Food Systems

Food systems and land use are fundamental to global health, nutrition, and economies—yet nearly 2 billion hectares of land are degraded, undermining production and ecosystem services. Agriculture occupies 37 percent of land, drives up to 80 percent of deforestation, and contributes roughly 35 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while depleting freshwater and eroding biodiversity. These pressures are compounded by population growth, shifting diets toward higher-protein foods, and the ecological intensity of lengthening supply chains. Degradation also worsens governance and equity outcomes, disproportionately affecting women, Indigenous Peoples, and low-income groups, and heightening risks of conflict and migration. 

Challenges and Opportunities

Unsustainable practices—monocultures, excessive pesticide use, and intensive livestock systems—degrade soil, water, and biodiversity, and increase zoonotic disease risks. In contrast, “blue foods” such as fish and aquatic plants offer lower-impact alternatives but remain underrepresented in policy and investment agendas. 

Pathways for Systemic Change

An integrated approach is essential to reconcile production, livelihood, and environmental goals. This includes:

• Climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land management, and restoration
• Supply-chain measures that avoid deforestation and boost carbon storage (e.g., reduced tillage, integrated crop–livestock systems, agroforestry)
• Cross-sector policy coherence and spatial land-use planning
• Private-sector partnerships across value chains
• Multi-stakeholder platforms aligned with global restoration agendas
• Gender-responsive actions that secure land and resource rights and economic empowerment
• Scaling sustainable, diversified, regenerative practices across entire food systems

The Global Environment Facility's Approach

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) aims to transform food systems to be nature-positive, resilient, and less polluting by pursuing three interlinked goals:

• Promote sustainability and resilience in food systems
• Tackling deforestation in commodity supply chains
• Scaling restoration of degraded lands in production systems

This transformation must be systemic—embedding sustainability across the entire food value chain, from farm to fork—while balancing agricultural productivity with biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and human wellbeing. 

The GEF is making significant investments in food systems programs to support sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship worldwide. Through country projects spanning multiple countries and regions, the GEF is working with a range of partners and agencies to address key challenges in food systems, focusing on commodities such as crops, livestock, and horticulture. Together, these efforts aim to foster innovation, promote sustainable practices, and drive positive change across global food systems. 

The GEF plays a catalytic role in transforming food systems and land use practices to be nature positive, climate resilient, and pollution reduced. Past and current initiatives include the Resilient Food Systems and Good Growth Partnership under GEF-6, the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Program under GEF-7, and the Food Systems Integrated Program (FSIP) under GEF-8.  

Alignment with Convention Guidance

Major international conventions served by the GEF—including the Paris Agreement (UNFCCC), UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action, and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)—call for sustainable agriculture, biodiversity protection, and responsible land management. Food systems programs, like the Integrated Program (IP), help mitigate climate change and promote landscape stewardship. Under CBD, these initiatives support conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity, advancing key targets such as sustainable management, pollution reduction, and food waste minimization (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) targets Target 4, 7, 10, 16, 18). Food systems efforts also contribute to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)’s Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets and support global chemical conventions by reducing hazardous pesticides and improving water quality in line with SDG 6.