Climate Change Demands Food System Innovations

Climate change is pushing our global food systems to a breaking point, with severe impacts already visible. As temperatures rise and weather patterns become more erratic, food security is increasingly at risk. The 2023 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report reveals significant yield losses in major crops across the world. Vulnerable regions, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of South America, are feeling the strain as agricultural productivity drops due to extreme heat, rainfall, and environmental degradation. 

Western Africa, for instance, has seen millet yields drop by 10-20 percent and sorghum by 5-15 percent due to rising temperatures. Meanwhile, regions like Australia have experienced a 27 percent reduction in wheat yields from 1990 to 2015. These changes, combined with increased CO2 concentrations, are also reducing the nutritional value of crops, further exacerbating malnutrition risks, particularly in tropical and arid regions (IPCC 2023).

Climate change is affecting food systems and presents a major contributor to a growing food crisis. In order to sustainably and equitably feed a growing global population, expected to reach 10 billion by mid-century, innovative and transforming system solutions are essential. On the other hand, climate change is also affected by food system practices: Greenhouse gas emission, methane from livestock, inefficient uses of water and soil resources offer major opportunities for climate positive food system solutions. 

The annual Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge, hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and funded and initiated by the Seeding The Future Foundation, aims to drive such innovations. The Challenge encourages scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and innovators to develop enabling and scalable solutions focusing at the intersection of three critical areas:

• Safe and nutritious food
• Sustainable practices that are climate positive, including minimizing food loss and food waste 
• Equitable access to affordable, attractive, and trusted food

The Challenge prioritizes two criteria when selecting winners: impact and novelty. Applicants compete for Seed Grants, Growth Grants, and Grand Prizes based on the development stage of their innovations. Over the past three years, more than 2,400 teams from 100+ countries have submitted groundbreaking ideas, building a rich pipeline of solutions designed to improve food systems while addressing climate change.

Innovating for a Sustainable Future

Each year, the Challenge highlights a diverse array of projects focused on food system transformation. For instance, this year’s Seed Grant winners and finalists range from regenerative agriculture initiatives to advanced weather prediction models for smallholder farmers. These innovations tackle climate change at its root, whether by improving soil health, reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers, or developing new aquaponics systems that combine fish farming with soilless crop production.

Several standout projects specifically address the dual challenges of climate change and food security:

• Naandi Foundation is implementing a synergistic regenerative agriculture model to support farmers transitioning away from conventional, chemical-based farming approaches in India. The model prioritizes biodiversity over monocultures, regeneration over extraction, and biological agri-inputs over chemicals. 

• Acceso is eliminating aflatoxin from smallholder supply chains, a major problem exacerbated by rising global temperatures. Their approach combines economic incentives, rigorous testing, and strategic logistics to prevent contamination at every level, from the farm to the consumer.

• Safe Environment Hub is developing technology to produce protein-rich fish and poultry feed from black soldier fly larvae utilizing organic biowaste in Nairobi, Kenya. The project addresses critical issues in the face of rapid urbanization and population growth, especially in major cities like Nairobi. It generates employment for youth, contributes to livelihood transformation, and mitigates climate change by reducing waste pollution and greenhouse gas emission. 

• The International Food Policy Research Institute has developed nutrient-dense porridges for use in school feeding programs in Zambia. The porridges utilize biofortified traditional food crops that are often farmed and produced by women and contribute to their household income.

The Path Forward

Climate change demands urgent action. The Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge recognizes this by incentivizing innovative solutions that address the most pressing food system challenges. Whether it’s reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving irrigation and nutrient management, or advancing renewable energy technologies for food storage and processing, the Challenge encourages a holistic and always human-centered approach to food sustainability.

As climate-induced risks rise, the Challenge’s annual competition fosters an ever-growing network of innovators whose solutions drive meaningful change. Together, these innovations are creating a future where nutritious, safe, and affordable food is available to all and within planetary boundaries.

Applications for the 2024 Global Food System Challenge open on November 1, 2024. Learn more about the eligibility requirements and application process on the Challenge web site. 

Bernhard van Lengerich, PhD, is founder of the Seeding The Future Foundation and the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge.