Food systems are vulnerable to climate change and are major contributors of greenhouse gases and environmental degradation. At the same time, food insecurity remains stubbornly high and unhealthy diets are prevalent in many places around the world, creating inequities and vulnerabilities.
The Food for Humanity Action Collaborative aims to:
- Educate leaders about the complexities of the food system and prepare them for careers in the sector.
- Investigate and analyze how food systems can transition towards sustainable pathways and trade offs between human health, environment and climate, and ecosystem services in food systems.
- Work with partners to co-design and -develop solution pathways towards climate-friendly, equitable, and nutritious food systems at local to global scales, prioritizing the most vulnerable and marginalized.
New From F4H
From “Just in Time” to “Just in Case”: Agrifood Systems Under Pressure
At a High-Level Political Forum 2026 side event at United Nations Headquarters, speakers described a global agrifood system facing increasingly interconnected shocks, from conflict and climate extremes to crop diseases, financial stress, and disruptions of critical trade routes.
FAO’s Máximo Torero noted that hunger is declining too slowly and unevenly, while acute food insecurity still affects more than 266 million people. Conflict remains the largest driver, followed by weather and climate extremes and economic downturns.
Making Healthy Diets Affordable Requires Careful Sequencing
Food for Humanity Interim Director Michael Puma attended a session at United Nations Headquarters in New York on the forthcoming 2026 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, focused on the high cost of a healthy diet.
The F4H Living Lab is Live!
For those of you interested in food systems, here’s an update from the Food for Humanity Initiative: “If you have been to the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) campus, you may recall seeing a very nice but dormant greenhouse next to the Tree Ring Lab. The greenhouse originally came with the Lamont property that was donated to Columbia University in 1948, and had undergone extensive renovations in the early 2000’s thanks to the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Chair Kevin Griffin’s research funding…
