Achieving Sustainable Food Systems in a Global Crisis

The report identifies a significant financing gap of USD 10 billion per year needed to achieve sustainable food system transformation in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria. It argues that current funding is overly skewed toward short-term emergency assistance rather than long-term agricultural development. By investing in on-farm productivity, social protection, and climate-resilient infrastructure, the report projects that undernourishment could drop below 3% and the incomes of 29 million small-scale producers could double by 2030, all while meeting nationally determined contribution goals for greenhouse gas emissions.

• Achieving sustainable food system transformation in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria requires an average additional public investment of USD 10 billion per year from 2023 to 2030. This is split between a donor share of USD 5.8 billion and a country share of USD 4.2 billion per year.
• There is a critical imbalance in funding where official development assistance for short-term emergency food assistance has increased, while long-term investment in agriculture and food security has stagnated, increasing vulnerability to future shocks.
• The livestock sector is the primary source of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in the three countries, and emissions are projected to rise by 2030 without intervention: 5.8% annually in Ethiopia, 4.4% in Malawi, and 2.3% in Nigeria.
• Current diets in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria are dominated by carbohydrate-rich staples, with fruits and vegetables accounting for less than 10% of average food intake, falling short of the WHO recommendation of 400g per day.
• Agricultural productivity is significantly low, with the average productivity of major crops being less than 1,000 kg/ha on over 60% of farmland, which is 3.5 times lower than the global average.
• Food loss and waste are substantial, particularly for perishables; in Nigeria, losses for perishable crops can reach up to 60% due to poor infrastructure and transport.
• The report projects that filling the USD 10 billion annual financing gap would reduce the prevalence of undernourishment to under 3% by 2030, compared to baseline projections of 22% in Ethiopia, 25% in Malawi, and 21% in Nigeria.
• To balance the need for nutrient-dense animal-source foods with climate goals, the report recommends sustainable livestock intensification through better breeding, feed, manure management, and a shift toward small ruminants.

APA

Bizikova, L., De Brauw, A., Rose, M. E., Laborde, D., Motsumi, K., Murphy, M., Parent, M., Picard, F., & Smaller, C. (2023). Achieving Sustainable Food Systems in a Global Crisis. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-01/sustainable-food-systems-global-crisis-summary.pdf

Chicago

Bizikova, Livia, Alan De Brauw, Mali Eber Rose, David Laborde, Kulthoum Motsumi, Mike Murphy, Marie Parent, Francine Picard, and Carin Smaller. Achieving Sustainable Food Systems in a Global Crisis. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2023. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-01/sustainable-food-systems-global-crisis-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bizikova |first1=Livia |last2=De Brauw |first2=Alan |last3=Rose |first3=Mali Eber |last4=Laborde |first4=David |last5=Motsumi |first5=Kulthoum |last6=Murphy |first6=Mike |last7=Parent |first7=Marie |last8=Picard |first8=Francine |last9=Smaller |first9=Carin |title=Achieving Sustainable Food Systems in a Global Crisis |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-01/sustainable-food-systems-global-crisis-summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bizikova2023achieving, author = {Bizikova, Livia and De Brauw, Alan and Rose, Mali Eber and Laborde, David and Motsumi, Kulthoum and Murphy, Mike and Parent, Marie and Picard, Francine and Smaller, Carin}, title = {{Achieving Sustainable Food Systems in a Global Crisis}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-01/sustainable-food-systems-global-crisis-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }