Global Alliance for Future of Food Call for Ideas on Food Systems Transformation

8 May 2018: The Global Alliance is pleased to announce a Call for Ideas – 2050: Visions for Global Food Systems Transformation. We invite our vast and diverse networks across borders and disciplines to help craft innovative, inspiring, bold, transformative visions for a healthy, equitable, renewable, resilient, and culturally diverse future of food shaped by people, communities, and their institutions.

Deadline for letters of intent: Friday 08 June 2018

The Global Alliance for the Future of Food is a strategic alliance of philanthropic foundations working together and with others to transform global food systems now and for future generations.

We believe ensuring the sustainability, security, and equity of our food system is one of the most defining issues of our time. The future of food is at stake, and the status quo is jeopardizing the efforts of many foundations, governments, businesses, farmers, and others to promote food access, food security, food equity, human health, and a sustainable environment.

Transformational change is needed. Food systems reform requires that we craft new and better solutions at all scales through a systems-level approach and deep collaboration between philanthropy, researchers, grassroots movements, the private sector, farmers and food systems workers, Indigenous Peoples, government, and policymakers.

For current and future generations, this is a shared responsibility upon which we, as a global community, simply must act to find new positive pathways forward, together. We are committed to realizing sustainable, secure, and equitable food systems and we know there are a host of others committed to the same ambitious goal.

The Opportunity

Deep and lasting change can only come from the confluence of perspectives and dialogue across multiple sectors that do not ordinarily work together to seek a collective path forward.

To this end, the Global Alliance is pleased to announce a Call for Ideas – 2050: Visions for Global Food Systems Transformation. We invite our vast and diverse networks across borders and disciplines to help craft innovative, inspiring, bold, transformative visions for a healthy, equitable, renewable, resilient, and culturally diverse future of food shaped by people, communities, and their institutions.

Through this initiative the Global Alliance seeks to:

a) Foster collaboration among diverse “system actors” and collaborate with them by nurturing deep and trusting relationships as the basis for long-term, creative, and productive collaborations;

b) Contribute to the global discourse on the future of food by advancing transformational aspirations for systems change; and,

c) Employ 2050: Visions for Global Food Systems Transformation to stimulate local and global action on food systems reform within its member organizations, the broader world of philanthropy, and with partners and allies, so that we collectively accelerate food systems transformation across sectors, scales, and geographies.

Project Parameters

2050: Visions for Global Food Systems Transformation will be an open call, crowd-sourced from around the globe with the intention of soliciting a diverse array of innovative, inspiring, bold, transformative visions for a healthy, equitable, renewable, resilient, and culturally diverse future of food shaped by people, communities, and their institutions.

As a strategic alliance guided by both a) a set of principles, and b) a global systems transformation approach, we ask that submissions explicitly take into consideration how their vision responds to:

Global Alliance Principles as a comprehensive and interconnected whole:

• Renewability: Address the integrity of natural and social resources that are the foundation of a healthy planet and future generations in the face of changing global and local demands
• Resilience: Support regenerative, durable, and economically adaptive systems in the face of a changing planet
• Equity: Promote sustainable livelihoods and access to nutritious and just food systems for all
• Diversity: Value our rich and diverse agricultural, ecological, and cultural heritage
• Healthfulness: Advance the health and well-being of people, animals, the environment, and the societies that depend on all three
• Interconnectedness: Understand the implications of the interdependence of food, people, and the planet in a transition to more sustainable food systems

Global Systems Transformation (Blue Marble) Approach as a comprehensive and interconnected whole:

Global Systems Thinking – Apply global systems thinking to any and all aspects of global systems change, including: target change globally; connect global and local perspectives, knowledge, and understandings; integrate and coordinate interventions across sectors, issues, problems, and traditional program areas

Globalization Knowledge – Design and implement global initiatives with an understanding of globalization history, patterns, dynamics, issues, and realities, including: know and take into account historical attempts at global systems change and how they inform present and future interventions; know and take into consideration diverse perspectives on globalization history, patterns, dynamics, issues and realities; and design and implement global initiatives with attention to both formal and informal structures and relationships

Transformational Change – Ensure that what is called transformational is transformational in degree, nature, scope, speed, and magnitude of change, including: base interventions on an evidence-based transformational theory of change; catalyze and connect multiple initiatives worldwide; and apply systems thinking and complexity theory to transformational change initiatives globally

Inclusion of ideas and evidence found in significant global reports, including but not limited to IAASTD, IPCC, The Lancet, and others, is not required, but is welcomed and should be referenced.

Guiding questions could include: What will truly sustainable, equitable, secure food systems look like in 2050 if our principles are realized? What will their outcomes be? What transformational changes will be needed to get us there?  Who are the key stakeholders and what is their role in this transformation agenda?

Selection Process and Timetable:

Stage I requires a 1-2 page Letter of Intent (LOI) from authors or author teams. This submission should identify the core elements of the 2050: Visions for Global Food Systems Transformation, including:

a) Core elements of 2050 Transformative Vision

b) Reference to the author or team’s approach vis-à-vis project parameters

c) Composition of project team

d) Expertise / experience in food systems transformation

e) Work approach / methodology

As well, submissions should include over and above the 1-2 page LOI:

f) Short biographies or CV of the project lead and team members

g) Two short writing samples: ideally published papers/articles/reports on similar topics

h) Listing of key networks to which the project team has deep and loose connections

The Global Alliance Steering Committee in consultation with its members will choose 5-10 authors / author teams to move to Stage II of the process. If selected, the Global Alliance will provide $5,000 USD to each team to develop an approximately 10-page 2050: Visions for Global Food Systems Transformation.

A Stage III focused on connection between and synthesis of 2050: Visions for Global Food Systems Transformation is possible in 2019 based on outcomes of Stage II.

Selection Criteria:

The following criteria will be used to assess LOIs:

• Collaborative nature of author teams – collaborative teams will have preference over individuals
• Qualifications and diverse perspectives of author teams, including a diversity of sector, geography, perspective, gender, age, etc.
• Degree to which proposals are transformational in degree, nature, scope, speed, and magnitude of change
• Fidelity to GA principles and Global Systems Transformation approach in the proposal
• Clarity of the proposal
• Quality of previous writing projects
• Ability to work within the scope and timeframe
• Potential connection to, and engagement of, collective network

Application Timeline:

Call for Letters of Intent: Monday 07 May 2018

LOI deadline: Friday 08 June 2018

Decisions for phase II communicated: Monday 02 July 2018

Deadline for 2050 Visions: Friday 28 September 2018

Compendium and synthesis released: February 2019

Please submit 1-2 page LOIs, including biographies, writing samples, and network list, as a singular PDF document to Lauren Baker, Director of Programs, at lauren@futureoffood.org by Friday 08 June 2018. Inquiries and questions can also be sent to Lauren. 

This article was originally published by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, https://futureoffood.org/