Global food systems require fundamental transformation to tackle hunger, enable good health, protect the environment, and safeguard long term food security. But ensuring sustainability and resilience in food systems is a complex challenge with many interacting local, regional and global factors. Change will require concerted and coordinated efforts from across government, research, business and civil society. But what are the pathways forward? What are the future risks and opportunities? What different scenarios might evolve in the future given the complexity and uncertainty of food systems?

Tackling these questions is the domain of foresight. Not to predict the future, but to better understand what future scenarios may arise, and what alternative pathways might be available.

The Foresight4Food initiative’s approach is framed around a food systems model, an overall framework for foresight, and a process model that shows how these elements can be integrated and put into practice.