FOOD SYSTEMS INNOVATION

The ‘Innovation Lever Network’ carries on the agenda of the UN Food Systems Summit Innovation Lever of Change – chaired by the World Economic Forum – bringing together a diverse community representing public, private, and social sector innovation partners in a commitment to make innovation a significant enabling factor for food systems transformation and to guide and support stakeholders on the development of country pathways for accelerated food systems improvement at scale, using a holistic approach and people-centered innovation.

The Innovation Lever identified four innovation areas that countries need to address to implement a holistic approach to food systems transformation at the local, national and global levels, through inclusive and participatory multi-stakeholder approaches that leave no one behind. The four areas are societal and institutional, national and regional, data and digital, and knowledge and technological innovation.

GLOBAL COALITION FOR DATA AND DIGITAL FOOD SYSTEMS INNOVATION

Support Countries and communities to meet national and regional priorities on food systems transformation pathways through a more holistic understanding and delivery of innovation

The Global Coalition for Digital Food Systems Innovation represents a growing network of public, private, and non-profit organizations committed to responsible digital innovation in food systems. In alignment with the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, the Coalition aims to act as a collaborative impact network in the pre-competitive space, supporting countries and organizations promoting ethical action, agile governance and collaborative learning through shared principles that will reflect on its initiatives.

The Coalition will support an open and inclusive data and digital ecosystem, aligning initiatives and coalescing existing mechanisms and structures wherever they add value to country roadmaps and seek to elevate and accelerate partners’ initiatives, beginning with three founding efforts: One Map, Data and Digital Marketplace Playbook, Digital Data Cornucopia.

OneMap is an open-source, privacy-preserving digital tool that will help governments use geospatial data together with farmer data and other data to improve planning and decision-making on agriculture and land use topics. 

The coalescing process was started by the organizations as part of the UN FSS Innovation Lever of Change Reference Group and is open to all interested partners committed to developing the coalition. Leading members include World Bank, UN FAO, CGIAR and the World Economic Forum amongst others. 

The white paper ‘Transforming Food Systems: Pathways for Country-led Innovation’, published by the World Economic Forum Food Systems Initiative and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), collects and develops the work of the Innovation Lever. The paper presents an action-oriented roadmap for countries looking to accelerate and scale inclusive innovation meeting the needs of all stakeholders in the food system and supports countries to invest in their capability to innovate.