Foresight Initiative series: What do we know about the future of food systems?

Food, land, and water systems face daunting challenges in the future, and the body of research exploring these challenges is growing rapidly. This series of notes was launched in 2022 by the CGIAR Foresight Initiative to summarize what we know today about the future of various aspects of food systems. The goal of these notes is to serve as a quick reference, point to further information, and help guide future research and decisions.

This post will be updated as we post new notes in the series. To learn more about the Foresight Initiative and stay current with our news, publications, and events, please sign up to our newsletter.

		What do we know about the future of agrifood systems in South Asia? (December 2024) By Swamikannu Nedumaran, Judy Thomas, Ravi Nandi, Jyosthnaa Padmanabhan, and Victor Afari-Sefa
		What do we know about the future of measuring food systems? (December 2024) By Jessica Fanzo, Bianca Carducci, and Michael J. Puma
		What do we know about the future of food systems innovation? (October 2024) By Daniel Mason-D’Croz, Mario Herrero, Cody Kugler, Rosaline Remans, Philip Thornton, and Heather Zornetzer
		What do we know about the future of urbanization in relation to food system transformation? (October 2024) By Paul Dorosh and James Thurlow
		What do we know about the future of the environment and biodiversity in relation to food system transformation? (June 2024) By Elisabetta Gotor and Cargele Masso
		What do we know about the future of maize value chains in a changing climate and agri-food system? (January 2024) By Kindie Tesfaye, Kai Sonder, Diego Pequeno, Faaiqa Hartley, and Sika Gbegbelegbe
		What do we know about the future of agri-food systems in Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA)? (December 2023) By Aymen Frija
		What do we know about the future of pulses in global and regional agri-food systems? (December 2023) By Sika Gbegbelegbe, Wupe Msukwa, Swamikannu Nedumaran, and Arega Alene
		What do we know about the future of gender equality in relation to food system transformation? (October 2023) By Elizabeth Bryan, Marilia Magalhaes, Ranjitha Puskur, Nicoline de Haan, Els Lecoutere, and Hazel Malapit
		What do we know about the impacts of the next El Niño on agrifood systems? (June 2023) By Jawoo Koo and Weston Anderson
		What do we know about the future of land in relation to food system transformation? (June 2023) By Ricky Robertson and Nicola Cenacchi
		What do we know about the future of aquatic foods in global agri-food systems? (June 2023) By Chin Yee Chan, Nhuong Tran, Yan Hoong, Timothy B. Sulser, Yee Mon Aung
		What do we know about the future of agri-food systems in Southeast Asia? (April 2023) By Nhuong Tran, Harold Glenn Valera, Chin Yee Chan, Valerien Pede, Yee Mon Aung
		What do we know about the future of food, land and water systems in West and Central Africa? (April 2023) By Dolapo Enahoro, Charles Mensah, and Sika Gbegbelegbe
		What do we know about the future of rice in relation to food system transformation? (February 2023) By Harold Valera and Valerien Pede
		What do we know about the future of crop pests and pathogens in relation to food systems? (December 2022) By Athanasios Petsakos, Carlo Montes, Diego Pequeno, Benjamin Schiek, and Kai Sonder
		What do we know about the future of agri-food systems in Eastern and Southern Africa? (December 2022) By Kindie Tesfaye, Faaiqa Hartley, Timothy S. Thomas, Sika Gbegbelegbe, and Sherwin Gabriel
		What do we know about the future of agrobiodiversity in relation to food systems? (December 2022) By Nicola Cenacchi, Elisabetta Gotor, Athanasios Petsakos, and Benjamin Schiek