The food we consume, the land and aquatic systems that produce it, and its impact on people, nature, and the planet shape not only our sustenance but also our health, economies, and the planet’s wellbeing. What makes food truly remarkable is its local, diverse, and cultural essence.
Despite this richness, our current globalized approach tends to favor top-down solutions when it comes to policy and innovation. This results in backlash from consumers and farmers who often feel marginalized and undervalued. Recent events, including ongoing farmers’ crises in Europe and previous uprisings in Asia and South America, underscore this disconnect.
Arnaud Rousseau, President of France’s largest farming union, has spoken pointedly about why such protests are erupting across Europe. He emphasizes the lack of understanding between the reality on the ground and the decisions taken by governments.
Coincidentally, he shares his last name with another Rousseau, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the well-known French philosopher from the 18th century. He believed in the inherent goodness of humans and argued for a society where people collectively shape their destinies, suggesting that genuine change originates from the grassroots level rather than from top-down governance.
What would a Rousseauian approach to food system leadership look like in today’s context?
This was the type of question and deep reflection that 19 leaders from 16 countries took on as part of the The Rockefeller Foundation-Acumen Food Systems Fellowship in 2023. This yearlong program aimed to equip leaders working on driving transformational change within various parts of the food system with the essential skills and a supportive community to advance our work on the ground.
By integrating our cohort’s wide-ranging expertise and frontline experiences, the Food Systems Fellowship allowed us to delve into the insights and teachings of historical figures such as Rousseau, as well as Thomas Hobbes, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others, and leverage them to enrich the discourse and broaden our perspectives around managing the complex challenges inherent in food systems today to handle the polarities and challenges today’s world presents.
We believe that an inclusive approach for systems-wide transformation must balance global and local perspectives, incorporate place-based innovation, foster collaboration between top-down and bottom-up approaches for policy and finance, and integrate modern science with traditional knowledge and practices. Inclusivity means bringing together a multitude of perspectives, including smallholder farmers, global research and development, finance, startups, activism, community mobilization, and non-profit organizations.
The African origin Ubuntu Philosophy on collectivism and interconnectedness of humanity—“I am because we are”—rings similar to Rousseau, providing us with a foundation for inclusive dialogue. “Ubuntu Food Systems” ensures that the most impacted stakeholders are integrated, not just as a token placeholder at the table, but through meaningful collaboration and mutual respect in addressing the complex challenges of our polarized world. Effective leadership in this regard, requires an emphasis on the urgency of action, long-term persistence, boldness, humility, and empathy.
Here, we present a few illustrative case studies from our cohort’s work together that embody the power of place-based innovation and grassroots empowerment in driving positive change within food systems. We hope to inspire other actors with tangible examples of inclusive approaches that balance the necessity of food security within a changing climate, nature based approaches that bridge global and local, top down versus bottom up, and scientific versus cultural.
Producers Direct, led by Claire Rhodes, empowers smallholder farmers through farmer-owned cooperatives, championing farmer leadership and collective action. Since their founding in 2009, Producers Direct has improved the livelihoods of 1.37 million smallholder farmers and their families across East Africa and Latin America, focusing on strengthening resilience, increasing incomes, and building farmers’ leadership. Producers Direct ensures that smallholders have a central role in all decision-making processes, including negotiating better market access and jointly owning their enterprises by championing farmer leadership in governance, program design, and delivery. Leveraging pioneering technology, Producers Direct blends farmer-led solutions with innovation to continue championing farmer leadership and advancing the resilience and prosperity of smallholder farming communities. Looking ahead, Producers Direct will expand its impact by growing an international, smallholder-owned cooperative that amplifies the collective voice and power of smallholder farmers.
Mama’s Kitchen, an initiative by Good Food Fund in China, led by Melinda Hou. Mama’s Kitchen is a space that connects all stakeholders from farm to table, including farmers, nutritionists, chefs, and sustainability experts. Mama’s Kitchen advocates for a plant-rich diet and underscores the importance of food provenance. The organization swiftly gained momentum in 2020 by launching a dynamic public engagement campaign in Dali, China, which included over 25 livestream programs and 80 short films that reached millions on social media. Subsequent initiatives in 2022 and 2023 expanded their impact, leading to widespread media recognition and solidifying their role in driving healthy and sustainable eating practices, both locally and globally. Despite initial challenges and pushbacks, Mama’s Kitchen successfully promoted plant-forward eating in China by aligning with the National dietary guidelines but further adapted to the local requirements and sensitivities. This approach not only addressed cultural sensitivities but also paved the way for broader adoption of sustainable food practices in China, making people’s food choices more conducive to personal and planetary health.
Garda Pangan, spearheaded by Eva Bachtiar, addresses Indonesia’s food loss and waste problem by redistributing safe, edible surplus food and converting organic scraps into animal feed. The organization has firsthand experience of how the absence of supporting regulations hinders many grassroots efforts to rescue edible food and distribute it to those most in need. Recognizing this gap, Eva voiced her aspirations to the government by writing and publishing a comprehensive policy brief. She has since continued the bottom-up advocacy process with Indonesia’s national government for two years. The effort has borne fruit, as the government recently announced they are drafting the first food loss and waste reduction bill.
MA’O Organic Farms, led by Cheryse Kaui Sana Kaui, has a mission to grow organic produce and empower youth leaders in Waianae, Hawai’i. Kaui manages a 281 acre certified organic farm while mentoring 40-50 young adults that participate in a Youth Leadership Training Internship and a staff team of 30 full-time staff. Their mentorship and training include learning about organic farming practices, community engagement, and indigenous leadership development. Hawaiʻi is currently importing 85-90 percent of its food into the islands. MAʻO Farms’ goal is to increase its organic produce production 10-fold to decrease Hawaiʻi’s dependence on imports. The farm is in the middle of a 10-year expansion plan that will increase farm operations to meet this goal. They are building a future of māʻona, of plenty, by connecting people and land through the daily practice of aloha ʻāina (loving/caring of the land), empowering youth to succeed in college and secure sustaining careers, and growing organic produce that yields individual and communal vitality.
These are just a few examples. In fact, each of the cohort members has a story to tell of Rosseauian leadership and Ubuntu Philosophy lived day to day in their work and throughout their change-making organizations.
We would like to put forward and pose the following questions to food systems leaders reimagining food systems:
1. Which issues in the global or local food system are you most passionate to address?
2. What tensions and polarities need to be balanced?
3. How can you create the space for multiple perspectives to be genuinely heard and for collaborative action to emerge?
4. What do you imagine for the future?
Leaning in, we would love to hear from you on your views, experiences. Join us in building bridges, breaking silos and developing more collaborative leadership by sharing your views and insights.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the authors are personal opinions and do not reflect the views of any specific organization.
This article was written by Dan Zook, Executive Director ISF Advisors – Financing Food System Transformation; Sanjoo Malhotra, Food Systems Consultant & Platform Manager WWF Global Action Platform on Sustainable Consumption and Diets; and Christine Gould, CEO and Founder of Thought For Food, Author “The Changemakers Guide to Feed the Planet.”
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Photo courtesy of Producers Direct
