Our Focus
Food systems are fundamental to the sustainable development of the 170 countries UNDP supports. They are often the largest contributors to national economies, food and nutrition are essential for citizen health, and food systems play a key role in achieving the SDGs.
C3 Labs
C3 Labs (Collaboration for Complex Challenges) is a global initiative that convenes leaders and institutions across sectors to drive systemic change through deep, trust-based collaboration—tackling urgent challenges like food insecurity and climate disruption.
Conscious Food Systems Alliance (CoFSA)
The Conscious Food Systems Alliance (CoFSA) is a movement of food, agriculture, and consciousness practitioners, convened by UNDP, and united around a common goal: to support people from across food and agriculture systems to cultivate the inner capacities that activate systemic change and regeneration.
INVOLVE Communities
Building on the convening power of UNDP and the Good Growth Partnership, the Community connects food and commodity practitioners around the world and provides a safe space for them to share their knowledge and experience.
Food and Power Initiative
The Food and Power Initiative (FPI) is an emerging global programme which aims to support countries and stakeholders to better understand, navigate and address the power dynamics of food systems transformation.
Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR)
The FOLUR Impact Program, led by the World Bank and supported by the GEF, aims to transform food systems through sustainable landscapes and efficient value chains. Through the Good Growth Partnership, UNDP supports the Global Platform, which assists 27 Country Projects focused on eight key commodities: beef, cocoa, corn, coffee, palm oil, rice, soy, and wheat.
Green Commodities Programme
The Green Commodities Programme (GCP), funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), was launched by UNDP in 2010 to improve the economic, social, and environmental performance of agricultural commodity sectors—supporting farmers’ livelihoods while protecting forests and vulnerable ecosystems.
Systems Monitoring, Learning & Evaluation (SMLE)
The Systems Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (SMLE) initiative was launched by UNDP in 2023, with support from the Gates Foundation, to rethink how monitoring, learning, and evaluation can better be used to address complex challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, and biodiversity loss.
Fit For Fair
Fit for FAIR supports Rwanda’s coffee sector to meet emerging due diligence requirements through multi-stakeholder collaboration, strengthening traceability systems, and co-creating solutions that protect smallholder livelihoods and ensure continued access to global markets.
Sustainable Landscape Programme Indonesia (SLPI)
The Sustainable Landscape Programme Indonesia (SLPI) supports sustainable land use, responsible commodity production, and inclusive rural development across selected landscapes in Sumatra and Kalimantan, where agricultural production, forest conservation, and community livelihoods intersect.
Causality Assessment for Landscape Interventions
The CALI is systems-informed design and sensemaking tool that helps project teams understand and navigate the complex dynamics shaping landscapes. It supports organizations in building the knowledge and capacity needed to design effective strategies that balance sustainable commodity production with forest preservation at the landscape level.
Effective Collaborative Action
Effective Collaborative Action (ECA) is UNDP’s flagship methodology that systematically approaches the development and strengthening of collaboration and food systems change.
Farmer Support Systems
Farmer Support Systems, a guidance note which encourages and guides governments to develop new partnerships, enable innovation and strengthen financing for farmer support systems for sustainable commodity production.
MEL 360 and its Food Systems Toolkit
MEL 360 and its Food Systems Toolkit are a flexible, practical framework designed to help Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) professionals, funders, and managers apply systems-informed MEL in real-world projects, programmes, and portfolios.
Targeted Scenario Analysis
UNDP’s Targeted Scenario Analysis (TSA) is an innovative sector-centred economic analysis approach, a powerful tool to drive sustainable policy reform that captures the policy objectives of sector decision-makers by collaboratively defining specific policy questions.
News & Blogs
The latest news, articles, publications, and resources from our food systems work.
Publications
UNDP Food Systems publications showcase the project’s thought leadership and expertise and play a key role in fulfilling our mandate to support the realisation of the SDGs and encourage global development.
Former Initiatives
An overview of former initiatives, highlighting their contributions, knowledge products, and impact in advancing food systems transformation.
Our Team
UNDP Food Systems is formed by a multi-skilled growing team of global professionals, technical experts, and country officers.
Our Donors and Partners
Partnership is at the heart of everything UNDP does. UNDP Food Systems partners with sectors' leaders, who are ready to cut across the silos of the food production and supply chains in order to contribute to the wellbeing of local communities and our planet.
