From Molly Anderson, Middlebury College
It is our pleasure to present to you our new book “Transformation of our food systems – the making of a paradigm shift”.
Please find the launch press release attached and this link to download the book free of charge. We would be most obliged if you could help us in spreading the word about this new publication amongst your communities and networks. The media launch is today. A social media campaign #FoodSystemsTransformation will start in the coming week. You will find helpful material to support this process here.
The authors
The book’s 40 authors, each experts in their field, take stock of the first decade after publication of the UN and World Bank led International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). They review key global developments in agriculture and nutrition and the course of discussions about our food systems as reflected in major international reports and UN agreements between 2009 and 2019. An advisory Group of former IAASTD authors identified eight key messages they draw from the evidence.
Insights into future food production
Agroecology, for many of the authors, is the emerging and integrating answer to the new challenges and questions that, as we argue, have shaped a new paradigm on food systems over the past decade. While we have seen the food systems’ debate gaining momentum, the past decade has been lost with respect to addressing the urgently needed turnaround regarding climate gas emissions, biodiversity loss and ecosystem preservation as well as undernourishment, obesity and malnutrition, the global rural exodus and food sovereignty.
Many of the book’s authors have been directly involved in the respective processes and provide insights into the making of agreements such as the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN declaration on peasants rights as well as food systems reports of the EU, UNCTAD, UNEP, IPCC, FAO, IPBES, TEEB, Lancet Commissions, IPES-Food, Agrimonde-Terra and others.
In addition, former authors of the IAASTD and new colleagues have written updates on major developments such as science and innovation, trade, digitalisation, concentration of industry and land, grazing, demographics, indigenous autonomy, infectious diseases. They come with 13 highly informative infographs on the past 10 years. This book is a treasure trove for all committed to the transformation of our food systems.
It is clear now #FoodSystemsTransformation is urgently needed and must work for the people, the environment and the diversity of cultures on this planet.
Please download and disseminate “Transformation of our food systems – the making of a paradigm shift” today and stay tuned for upcoming web presentations and discussions.
We look forward to your feedback!
Warm regards
For the authors and editors of the book
Hans Herren and Benny Haerlin
