Why food systems must prioritise nutrition, not just quantity

The numbers, however, paint a stark picture. The 2024 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, published by the U.N Food and Agriculture Organization and partners, estimates that 3.1 billion people—nearly 40% of the global population—cannot afford a healthy diet. Inflation, conflict, and the lingering economic fallout from COVID-19 have deepened food insecurity.

Meanwhile, the 2024 Food Systems Countdown Report, a global tracking initiative, reveals that only 20 of 42 key food system indicators are improving. Progress is sluggish, and food security alone won’t solve malnutrition. All hungry people are malnourished, but not all malnourished people are hungry. Most don’t feel empty stomachs; they feel the silent erosion of brittle bones, weakened immunity, and dulled minds—symptoms that creep in unnoticed until it’s too late.

Africa underscores the urgency of the matter. Home to the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population—projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, according to U.N estimates—its future hinges on affordable nutrition. Without it, talent withers, potential fades, and hopes dim.

A malnourished generation risks stunting not just individual lives but the continent’s global influence. Transforming food systems for nutrition demands action on multiple fronts: cross-sector decision-making, coherent policies, targeted budgets, robust data, and vigilant monitoring. It also requires a private sector motivated to prioritize nutrition—not just for altruism but for profit.

Yet, current systems fall short. Recent aid cuts, like Britain’s 2021 reduction of overseas development assistance from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income, mean fewer resources for nutrition programs, putting millions of children at risk.

Smarter use of remaining aid is non-negotiable. The biggest untapped opportunity lies in redirecting the massive resource flows within food systems—trillions of dollars annually, much of it controlled by private players, including smallholder farmers. Incentives must align nutrition with business interests.

Take agriculture for instance. Subsidies worldwide, totalling $600 billion yearly according to the World Bank, often prop up staple crops like rice and wheat while neglecting nutrient-rich options like pulses, vegetables, fruits, eggs, and dairy.

Shifting these incentives could flood markets with healthier choices. Public procurement—think school lunches or safety nets—rarely prioritizes small and medium processors supplying fortified or biofortified foods. It should. Workplace regulations could push employers to offer nutritious meals on-site, boosting productivity. They don’t. Even climate strategies, obsessed with emissions, overlook nutrition-rich crops vital for sustainable farming. They shouldn’t.

Aid can seed these shifts, but development finance institutions (DFIs) must step up too. Historically, DFIs like the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation have funnelled billions into roads and ports—$24 billion in 2023 alone—while treating nutrition as an afterthought.

Brainpower matters more than bridges. Rickety minds derail progress, no matter how smooth the highways. DFIs need lending tools retooled for nutrition-focused investments, like supporting domestic vegetable supply chains over export-driven monocultures. Aid can de-risk this pivot, proving the returns.

Nowhere is collaboration more vital than in Africa, where 282 million people faced hunger in 2023, according to SOFI. Governments, businesses, and civil society must unite to ensure that affordable, nutritious food reaches the vulnerable—from rural farmers to urban slums.

The Paris Summit offers a chance to turn pledges into action. Japan’s 2021 Nutrition for Growth commitments, which mobilized $2.8 billion for malnutrition programs, show what’s possible. But rhetoric won’t cut it; results will.

A nutrition-first food system is within reach—if we act with urgency. It’s not just a health goal. It’s an agricultural priority, an educational imperative, an employment booster, and a climate win. Nutrition unlocks a healthier, more resilient, and equitable future. The summit must galvanize governments to rewrite subsidies, businesses to rethink supply chains, and donors to realign aid. Africa’s youth and the world deserve nothing less.

Alice Ruhweza is president of AGRA, an African-led alliance for sustainable farming. Lawrence Haddad is executive director of GAIN, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition