CFS policy products as a catalyst for agrifood systems transformation in support of National Convenors

Transforming our agrifood systems is no longer optional. Climate shocks, rising inequality, conflicts, and the persistent burden of malnutrition have made it clear: the way we produce, distribute and consume food must change – and quickly. Yet national leaders tasked with steering this transformation often face a complicated reality: fragmented mandates, competing interests, overlapping policies, and the perennial challenge of aligning diverse stakeholders around a shared pathway.

Amid this complexity, one source of guidance stands out for its legitimacy and inclusiveness: the policy products of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

A compass for coherence in fragmented policy landscapes

CFS policy products – such as Voluntary Guidelines, Principles, and Policy Recommendations – are globally negotiated, science-based and evidence-informed instruments designed to help governments strengthen governance, develop coherent policies, and accelerate inclusive transformation of their agrifood systems. These tools are intended to support relevant actors, such as National Convenors, inter-ministerial committees, and policymakers, striving to turn agrifood systems commitments into concrete national action.

Most countries do not suffer from a lack of food-related policies; they suffer from too many. Health, agriculture, trade, environment, social protection, and education ministries all hold pieces of the agrifood systems puzzle. CFS policy products help connect all these pieces.

The CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition, for example, provide integrated guidance that bridges sectors which typically work in silos, to support efforts to frame agrifood systems transformation not as a single initiative but as a coherent, cross-government strategy.

A blueprint for inclusive governance

Transformation cannot succeed if people feel excluded from the process. CFS policy products uniquely emphasize inclusive, rights-based governance, offering governments practical guidance on how to bring civil society, Indigenous Peoples, worker associations, the private sector, research institutions, and national and global development partners into the policy dialogue.

For National Convenors, who often shoulder the responsibility of coordinating diverse stakeholders from different sectors, CFS provides a wide variety of policy recommendations that are developed through a multi-stakeholder and evidence-based approach and endorsed by Member Countries along the years. This means high political legitimacy and wide acceptance among Member Countries, a neutral reference point that can help overcome political fragmentation and, last but not least, an internationally endorsed guidance that could be used to ensure coherence, alignment and coordination between national food, agriculture, health, climate, and social policies and stakeholders.

Agrifood system transformation requires breaking silos. In this context, CFS policy products offer guidance on a wide variety of topics and integrate food security and nutrition, climate and environmental sustainability, social inclusion and equity, economic development and livelihoods, gender and resilience.

These policy products are intended to help countries identify and address existing trade-offs, balance competing interests, and improve the opportunities of success through sustained implementation beyond political cycles.

A bridge between global commitments and action at national level

In a crowded landscape of development frameworks, CFS policy products can act as a catalyst to translate global aspirations into actionable national policies.

They can inform the development of National Pathways and support the work of National Convenors in a coherent and practical manner.

At its 53^rd Plenary Session held in October 2025, the Committee highlighted the important role of international initiatives and fora to sustain political momentum and foster collective action for food security and nutrition.

The Committee also stressed the importance of promoting collaboration to support the translation of CFS policy products into concrete actions at national level in order to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security. In this context, the Committee underlined the importance of strengthening linkages and identifying potential synergies with relevant stakeholders such as the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Coordination Hub.

As CFS Chair, one key priority for my tenure is to scale up the implementation of CFS policy products by working closely with change makers for agrifood system transformation.

I consider the UNFSS Coordination Hub a crucial partner and ally to promote the use of CFS policy products at country level and I believe that National Convenors represent the right interlocutor to work with to jointly advance agrifood systems transformation.

Many concrete efforts have been made by National Convenors in the last few years to translate the CFS global policy guidance into concrete actions in countries, and it is my intention to give the appropriate visibility to the outcomes of these uptake activities.

At the same time, ongoing discussions aim to systematize and institutionalize collaboration between CFS and the UNFSS Coordination Hub and its structures and stakeholders to raise awareness and build capacities of national stakeholders to apply CFS policy products in national strategies, legislation, policies and programmes, and developing inclusive decision-making processes.

National Convenors stand at the intersection of global commitments and national realities. When anchored in CFS policy products, this work can help align institutions, bridge sectors, and keep food security and nutrition at the centre of national decision-making.

Strengthening the use of these globally endorsed policy tools is not about adding new frameworks, but about making existing commitments work better—for governments, for stakeholders, and for the people agrifood systems are meant to serve.