EU announces €140 million to support research in sustainable food systems

25 September 2021. Speaking at the Global Citizen Live event, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the European Union is pledging €140 million to support research in sustainable food systems and tackle food hunger via CGIAR, formerly also known as Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research.

Why research in food systems transformation is key to ending hunger

The global climate crises, depletion of natural resources, and biodiversity loss are existential threats to humankind and the defining global challenges of our century. They are leading threats to providing sustainable food and nutrition security for all. Together, they propel poor health, inequalities, social upheaval, and conflicts.

Food systems are both a driver and a victim of these challenges. Yet — if managed and governed differently — they can be part of the solutions and a champion of change, leading other sectors with solutions and inspiration.

To succeed, knowledge, capacities, quality in the partnerships, contextualised innovations and coordinated global actions are of utmost importance.

A radical realignment of food systems around the world could accomplish an end to hunger and malnutrition in all its forms, while promoting gender equality, job creation, prosperous livelihoods, opportunities for youth, climate solutions, and environmental health. This is what CGIAR proposes to achieve through its 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy.

The EU support will strengthen CGIAR capacities and interventions to renew its research and innovation portfolio to address production methods, practices and related policies; and to scale up nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches (e.g. agro-ecological and regenerative approaches, agroforestry, sustainable land management, etc.) to improve productivity based on ecological processes to contribute to economic, social and environmental sustainability.