TRANSFORMING AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS AMIDST THE CLIMATE CRISIS

The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and Food Systems for the Future (FSF) invite you to an invitation-only, high-level event and panel discussion. Attending guests will be the first to view a new report raising the urgency of the need for data-driven agrifood systems transformation for People, Planet and Prosperity ahead of COP28.

The science is clear: Our food system is failing, with underserved communities disproportionately bearing the health, climate, and economic burdens. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) confirms that the food system is a primary contributor to climate change, accounting for over one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, leading biodiversity and freshwater losses, and driving the depletion of forests, marine ecosystems, and other natural habitats. Harms are bidirectional: climate change also strains our agrifood systems’ adaptive capacity and people’s consistent access to healthy foods and stable livelihoods. Worldwide, 3.1 billion people cannot afford a diverse, nutritious diet. We must acknowledge that agrifood systems are as much culpable as they are an indispensable solution to the accelerating global climate, health, and poverty crises of our generation.

A complex crisis like this cannot and will not be solved by a singular solution. Instead, we must embrace that a diversity of solutions, working on different challenges, scales, and time horizons will be essential to sustainably transform our food system for People, Planet, and Prosperity.

The event will raise some of the fundamental questions deliberated in the new report, including:

• What are the necessary and central tenets of the diverse solution set for agrifood systems transformation?
• How do we build collective, science-based, and real-time agrifood systems impact measurement and management systems to inform the continuous improvement of food system solutions and drive greater business accountability and transparency?
• What is the role of policymakers, private finance, corporates, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in accelerating a diversity of solutions for agrifood systems transformation?

Climate Week NYC provides the perfect opportunity to convene the right thought leaders who can answer these questions. This event marks the beginning of a movement to mobilize policymakers, financiers, and climate advocates within and outside the bounds of the traditional food system in recognition that our shared goals for equitable returns for our People and Planet require aggressive partnership and radical change in our food system. Join us as we consider the evidence, showcase exceptional agrifood systems solutions globally, and critically discuss a path toward agrifood systems transformation with equitable health, climate, and financial returns for all.