Africa is producing more food than ever. However, access to healthy and nutritious food produced in a climate smart manner that ensures food security now and in the future remains a major challenge. Obesity and micronutrient deficiencies have risen as serious problems threatening public health. The Food Cuisine program raises awareness of the need to shift to sustainable food systems by build enabling conditions for the uptake of sustainable practices across food systems, increased access to actionable information and tools to make food systems more sustainable, support (young) entrepreneurs that practice or enable sustainable food production and consumption and to build synergies and cooperation to enhance and facilitate the shift to sustainable food systems.

To face the challenges around the African food system we need radical rethinking. We must recognise that a diverse food system builds on the productivity and nutrition potential of agricultural biodiversity in food systems, and actually holds great potential in term of socio-economic and environmental impact. It connects to sustainable diets, which are healthy and diverse, respectful of ecosystems, culturally acceptable and economically fair and affordable for all. Citizens play a vital role as they pull for more sustainable food, crucial to build a new food systems that enables (young) women and men to use and develop their knowledge to further improve the diversity in production and consumption systems.