Strong governance holds the key to resilient agrifood systems

Across cities, rural communities, and national capitals, new governance approaches are reshaping how agrifood systems respond to crises and sustain livelihoods. The new report Building resilient food systems, launched by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), documents initiatives where policies, legal frameworks, and institutional support are actively linking human, ecological, and economic priorities to reduce vulnerability and strengthen long-term food security.

"From the local to the global, governance structures are more effective when they ensure synergies and complementarities and are linked across scales," states the report. Examples range from city-region planning in Quito, Ecuador, to climate-resilient grazing practices in Kenya, demonstrating how decision-making at multiple levels can align local knowledge, rights-based frameworks, and financial tools to promote equitable, transformative resilience.

National and subnational legislation also plays a crucial role. Frameworks such as India’s Forest Rights Act secure land access for Indigenous and forest-dependent communities, protect traditional livelihoods, and preserve biodiversity. Rights-based declarations, including the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and on the Rights of Peasants, are increasingly being incorporated into national policies to safeguard community rights and support sustainable food production. In Kenya, pastoralists collaborate with organizations on climate-resilient grazing practices and initiatives that link land rights with food security and nutrition, empowering communities to participate in policy processes.

Finance and social protection are key policy levers for resilience. The report highlights the importance of transforming agrifood systems financing, reducing indebtedness, expanding public funding, and promoting equitable public–public and public–private partnerships. Access to low-interest credit and community-managed financial resources supports individuals and businesses in responding to shocks, as seen in Türkiye, where pre-COVID-19 credit restrictions hindered resilience. Social protection programs such as cash transfers strengthen absorptive, adaptive, anticipatory, and transformative capacities, supporting livelihoods, education, health, and climate adaptation. Expanding coverage and improving delivery are priorities for achieving equitably transformative resilience.

Food storage and public procurement also enhance resilience. The Economic Community of West African States’ three-level food-storage strategy (local, national, and regional) has deployed 55 000 metric tons of cereals since 2017 to respond to crises. Public procurement, including school feeding programs that reach 418 million children globally, stabilizes markets, improves nutrition, and supports local farmers. Brazil’s National School Feeding Programme mandates that at least 30 percent of federal funds be used to purchase from family farming and rural family entrepreneurs or their organizations, providing daily meals to 40 million students while promoting local, minimally processed foods.

The report reiterates that multiscalar governance, coherent policies, finance, social protection, and public programmes are all critical to building resilient, equitable, and sustainable agrifood systems capable of withstanding shocks and delivering long-term benefits to communities.