Diversity in production systems, from plot to landscape, contributes to the preservation of biodiversity, allows for better, more adaptive use of natural resources and provides livelihood opportunities including for women and vulnerable social groups. It is an essential component of resilience of landscapes, farming systems and households to shocks whatever their origin, climatic, biological (pests and diseases) or economic (price volatility). Diversity is one of the main ways to ensure a balanced and healthy diet. The considerable pressure for simplification, driven by economies of scale and facility from production to transformation and distribution, needs to be counteracted by efficient measures that preserve and foster diversity all over food systems, from production to consumption.

Fruits, nuts and vegetables are among the most nutrient-dense foods but they are underconsumed in most countries. Their production can allow to increase income per hectare with improved income particularly for small holders. All nuts and the majority of fruits are grown on trees. Agricultural and food policies that are often focused on staple crops need to be reoriented to integrate the specificities of and benefits provided by the production of fruits, nuts and vegetables.

Gender equality and social inclusion are a necessary foundation for achieving sustainable food systems and all related Sustainable Development Goals. Sectoral policies and programmes as well as cross-sector collaboration should promote synergies among equality, food security, livelihood, and environmental goals to ensure that marginalized members of society can benefit from and contribute to food system transformations. Gender-responsive policies should support women’s control over land and other assets, capacities and networks, and leadership, voice and influence across scales. Rights-based approaches can enable rural women, indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups to be agents of change in food system transformation.

Food production, transformation and distribution are the biggest providers of livelihoods at global level. The food sector is also where the majority of the poor and, paradoxically, of food insecure people, are to be found. Inclusive models of value chains that ensure participation and equity, including for women, youth and vulnerable groups and recognition of the value of natural resources and ecosystem services can drive the transformation of food systems towards more sustainability.

Indigenous food systems, including the knowledge and values embedded in them, are a model of sustainable use of natural resources. Their preservation is essential to protect and sustainably manage forests, biodiversity and other natural resources. They can provide a source of inspiration to bring a global transformation of food systems towards more sustainability in terms of values (sustainable management of resources, reduced waste, social values, sharing, link to health…), responsibility (towards land and biodiversity, society, future generations), and practices. The contributions of traditional diets, rich in diverse nutritious foods, to health and sustainable food systems, need to be better understood and promoted.

It is estimated that, at the global level, up to 25 percent of all land (forests, cropland, rangelands and grassland) is highly degraded and 36 percent is slightly or moderately degraded. Degraded land provides less ecosystem services, contribute to climate change and biodiversity loss, is less productive, causing hunger, poverty and conflicts and driving further deforestation and land degradation in an effort to compensate for lost productivity. Restoring and sustainably manage land is a major way to improve the environmental, economic and social sustainability of food systems. Fast growing species like bamboo can provide bioenergy and biomaterials for renewable food packaging. Forest and landscape restoration requires long term action, with multiple actors including the government and private sector, driven by the needs and priorities of local actors that depend on and manage the land to be restored.

Forests are an important source of food for many communities all over the world. Not only do they provide wild fruits, leaves, nuts, and mushrooms – they also provide homes for game animals, insects, and fish that contribute key sources of nutrients for vulnerable populations. They are a main source of energy for cooking as well as for the provision of renewable packaging materials. Their indirect role in food production is equally important; forests provide important ecosystem services for agriculture – pest control, pollination services, water regulation, flood prevention, and soil enrichment. These important benefits of forests need to be better understood and appreciated so that forests are no longer seen as barriers to food production, but as key components of sustainable food systems.

Agroforestry, defined as land-use systems and practices in which woody perennials are deliberately integrated with crops and/or animals, is widely recognized as providing numerous sustainability benefits, including for land restoration, adaptation and mitigation of climate change. Agricultural policies that are often focused on staple crops need to better integrate the specificities of tree crops and the multiple benefits provided by the integration of trees in farming systems for agroecosystems, livelihoods and diets. A particularly promising development is the adoption of agroforestry policies in India and Nepal with others in preparation in several countries.

Many tree foods found in forests are ‘orphan crops’ that have been neglected by researchers and industry but have great potential to diversify farming systems to support both human and environmental health. The application of new methods provides opportunities for modest investments to transform the status of these species under cultivation, when supported by policies that encourage their production and consumption. Broad gene pools, with new selection methods, provide for rapid productivity gains, while consumer-based interventions, when handled properly, support local use and integration into domestic and global markets.

Food systems are major producers of waste: food losses and waste, non-edible waste, and also food packaging that is increasingly non-renewable, one of the main sources of plastic waste. Circular bioeconomy is more reliant on the cycling and recycling of bio-based natural products and residues, optimizes material fluxes, storage and processing, reduces postharvest losses and waste. It calls for enlarging the notion of value chains to value webs, where multi-cropping systems give rise to several products. A holistic approach to all material fluxes optimizes input/output flows in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and diversifies farm and forest revenues, thus reducing risks. These developments require supportive regulations, public procurement, incentives and consumer engagement.