The authors recommend the adoption of a multi-level governance framework to coordinate the transformation of agri-food systems, guaranteeing the attainment of transformation goals across all levels. This includes global agreements and international goals at the international level, national transformation pathways at the country level, and the operational level embedded in local governance. This report introduces the Agri-food Systems Transformation Protocol as a decision-support protocol at the desired operational level serving different actors within agri-food systems.

The Agri-food Systems Transformation Protocol proposes a four-stage and nine-step iterative process that can guide the development of transformation pathways in different contexts and at different levels of implementation. It was conceived during a workshop of the Expert Advisory Group of the Assessment and Communication of Climate Impacts of Food (CLIF) project in June 2023. The aim was to develop a step-by-step guide to transforming food systems that is not prescriptive and follows a rights-based, place-based, systems approach. The protocol was informed by background research on different case studies from the agri-food sector and advances the three principles of preserving the rights of people, ecosystem integrity, and integrity of the process. The background study identified the main drivers and agents of transformation by analysing 14 case studies from five continents, a selection that was finalized at the expert workshop. A transformation matrix that maps the agents and drivers with different steps of transformation process is also presented to aid the implementation of the protocol.

This protocol is intended to be the first step in developing a transformative theory of change for agri-food systems, with the methodologies for each step being the subject of further development.