Contributing authors: Morgane Batkai, Vicky Brown Varela, and Elena Seeley
2021 was an unprecedented year of action for Food Tank, bringing food systems leaders together in new and exciting ways.
In collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, we kicked off the year with the first of seven panels, highlighting the incredible members of the U.N. Food Systems Champions Network. These conversations explored the Global Alliances seven Calls to Action and pathways for food systems transformation.
With the Refresh Working Group, we hosted a week-long series about the intersection of food and technology. Touching on everything from broadband expansion to a digitally skilled workforce, food systems experts explained the opportunities and challenges that technology presents.
In recognition of Stop Food Waste Day, Food Tank and Compass group hosted our Stop Food Waste Day 2021 Virtual Summit featuring chefs, advocates, policymakers, and business leaders who elevated solutions to ending food loss and food waste.
And in the countdown to Earth Day, Food Tank partnered with the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Foundation to bring together chefs from around the world, including Ozoz Sokoh, Vincent Medina, and Peggy Chan who discussed the intersection of food, culture, and climate.
Over the summer, Food Tank traveled to Scotland to debut our interactive musical WeCameToDance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show delivered an urgent message about dual food insecurity and climate crises while inspiring action, and it was met with rave reviews from The New York Times, The Guardian, The Scotsman, and other media outlets.
In early November, Food Tank visited Scotland again, this time to co-host more than a dozen events at the U.N. Climate Change Conference. With our partners Nourish Scotland, The Rockefeller Foundation, Aleph Farms, WWF, and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food we showcased how food and agriculture systems offer solutions to the climate crisis.
Most recently, Food Tank partnered with WW International to highlight the new legislation aimed at strengthening the 1996 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act to slash food waste and reduce hunger. The panel featured U.S. Congressmembers Chellie Pingree and Jim McGovern as well as business leaders and food waste experts.
This only scratches the surface of the work we completed in the last year and none of it would be possible without Food Tanks incredible members. Please become a Food Tank member today by clicking HERE and help us ensure that we are able to continue this work in 2022.
As we look ahead to the new year, we have put together a list of 122 organizations to watch in 2022. These organizations and networks are building more resilient and equitable food systems through research, policy action, programming, and more.
1. Acceso, Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti
Acceso is creating a farmer first food system across Latin America by helping smallholder farms participate fairly in domestic and international markets. The organization focuses on removing barriers to market access, providing support to build farm infrastructure, and helping commercialize products.
2. Act4Food Act4Change, International
Bringing together youth from across the globe, Act4Food, Act4Change hopes to prompt governments, institutions, companies, and individuals to act now to transform the food system. To date, the movement has collected over 153,000 pledges from youth who are determined to help shape a more sustainable and equitable food system. Listen to Maureen Muketha talk about the movement here.
3. Alliance Bioversity International CIAT, International
The Alliance of Biodiversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) was established to address climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and malnutrition. They develop research-based, holistic solutions to sustainably transform the global food system. Read about their recent agrobiodiversity conference here.
4. Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), Africa
AFSA is an alliance of civil societies involved in agroecology and food sovereignty in Africa. The alliance upholds values of a just and equitable development, living in harmony with nature, and empowering local communities.
5. Akshaya Patra, India
Akshaya Patra aims to eliminate hunger and malnutrition among school aged children in Bengaluru, India. They serve around 1.8 million children with fresh and nutritious school meals and are the largest Mid-Day Meal Programme in the world.
6. Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), International
ASC is the leading certification scheme for farmed food with strict standards regarding animal welfare, responsible sourcing for feed, fair treatment of workers, and community development. They aim to drive up standards across the aquaculture industry and help shape an environmentally sustainable food system.
7. Arava Institute, Israel
The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is a leading research institute in the Middle East. Their Center for Sustainable Agriculture works specifically in desert agriculture and is dedicated to the preservation of arid lands and their natural resources including endangered crops and medicinal herbs.
8. Arche Noah, Austria
Arche Noah was founded by heirloom gardeners and farmers who were concerned about the future of seed diversity. In addition to developing a vast seed bank, they also support crop diversity by providing educational resources on the private and commercial use of endangered crops.
9. Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, Canada
The Arrell Food Institute is dedicated to reducing the food systems impact on the environment through research. They aim to shape future leaders in the food system and reprioritize food as a central topic in social, industrial, and governmental decision-making processes.
10. Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development, Asia
Consisting mostly of small-scale family farmers and marginalized communities, the association works to empower rural farmers in Asia. They envision a socially just, economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and resilient farming system in Asian communities.
11. Asociacin Nacional de Mujeres Rurales e Indgenas (ANAMURI), Chile
ANAMURI is a non-profit organization based in Chile which aims to support rural women and Indigenous communities. The organization forms a part of the larger La Via Campesina and actively campaigns against capitalist, extractive and patriarchal systems that threaten women and minority communities rights.
12. Associao Brasileira de Agroecologia, Brazil
The association brings together students and professionals to carry out and support actions dedicated to building agroecological knowledge. They work to engage with and educate the public and private sector by holding educational workshops, developing scientific publications, and open dialogue on topics related to agroecology.
13. Association of Alternative Food Products Producers (AAFPP), Russia
AAFPP unites manufacturers and developers of alternative meat products and supports their mission to transform nutrition. They provide assistance with product promotion, participation in events, and represent members in retail as well as public policy.
14. Australias Right to Food Coalition, Australia
Through collective action with organizations, researchers, health and community workers, the coalition aims to ensure access to healthy and affordable food for all. They work to protect the right to food through advocacy work and identifying areas for action in policy making.
15. BioThai, Thailand
Founded through a collaboration between activists, farmers, academics, and others, BioThai aims to represent the common interests of those concerned about issues relating to conservation, resource use, community rights, food sovereignty, and sustainable development.
16. Black Farmer Fund, United States
Founded by two women of color, the Black Farmer Fund works to address the lack of financial assistance available to Black farmers in the United States. They help with financial decision-making, direct investment to meet the needs of Black farmers, and promote community-level collaboration to support businesses and land stewardship.
17. C40, International
C40 is a global network of mayors from around the world who are working to take action against the climate crisis. The network works to halve the greenhouse gas emissions of its over 100 member cities within a decade.
18. CEFA: The Seeds of Solidarity, Italy
Since 1972, CEFA has been working to eradicate hunger and poverty. They focus their work on helping low-income communities achieve food self-sufficiency and respect for fundamental rights including education, gender equality, and health.
19. Centro de Desarrollo Ambiental y Humano (CENDAH), Panama
CENDAH is a non governmental organization focused on planning and consulting on projects to protect the environment. They also support education programs that promote conservation through a human rights lens.
20. Centro de Innovacin de Agricultura Sostenible en Pequea Escala (CIASPE), Mexico
CIASPEs main objective is to support the development of small-scale, rural producers by establishing links between consumers and producers. They work with women in rural Mexico to adopt more productive methods of growing their food to strengthen self-management, resilience, and community-level food sovereignty.
21. CGIAR Generating Evidence and New Directions for Equitable Results (GENDER), International
The CGIAR Gender Platform works to provide research on gender in agriculture including delivering new evidence and identifying solutions to reduce inequalities.They also build alliances between scientists and partners to develop and strengthen gender work.
22. Changing Narratives Africa, Africa
Changing Narratives Africa celebrates Africas gastronomic ecosystem by showcasing diverse cooking methods, innovations, and brands across the continent. True to its title, the organization aims to change peoples perspectives of Africa and encourage them to experience its rich heritage.
23. Chefs for the Blue, Japan
Chefs for the Blue was established in 2017 as a collaboration between top chefs and food journalists from Tokyo. The team actively engages in collaborative projects that support a sustainable fishing industry across Japan.
24. Climate Farmers, The Netherlands
Climate Farmers works to scale regenerative agriculture in Europe from the ground up. Taking on a scientific approach, they develop methods to measure the impact of regenerative agriculture, gather relevant up-to-date information for farmers, and offer financial support for farmers to transform their farming practices.
25. CREATE!, Senegal
CREATE!s mission is to help rural populations in Senegal cope with the impact of climate change. The organization works with communities in Senegal to help them identify and meet needs in solution-driven development projects in renewable energy, community gardens, water, and income generation.
26. Crop Trust, International
Founded in 2004 by the Food and Agriculture Organization and Biodiversity International, the Crop Trust plays a crucial role in safeguarding crop diversity by funding gene banks and promoting the conservation, accessibility, and use of diverse food crops.
27. Cuba-US Agroecology Network (CUSAN), Cuba and the United States
Formed in response to the growing global corporate food regime, CUSAN works to support the agroecology movement in Cuba. They encourage collaboration between people, institutions, and movements that are dedicated to building an environmentally resilient, socially just, and economically fair farming system.
28. Danone Institute North America, United States and Canada
The Danone Institute promotes sustainable food systems by supporting transdisciplinary and community-based work. Their One Planet. One Health initiative reflects the institutes mission to improve human health through food and is funding teams to implement community-based projects focused on improving local food systems and nutrition.
29. Deep Medicine Circle, United States
Founded by physician, activist, writer, and professor, Rupa Marya, Deep Medicine Circle is an organization dedicated to cultivating a culture of care that supports the health and healing of people, plants, animals, and the earth.
30. Die Agronauten, Germany
Die Agronauten focuses their work on research and education on topics related to food and sustainable farming including regional and organic agriculture. They regularly host activities with schools, exhibitions, lectures and festivals to promote rural communities and livelihoods.
31. Eastern and Southern Africa Farmers Forum (ESAFF), Africa
ESAFF is a farmer-led and farmer-owned network of grassroots organizations across several countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. They unite and represent small-scale farmers, empowering them to voice their concerns and recommendations for policies and practices at grassroots, national, regional, and international levels.
32. European Food Information Council, Europe
The European Food Information Council is a non-profit organization prioritizing consumer rights by making the science behind food and nutrition more accessible to the public. They regularly publish science-based content on healthy living, food production, and food safety to educate and encourage consumers to live a healthier lifestyle.
33. First Nations Development Institute, United States
For the 10th year in a row, the First Nations Development Institute has received the top 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. The Institute works to improve economic conditions for Native Americans and their communities through training and education, advocacy, and financial support. They invest in youth, strengthen communities, advocate for conservation efforts, and improve access to healthy, sustainable and traditional foods.
34. Food Cycle Indonesia, Indonesia
Food Cycle Indonesia distributes surplus food from grocery stores, bakeries, and catered events to community members who face food insecurity. They work with over 121 donors, have saved over 205 tons of food and serve more than 35,000 people across Indonesia.
35. Food For Soul, Italy
Founded by Italian Chef Massimo Bottura, Food For Soul aims to build a culture of value that strengthens communities, opens up social and economic opportunities, and builds more equitable and healthy food systems.
36. Food Heritage Foundation, Lebanon
Food Heritage Foundation works to conserve Lebanons indigenous culinary traditions through raising consumer awareness and demand for healthy, local, and homemade meals. They create spaces for producers to educate consumers about culinary and agricultural traditions and directly sell products.
37. Food Hub, The Netherlands
Food Hub trains the next generation of food system leaders and supports existing initiatives working to improve the global food system. They offer a Food Hub Academy to train entrepreneurs, and support companies and organizations who are transforming their practices.
38. Food Recovery Network, United States
The Food Recovery Network is the largest student-led movement fighting hunger and food waste in the U.S. To date, they have recovered and donated over 5 million pounds of food to those in need.
39. FoodBank Rus, Russia
The foundation is the first food bank in Russia and works to distribute food and essential commodities to food insecure and low-income communities across Russia. They collect surplus food directly from manufacturers for several programs including providing free breakfasts for school-aged children and assistance for rural villages.
40. FoodCycle LA, United States
FoodCycle LA works to fight food waste and food insecurity by connecting food donors with over 160 food relief organizations. They built a Food Oasis Map to help food insecure individuals find food in Los Angeles as well as an app that directs surplus food to where it is most needed.
41. FoodPrint, United States
GRACE Communications Foundation formed FoodPrint as a project to develop innovative strategies to raise awareness about the impacts of the current industrialized food system. In addition to publishing reports and other educational materials, the organization shares resources to help consumers take action.
42. FoodWatch, Europe
FoodWatch advocates for consumer rights, transparent supply chains, and the right to food that is better for human and planetary health. As a citizen-based watchdog, the organization works to uncover unsustainable practices in the food industry that violate consumer rights and interests. Their campaigns aim to raise awareness and influence future policies.
43. Global Action Platform on Sustainable Consumption and Diets, International
The Global Action Platform on Sustainable Consumption and Diets highlights the importance of dietary change to achieve health, biodiversity, land-use, and climate goals. The Platform is working to emphasize the role of diets at major events including the U.N. Climate Change Conference and Stockholm+50.
44. Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), International
By making healthier diets more affordable and accessible, GAIN is working to end malnutrition. The organization works in nine countries including India, Ethiopia, and Kenya, operating programs that range from improving diets for children to strengthening food markets.
45. Global Alliance for the Future of Food, International
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122 Organizations Transforming Food Systems in 2022 Food Tank - Food Tank
