local reforms, the organization works to guarantee every worker—tipped, gig, youth, disabled, or incarcerated—a full, fair minimum wage with tips as a true supplement.

85. OzHarvest, Australia

Australia’s largest food-rescue network, OzHarvest saves quality surplus food from thousands of donors and delivers it free to charities nationwide—over 300 million meals so far. Alongside rescue, they run national education programs, innovate with projects like OzHarvest Market and Refettorio, and push for systemic change to halve food waste and strengthen food security.

86. Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM), East, Central, and Southern Africa

PELUM unites civil society organizations from 12 African countries to scale ecological land-use management with smallholder farmers. Founded in 1995, the network drives agroecology training, collaborative learning, and farmer-centered advocacy, expanding sustainable practices and strengthening food sovereignty. Its regional chapters support programs that improve livelihoods while regenerating ecosystems and boosting community resilience.

87. Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN), International

PAN is a global medical nonprofit working to reduce diet-related deaths by making nutrition central to clinical practice. Through medical education, hospital partnerships, and national branches across four continents, PAN equips health professionals to champion healthy, sustainable diets and drive food-system changes that address chronic disease, climate impacts, and pandemic risk.

88. Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), United States

PFI is a farmer-led network advancing resilient agriculture in Iowa. Members—conventional and organic, large and small—share knowledge through field days, research trials, and peer learning to strengthen stewardship, profitability, and community well-being. United by a land ethic and a commitment to welcoming all, PFI helps farmers build operations grounded in sustainability and shared experience.

89. Project Dandelion, International

Project Dandelion is a women-led global campaign uniting movements, leaders, and communities to demand a climate-safe world. Rooted in climate justice, it mobilizes millions to act, elevates women’s leadership, and advances seven core demands—from ending fossil fuel subsidies to scaling fair, renewable energy—building a powerful, shared symbol for urgent, collective action.

90. Project Drawdown, United States

Project Drawdown is an independent nonprofit advancing bold, science-based climate solutions. Through cutting-edge research, strategic engagement with policymakers, investors, and industry leaders, and powerful storytelling, it shifts resources and public narratives toward effective action. Its work guides climate strategies worldwide, elevating solutions that cut emissions, protect ecosystems, and expand human well-being.

91. ProVeg International, International

ProVeg International accelerates food-system transformation by replacing animal products with plant-based and cultivated alternatives. Active across five continents and holding consultative and observer status with key UN agencies, ProVeg works with companies, investors, and communities to tackle climate, health, and hunger challenges through diet change—aiming to halve global animal-product consumption by 2040.

92. Rainforest Alliance, International

Working across over 60 countries, the Rainforest Alliance mobilizes market power and community leadership to protect forests, restore biodiversity, and improve rural livelihoods. Its global alliance advances regenerative production, responsible sourcing, and climate action, ensuring that farmers, companies, and consumers all contribute to—and benefit from—a future where people and nature thrive in balance.

93. ReFED, United States

ReFED uses data, research, and cross-sector partnerships to drive measurable impact on food loss and waste. In collaboration with the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC), they are working with foodservice operators to repurpose surplus food and reduce food waste across college campuses. Their recent toolkit is now helping more chefs implement solutions in their own dining halls. 

94. Regen Places Network, Australia

Across Australia, the Regen Places Network brings communities together to combat people’s disconnection from the environment and one another by developing climate-smart, place-based food and land use strategies. By 2030, they aim to develop 2,030 leaders committed to restoring ecosystems and building resilient food systems, who will make up a far-reaching network of conveners and communities.

95. Regen10, International

Designed as a global multi-stakeholder platform, Regen10 is working to mobilize farmers, companies, researchers, and governments to scale regenerative agriculture. The initiative works to transform how food is produced by improving soil health, strengthening livelihoods, and advancing climate-resilient systems. 

96. Resilient Cities Network, International

Resilient Cities Network works with nearly 100 cities in over 40 countries around the world to future-proof urban centers. Their work is organized around three pillars—climate resilience, circularity, and equity—as they bring together global knowledge, practice, partnerships, and funding to support member cities.

97. Rodale Institute, United States

For decades, the Rodale Institute has pioneered research in organic agriculture research, education, and farmer training. Their long-term field trials provide some of the world’s most influential data on soil health and climate impacts. The organization continues to expand knowledge and support farmers transitioning to regenerative organic methods.

98. Rooted East, United States

Rooted East, a Black-led food collective is fighting food apartheid and working to advance food justice in East Knoxville, Tennessee. Their recent documentary “Roots of Resilience” tells the story of the organization and how they’re using garden education and land partnerships to create a self-sustaining food system.

99. Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS), India

In the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Ryss is working alongside farmers to scale the adoption of chemical-free, climate-resilient farming practices. After demonstrating success in India, Ryss collaborated with NOW Partners to bring the model to communities in Zambia. Projects are also underway in Sri Lanka, and Brazil, with nine additional countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have been identified for future implementation as funding is secured.

100. Salesian Sisters’ Valponasca Learning Farm, Zambia

The Salesian Sisters’ Valponasca Learning Farm provides hands-on agricultural education to promote regenerative practices while empowering women and youth. Together with Rythu Sadhikara Samstha and NOW Partners, they are working to facilitate a pilot project that adapts the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming model to the local environment.

101. Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, International

Active in more than 60 countries, the SUN Movement works with governments to prioritize nutrition in national policies and investments. It unites civil society, donors, and the private sector to strengthen systems that support maternal and child health. The movement accelerates coordinated action to end malnutrition in all its forms.

102. SDG2 Advocacy Hub, International

The SDG2 Advocacy Hub drives coordinated global action to achieve SDG2—ending hunger, advancing food security and nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture by 2030. Bringing together NGOs, civil society, UN agencies, and private-sector partners, the Hub strengthens campaigns, supports country-level efforts, and equips advocates with shared tools to maximize collective influence across the Global Goals.

103. Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), India

Founded by Elaben Bhatt in 1972, SEWA represents 3.2 million self-employed women across India’s informal economy. As the country’s largest women-led trade union, SEWA advances full employment and self-reliance by organizing workers, strengthening cooperatives, expanding social protections, and building women-owned enterprises that enhance economic security and collective bargaining power.

104. Senegalese Association for the Promotion of Development at the Base (Asprodeb), Africa

Established in 1995, Asprodeb advances sustainable rural development in Senegal by equipping farmer organizations with technical support, professional training, and financial management tools. Born from collaboration between government and peasant movements, it helps family farms strengthen their services, implement development programs, and build productive partnerships across the agricultural sector.

105. Sicangu Food Sovereignty Initiative, United States

Based on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, this initiative works to restore traditional food systems and strengthen community health. Programs include seed saving, gardening, and educational workshops that reconnect youth and families to cultural food practices. Their work centers Indigenous knowledge as a foundation for food sovereignty and resilience.

106. Slow Food International, International and Slow Food USA, United States

Slow Food promotes local, sustainable, and culturally meaningful food systems around the globe. From grassroots chapters in the U.S. to international networks, the organization supports farmers, chefs, and communities in preserving biodiversity and culinary traditions in an effort to champion good, clean, and fair food for all.

107. Solid’Africa, Rwanda

Solid’Africa aims to empower smallholder farmers in Rwanda to access markets, improve yields, and adopt more sustainable practices. The organization offers free medically tailored meals to patients in public hospitals and delivers affordable, nutritious meals to students in public schools. Their approach prioritizes local sourcing from smallholder farmers, and they operate clean cooking kitchens to create a healthier food ecosystem. 

108. Soul Fire Farm, United States

Located in Upstate New York, Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm and training center working to end racism and advance food sovereignty. Their programs include farm tours, multi-day immersive programs for growers of Black, Indigenous, and Latine heritage, and youth-focused workshops. 

109. Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, United States

The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation works with young eaters to encourage healthy habits that will stay with them throughout their lifetimes. By partnering and investing in nutrition education and hands-on gardening programming, they support efforts that teach children how to grow and prepare nutritious food while making connections between what they eat and the natural environment. 

110. Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, United States

Stone Barns Center is a nonprofit farm and educational hub dedicated to regenerative agriculture and local food systems. Visitors and participants learn sustainable farming practices, nutrition, and culinary skills through hands-on experiences. The center serves as a model for farming that nourishes people and the planet.

111. Sustainable Food Trust, United Kingdom

Sustainable Food Trust works to accelerate the transition to sustainable food and farming systems for the benefit of climate, nature and health. Their focus areas include sustainable livestock, a food secure Britain, measuring sustainability, true cost accounting, supporting local abattoirs. 

112. Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University, United States

The Swette Center takes a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to facilitate research, education, public engagement, community-strengthening and policy reform in support of sustainable food systems. Their strategic priorities include cultivating the next generation of leaders, advancing organic research and policy, enabling true cost accounting of food, empowering Indigenous foodways, and engaging the private sector.  

113. Terepeza Development Association, Ethiopia

Working across rural Ethiopia, Terepeza Development Association supports smallholder farmers through programs in climate-smart agriculture, livelihoods, and community development. Their initiatives help families build resilience to drought and food insecurity while improving soil and water management. The organization also invests in youth and women’s empowerment to strengthen long-term sustainability.

114. The Common Market, United States

By connecting regional farmers with institutions like schools and hospitals, The Common Market strengthens local economies and expands access to nutritious, sustainably grown food. By advancing forward purchasing commitments for small and mid-scale farms, the organization hopes to rebuild regional food systems in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Texas, and Great Lakes region of the U.S.

115. The Land Institute, International

The Land Institute is reimagining how grains can be grown in harmony with ecosystems. Their work on crops like Kernza aims to reduce soil erosion, improve biodiversity, and cut carbon emissions. Through science, partnerships, and global advocacy, they hope to advance a regenerative future for agriculture systems.

116. The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, International

Focused on the intersection of data, technology, and social impact, the Patrick J. McGovern foundation supports initiatives that strengthen climate resilience, food security, and community well-being. Their investments help organizations scale digital tools that improve agricultural forecasting, resource management, and humanitarian response. 

117. The Rockefeller Foundation, United States

For more than a century, The Rockefeller Foundation has worked to advance global health and food and nutrition security. Through investments in regenerative school meals, they are working to scale regenerative agriculture, connect students to healthy food, and improve educational outcomes. And with their Food is Medicine work, they are supporting programs and research to better understand the potential of produce prescriptions, medically tailored meals, or healthy grocery programs.

118. UJAMAA Cooperative Farming Alliance (UCFA), United States

UCFA works to bring greater diversity and equity to the seed supply by supporting BIPOC growers and connecting them with buyers seeking culturally significant crops. The Alliance strengthens markets for heritage varieties while investing in farmer training and cooperative development. Their efforts help preserve biodiversity and uplift historically marginalized growers.

119. United Nations System, International

The U.N. System includes principal bodies, specialized agencies, funds, and programs working to improve food and agriculture systems, protect the environment, better health outcomes, and promote gender equity. These institutions include U.N. Development Programme, U.N. Environment Programme, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and FAO North America, U.N. Global Compact, UN Women, the U.N. World Food Programme and World Food Program USA, and the World Health Organization.

120. Urban Growers Collective, United States

Urban Growers Collective operates sustainable urban farms across Chicago, using food production as a vehicle for community empowerment. Centering racial equity, they provide job training, youth leadership programs, and food access initiatives that center. Their work helps strengthen local food systems while supporting health and economic opportunity.

121. Wellness in the Schools, United States

Wellness in the Schools partners works to improve students’ health. By partnering with public schools, chefs, and coaches, they aim to shift the culture of schools to prioritize well-being. Over the last year, the organization has gathered leaders in the food and agriculture policy sphere to develop recommendations to guide the Trump-Vance administration’s overhaul of school meals.  

122. Wholesome Wave, United States

Wholesome Wave works to make fruits and vegetables more affordable for families experiencing food insecurity. Through nutrition incentive programs and produce prescriptions, they help households access healthier food while supporting local farmers. 

123. Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture (WANDA), United States

Through training, education, and advocacy, WANDA is cultivating a thriving community of Black women leaders across food and agriculture systems. They hope to see more women and girls gain the skills they need to improve their lives and transform their communities from farm to health.

124. World Central Kitchen (WCK), International

In moments of disaster and crisis, WCK, founded by Chef José Andrés, delivers fresh, culturally relevant meals to those who need them most. In the last year, WCK has provided food to communities affected by war and natural disaster, including in Palestine, Ukraine, Haiti, and the Philippines.

125. World Resources Institute (WRI), International

The World Resources Institute works to advance sustainable development through rigorous research and partnerships across government, business, and civil society. They serve as the Secretariat, founding member, and core partner of the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), which works to rewire food systems to solve the climate crisis. 

126. World Wildlife Fund (WWF), International

WWF is dedicated to conserving biodiversity, addressing the climate crisis, and ensuring sustainable use of natural resources. Recognizing the impact that industrialized food and agriculture systems have on the environment, they work to create more regenerative and efficient production systems while encouraging dietary shifts among eaters. 

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.

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Whether I’m traveling or at home, I usually have a book open. Somehow, my stack of books I want to read still seems never-ending—but that’s exactly how I like it!

Every season, Food Tank loves highlighting personal stories, cultural analyses, social histories, and more books that not only illuminate the food system as we know it today but also help us imagine what we can build tomorrow.

In All Consuming: Why We Eat The Way We Eat Now, baker and cookbook author Ruby Tandoh unpacks the social forces that shape our relationship with food in ways we might not realize. Looking at Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s quest to reinvest his fortune into climate resiliency in the book Dirtbag Billionaire, New York Times reporter David Gelles asks how we can reconcile the contradictions of creating a mission-driven business in a capitalist society. Author Nancy Matsumoto argues in Reaping What She Sows: How Women are Rebuilding a Broken Food System that community self-reliance is crucial—and women trailblazers have been and will continue to be indispensable to saving and rebuilding regional food systems.

In cookbooks and other guides—like Recipes From The American South by Michael Twitty, Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America by Sean Sherman, and What to Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters by Marion Nestle—we’re reminded how changing the world can begin on our plates.

And we learn how to chart a path forward by digging into success stories. From Sam Kass’ The Last Supper, we learn from the chef and former Obama Administration food policy advisor about how we can invest in maximizing nutrition while protecting the climate. In The Accidental Seed Heroes, Adam Alexander celebrates the power of traditional seeds, and in Sea Change, authors Amanda Leland and James Workman share stories of the unlikely partnerships that are revolutionizing the fishing industry for the better.

I hope you’ll dive deeper into our most recent book list of 26 titles that, I think, can help us all plant and water the seeds of change in our own communities! CLICK HERE for the full list, including information on how you can find these books for yourself or as gifts.

Every one of us is intertwined in the food system, no matter our age—so we need to include young folks in our food system storytelling, too!

We’re also highlighting 20 additional books to spark curiosity in young readers about the food on their plates and the plants growing around them. What I love about these books is that they center the joyfulness of discovering where food comes from and how delicious it can be.

I also deeply respect the way that books on this list like A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen by Erin Frankel, Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure by Dave Grunenwald, Saturdays at Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery and other books don’t avoid complex topics but rather find creative, appropriate ways to help young readers understand how food changes lives.

Young folks can be citizen eaters, too, so let’s give them the tools to advocate for sustainability and help shape the world they’ll inherit. Check out our list of 20 books to help kids in your life connect with food systems by CLICKING HERE.

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 Muaawiyah Dadabhay, Unsplash

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The kind of systemic transformation we need to see is made possible by meaningful relationships between people, where we make decisions with other people’s well-being in mind. It’s made possible by broad societal collaboration between individuals, where we can break down silos and share knowledge.

This is certainly true here at Food Tank! As an organization powered by grassroots support from members around the globe, everything we do is made possible by you.

THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, to the community of members who have helped us uplift food system solutions all year long. If you’re not yet a member, I hope you’ll consider joining us by going to foodtank.com/join. Here’s a taste of what we’ve been able to do over the past year thanks to our global family of members:

In 2025, Food Tank has celebrated the intersection of food and the arts in major ways. During Summits at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT, and SXSW in Austin, TX, creative folks like chefs, filmmakers, farmers, advocates, and more convened to shine a spotlight on the power of environmental storytelling.

And at Climate Week NYC, each of our unprecedented 15 packed-house Summits began with a performance from Broadway stars—which injected much-needed beauty and hope into urgent discussions of climate action! We also staged a workshop reading of “Catalyst Coffee,” an original musical about labor organizing in the food service industry.

We were honored to bring success stories both to food-focused events—including Stop Food Waste Day, the annual National Food is Medicine Summit, and by hosting the official North America World Food Day celebration—and to discussions across disciplines. At symposiums around the world focusing on wellness, social justice, legal studies, and more, we showcased how food systems can connect the dots between unexpected and complex topics.

We also continued bringing food policy conversations directly to the places they matter most. In May, we headed to Washington, D.C., for a Capitol Hill luncheon event on how Food is Medicine can transform healthcare, convened the inaugural Food and Agriculture Policy Summit in October, and returned just yesterday ago for a luncheon exploring ultra-processed foods.

On the global scale, Food Tank brought nuanced discussions of food systems and policy to the U.K. for London Climate Action Week, to Ethiopia for the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake, and to Brazil for COP30, the landmark UN Climate Change Conference. There, we organized a robust lineup of programming to engage agricultural ministers, negotiators, farmers, climate journalists, civil society and business leaders, funders, and more to ensure that these decision-makers recognize the importance of food and agriculture action.

In addition, we have also continued to publish daily articles, deliver this newsletter straight to your inbox, and release weekly episodes of our podcast “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg.”

There is no food system without the individual farmers, ranchers, farmworkers, food processors, factory workers, packagers, truck drivers, seed savers, chefs, business owners, food justice advocates, and countless other hardworking, passionate folks up and down the food chain. It’s also no exaggeration to say that Food Tank wouldn’t be Food Tank without each and every Food Tanker like you!

Food Tank members receive exclusive access to Food Tank Summits, even when they are sold out to the public; invitations to special virtual members-only discussions with food system luminaries; and other tokens of our appreciation throughout the year. Your support also means that we can continue to make most of our programming completely free to attend and livestream these events for our global audience. I hope you’ll take a moment to check out our accessible membership options HERE to launch or boost your support.

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Over the past several weeks, from Food Tank’s programming at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Brazil to my time ground-truthing in Guatemala, I’ve been thinking deeply about how the food we eat impacts our well-being. And in the coming months, I’ll continue to share reflections on how communities in Guatemala and elsewhere are building climate resilience, food sovereignty, and nutritious diets.

Next week, Food Tank is heading to Capitol Hill for a bipartisan Summit exploring a major public health challenge within the food system: ultra-processed foods.

I hope you’ll join us at 12PM ET on Dec. 10, either via livestream or in person in Washington, D.C.! Please click HERE to reserve your spot, or you can also bookmark THIS LINK to join the livestream directly.

Ultra-processed foods are industrial products created and packaged to prioritize convenience over real nutrients. As Marion Nestle puts it, “They’re designed to be irresistibly delicious, if not addictive. They have lots and lots of added sugar, salts, and different kinds of additives, and you can’t make them in your own kitchen.”

And it’s not an exaggeration to say ultra-processed foods are virtually unavoidable in American diets—and that they could wreak havoc on our health. By some measurements, more than 73 percent of the U.S. food supply is ultra-processed, and a study in the medical journal The BMJ notes direct associations between ultra-processed foods and worse outcomes across cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, metabolic, and mental health and rates of cancer, diet-related diseases and mortality.

At what point does this become a public health crisis—and how should policymakers respond to help keep us nourished and healthy?

At this Summit—”Eating Ourselves Sick?: Ultra-Processed Foods and U.S. Health Policy“—presented alongside the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, we’ll be joined by speakers including: U.S. Member of Congress Vern Buchanan, Anuraag Chigurupati, Devoted Medical; U.S. Member of Congress Maxine Dexter, M.D.; Kyle Diamantas, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall; Dariush Mozaffarian, Food is Medicine Institute; Radha Muthiah, Capital Area Food Bank; Robert Paarlberg, Harvard Kennedy School; Jennifer Pomeranz, New York University; Secretary Arvin Singh, West Virginia Department of Health; U.S. Member of Congress Shri Thanedar; and more to be announced!

This is an opportunity to engage directly with leaders shaping the future of food and health in the United States. As Dariush Mozaffarian, Director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, reminds us, Americans’ poor metabolic health is a systemic problem that needs systemic solutions.

“When you have three out of four adults with overweight or obesity and half of adults with diabetes and pre-diabetes, you know the system is broken,” he told Food Tank recently. “This isn’t any longer a problem of individual behavior.”

Across the food system, we’re seeing a variety of approaches that remind us what a more health-forward food system might look like. Just this week, the city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against ultra-processed food manufacturers, alleging they are knowingly producing products that are addictive and linked to serious health issues.

In Pennsylvania, farmer Christa Barfield’s CornerJawn stores aim to flip the script on the kinds of foods offered in corner stores. The organization Dion’s Chicago Dream is putting fresh crops, not ultra-processed foods, at the core of food assistance. Leaders in both Michigan and Maine are imagining what better school meals look like. And there are so many more solutions being developed on the ground, as I’ll discuss at Bold Fork Books in D.C. later this month with Nancy Matsumoto, author of “Reaping What She Sows: How Women Are Rebuilding Our Broken Food System.”

Ultra-processed foods are deeply ingrained within the modern food system—but they don’t have to be. I hope you’ll join us next week on Capitol Hill as we explore how to build food policy that does more than just fill us up, but that truly nourishes us and keeps us healthy!

HERE is the link one more time to find more info about making your voice heard at this Summit.

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.

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Today is, officially, the last day of COP30 in Belém, Brazil—but plenty of key negotiating points are still on the table.

Let’s put numbers on the situation: Of the 121 items on the official agenda, countries have so far reached agreement on only 52 of them, per Carbon Brief. Another 41 agenda items either have draft text or informal language at this point, which still leaves several completely untouched or postponed entirely. All this, of course, follows fierce debate over whether some key points—including topics surrounding global finance and a fossil fuel phase-out—should be on the agenda at all.

We might see a final COP30 deal unveiled today, but if previous years’ U.N. Climate Change Conferences are any indication, discussions will likely last through the night and into the weekend. Discussions were also derailed when a terrifying fire broke out yesterday in the diplomatic Blue Zone, which shut down the venue for much of the evening—and fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

During a speech in Belém yesterday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres gave an impassioned plea for negotiators.

“We are down to the wire and the world is watching Belém,” he said. “Communities on the front lines are watching, too—counting flooded homes, failed harvests, lost livelihoods—and asking, ‘How much more must we suffer?’”

“Please engage in good faith to reach ambitious compromise,” Guterres continued. “This is the hour for leadership. Be bold. Follow the science. Put people before profit.”

Here’s the truth: Climate change is happening, everywhere, every day. Either we take action, or we don’t. Either we try to stop the climate crisis from getting worse, or we let the devastation cascade. Either we help communities adapt, or we turn our backs on our vulnerable neighbors. Either we be good stewards of the earth and one another—or we choose not to.

Some global leaders realize what needs to happen. All throughout COP30, Food Tank has been using this newsletter to highlight success stories, steps in the right direction. Yesterday, for example, Germany agreed to invest €1 billion (US$1.1 billion) into Brazil’s global rainforest-preservation fund, Tropical Forest Forever Facility, adding to the US$5.5 billion already committed by nations including Brazil, Indonesia, Norway, France, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

But some global leaders seem unwilling to make difficult but necessary choices. The Guardian reported yesterday that, despite 82 countries—about half of those here at COP30—calling for a roadmap toward phasing out fossil fuels, the major fossil fuel-producing countries appear to be blocking that language from being included in the final draft deal.

As I’ve said from the beginning, the official dealmaking that results from global conferences like COP are important. Powerful countries have the ability to move the needle in significant, meaningful ways. But if they fall short, the work still remains to be done—and we’ll need to do it ourselves.

The Atlantic Council and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) announced a new collaborative effort here that connects more than 100 organizations—development banks, investors, insurers, philanthropies, and more—to strengthen collaboration between public and private financial sectors. The initiative is called the Fostering Investable National Planning and Implementation (FINI) for Adaptation and Resilience.

“FINI allows us to collaborate across sectors and geographies. We need to ensure that we’re all around a shared table—because we’re sharing the same future,” said Jorge Gastelumendi, the Senior Director of the Atlantic Council’s Climate Resilience Center.

Also here at COP30, 62 faith-based institutions announced a divestment from fossil fuel companies—one of the largest such actions to date.

Scientists are raising their voices, too.

In a public statement, a group of the world’s leading authorities on planetary science, forests and oceans write: “The global curve of GHG emissions needs to bend next year, 2026, not sometime in the future…This must happen in order to have a chance to avoid unmanageable and extremely costly climate impacts affecting all people in the world.”

The final results of COP30 negotiations have yet to be seen. But the work of combatting the climate crisis does not end when COP30 comes to a close. Climate action is not a once-a-year discussion topic—it’s an everyday mission.

This is my last daily dispatch newsletter to you from COP30 in Belém. But before I head home, I’m spending time ground-truthing in Guatemala, meeting and learning with folks on the front lines of resilient food and agriculture systems. I look forward to sharing more in the weeks ahead!

News Stories/Reports I’m Reading Today:

• At COP30 in Brazil, Countries Plan to Armor Themselves Against a Warming World — At Grist, writer (and Food Tank alum!) Zoya Teirstein breaks down discussions around global financing for climate mitigation vs. adaptation.
• Brazil and Food Imports — Using the case of food imports to the U.K. from Brazil, a report from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit examines how vulnerable our diets are to climate change.
• The 2035 Climate Ambition Gap — Ten years out from the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, Greenpeace International researchers analyze the extent to which countries’ COP30 action plans fall short of achieving the next decade’s goals.
• Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Accelerator Pathways Report — In this report, the ENACT Partnership (Enhancing Nature-based Solutions for an Accelerated Climate Transformation) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature outline a strategic framework to help countries quickly scale up inclusive, system-wide transformations anchored in nature.
• India Delays Climate Pledge, Pressures Rich Nations on Funding at UN Climate Talks — India’s stature as a global climate leader is on the rise—so, the Washington Post asks, why is the country one of few major players to not yet have submitted an updated climate action plan, or NCD, at COP30?
• COP30: Cities Prove What’s Possible When Action Meets Implementation — Fascinating analysis from from the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) and C40 Cities reveals how local-level climate action has the potential to outpace national- and even global-level action.

Powerful Quotes From Recent Discussions:

• “The gender issue can no longer be an annex to the decisions made here at COP. Let this be a moment that moves us — a moment that awakens hope, but also responsibility.” — Rosângela “Janja” Lula da Silva, Sociologist and Brazil’s First Lady
• “For millions, adaptation is not an abstract goal. It is the difference between rebuilding and being swept away. Between replanting and starving. Between staying on ancestral land or losing it forever.” — António Guterres, U.N. Secretary-General 

Ways to Take Action:

Share Info On ‘Species That Save Us’

• via @PostClimate on Instagram — Check out the Washington Post’s list of 50 examples of plants and animals that protect and enrich human health—and the extent to which climate change, habitat destruction and other human interference are threatening their existence.

Let Youth Voices Lead The Way

• via Youth4Climate Initiative — “Generation Trust: A Climate Story in the Making,” a youth-led climate documentary produced by Youth4Climate, tells the stories of five youth climate leaders transforming food, mobility, energy. Read more about the five changemakers here and watch the trailer for the upcoming film here.

Travel On-The-Ground Virtually

• via U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization — Take an interactive journey with FAO to explore traditional agricultural systems around the world and how they are shaping a better food future.

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Photo courtesy of Carlo Poblado, Unsplash

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