Food Security - From the Global to the Local Dimension

Abstract

Food and nutrition security, environmental health, and social well-being are core outcomes of sustainable food systems and central to the UN Agenda 2030. Women and youth play key roles in shaping these systems but face systemic barriers. This course explores strategies to empower them as drivers of transformation, drawing on FAO evidence and research projects like the NICE project.

Objective

This year, the course focuses on women and youth engagement in food and nutrition security and sustainable food systems. Women and youth are disproportionately affected by climate change, resource scarcity, and socio-economic inequalities, yet they hold immense potential to lead transformative change. According to FAO’s report The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems, women represent 36% of the agricultural workforce globally but face persistent gaps in access to resources, technology, and decision-making. Similarly, youth often lack opportunities for meaningful participation in governance and innovation. Empowering these groups is essential for achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). The course will examine systemic approaches, tools, and policies that strengthen agency, equity, and resilience in food systems, leveraging insights from peer reviewed literature, FAO’s work and the NICE project’s community-based nutrition interventions. Participants will explore: - Evidence on gender and youth disparities in agrifood systems. - Approaches to enhance agency and participation in agrifood system governance. - Case studies on inclusive innovations and nutrition-sensitive interventions. Learning objectives: (i) Get to know FAO as an organization, its role and initiatives related to gender equality, youth engagement, and food systems transformation. (ii) Deep dive into the concept of food and nutrition security with a focus on agency and empowerment of women and youth. (iii) Explore and analyze strategies, tools, and policies that promote gender-responsive and youth-inclusive food systems, including trade-offs and synergies with other sectors (e.g., health, education, energy). (iv) Discuss these concepts with experts from FAO, other Rome-based agencies, and practitioners working on inclusive food system governance. (v) Examine the links between empowerment, agricultural production, healthy diets, and nutrition-sensitive value chains. (vi) Reflect on the roles of different actors—policy makers, UN agencies, research institutions, civil society, private sector—in creating enabling environments for women and youth.

Content

Eradicating hunger and ensuring food and nutrition security for all requires inclusive food systems that recognize and strengthen the roles of women and youth. Students will critically analyze barriers and opportunities for empowerment through desk research, discussions, and expert exchanges. Key themes: (i) Dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilization, stability, sustainability, and agency—with emphasis on agency as defined by the CFS High Level Panel of Experts. (ii) Gender and youth disparities in access to resources, markets, and decision-making. (iii) Climate change impacts on rural women and youth (The Unjust Climate report). (iv) Inclusive governance and participatory approaches for sustainable food systems. (v) NICE project case studies on community-based nutrition interventions and behavior change strategies. The core element of the course is a three-day workshop at FAO in Rome (08.–10.04.2026), where students will engage with experts on gender, youth, and food system transformation. Students will address three main aspects: (i) Concepts and tools for inclusive and sustainable food systems. (ii) Critical reflection on gender and youth roles in food and nutrition security. (iii) Perspectives of diverse actors—farmers, processors, policy makers, civil society—on empowerment and systemic change. Integration of the NICE Project: The NICE project (Nutrition in City Ecosystems) will be integrated into the course as a practical case study to illustrate how community-based interventions can empower women and youth to improve nutrition outcomes. Students will: (i) Analyze NICE’s approach to nutrition-sensitive food environments and behavior change strategies. (ii) Explore how NICE strengthens agency and participation of women and youth in urban and peri-urban food systems. (iii) Work on group projects that apply NICE principles to hypothetical or real-world contexts, focusing on inclusive governance and sustainable diets. (iv) Engage with collaborators of the NICE project and materials and data generated in the project to understand the link between local interventions and global food system transformation.

Resources