The realization that transformative change is needed creates space for hope. It means that this is a time also ripe with possibility and opportunity. It means we must seize the moment to shine a light on the failures of the old system, on the possibilities of the new, and on the active change agents who are leading the way. This is the spirit in which the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, in collaboration with the Biovision Foundation for Ecological Development, initiated “Beacons of Hope.”

Beacons of Hope showcases the groundswell of people transforming our food systems in beneficial, dynamic, and significant ways, through nature- and people-based solutions. It provides a Food Systems Transformation Toolkit built on the principles of renewability, health, equity, resilience, diversity, and interconnectedness as a guide for discussion and collective action. It invites the inclusion of the myriad of other Beacons of Hope not part of this initial, modest effort. And it provides recommendations — gleaned from the Beacons of Hope — on how to accelerate meaningful food systems transformations at this critical time.