A two-day foresight and systems-thinking workshop at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi, where 40 national and county-level stakeholders came together to explore the question: how can foresight be activated to catalyse Kenya’s food system transformation process?

As Bangladesh faces rapid population growth, climate uncertainty, shifting diets, and evolving markets, planning for the future of its food system has never been more urgent. Mohammad Monirul Hasan, Facilitator Foresight4Food FoSTr Bangladesh shares his observations on FoSTr programme's activities in Bangladesh.

These days the world is a turbulent place, posing challenges for all food systems stakeholders – and headaches for policy makers. Policy makers, tasked with key responsibilities in governance decisions and policy formulation and implementation, are faced with complex, interconnected and dynamic issues amid political sensitivity and ambiguity.

Foresight4Food FoSTr Programme in Uganda has been a transformative journey, that brought together diverse voices to imagine, question, and shape the future of the country’s food systems. Charles Muyanja, Country Facilitator FoSTr Uganda, shares his reflections on what made the process meaningful and how foresight thinking is shaping Uganda’s path forward.

We’re excited to launch our new guide: “Using Foresight for Food Systems Transformation – A Guide for Policymakers, Practitioners, and Researchers.” Developed collaboratively by the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and Foresight4Food, this guide is being released today to coincide with the UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake (UNFSS+4), taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from July 27 to 29.

In today’s rapidly changing world, it’s vital to reassess our approach to foresight if we aim to make meaningful transitions toward a better future. But first, I want to reverse the perspective. Why should we engage with foresight in the first place? Why should foresight be central to our strategy for navigating today’s uncertainties and transitioning toward a more sustainable world?

FAO published the ‘The Future of Food and Agriculture – Drivers and triggers for transformation’ report. The key triggers and drivers for transformation are identified based on a diverse and wide range of literature and expert knowledge and then applied to four scenarios to achieve the FAO goal of ‘Four Betters’: better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life.

A rapid transformation of food systems is necessary to end poverty and hunger, protect the environment, improve rural livelihoods, and ensure resilience to future shocks. Such transformative change requires a long-term perspective and understanding of the risks and opportunities in different possible food system futures – the purpose of foresight.