The Borlaug Blog

Imagine a job where you are able to connect with thousands of people from all over the world, listening to their thoughts and ideas about how to make the world a better place. That was my role in the United Nations over the past 17 years: linking up with and supporting those who work tirelessly for a better future for all. A future which puts the interests of all people — whoever they are and wherever they live – at the centre. A future that recognises that our planet is a finite and precious resource.

The people with whom I worked, in more than 50 countries and territories, face many challenges in their quest to make a difference to the lives of others and to focus on those who are often left behind. They are constantly struggling to locate resources, make linkages, advocate for those whose voices are not heard and ensure that their interests are put first and foremost. They appreciate the array of regenerative processes that are needed to make human existence fulfilling and productive. They look for ways to ensure that regeneration dominates, whether on land, in oceans, in the atmosphere and within societies everywhere. They see their role as one of curating the living systems on which humanity depends.

These living systems are interlocking and ever-changing: every person perceives them differently.  But there are ways in which we can make sense of them together.  

First: there are common points of reference.  Here are two that matter to me: humans need good nutrition in the first 1000 days of life if they are to thrive and be healthy, and diet-related diseases are causing ever-increasing health burdens in adulthood all over the world.  

Second: working interdisciplinarily helps us to avoid unhelpful misunderstandings when examining living systems.  

Third: systems thinking and practice is rarely neat and tidy, and often does not follow prescribed procedures. This is fine provided we appreciate what determines systems behaviour and how it can be influenced.  We are constantly reminded that the behaviour of all systems is profoundly affected by persons with power - with the authority to determine who is at a meeting and who is not, the ability to disburse funds and allocate resources, the discretion to assign someone to a specific task or the capacity to use physical force for achieving their ends.  

There are many thousands of people who are constantly nudging systems so that they are accessible to, and support, people with the greatest needs. These system practitioners seek to ensure that people are served and supported by the actions of governments, civil society, academic groups, scientists and both regional and international organizations. They always want to do more. In this way they reflect the inspiring spirit of Norman Borlaug: always find the way to make things happen in ways that benefit those who have the least.

I was delighted when world leaders came together and agreed on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the period 2000 to 2015. For the first time there was a road map for collective efforts that would benefit the world’s poorest people. The MDGs were valuable points of reference for systems practitioners everywhere, providing a common framework for all.  When governments reviewed progress with the MDGs in 2012, in Rio de Janeiro, they saw how different actors had successfully aligned behind a clear and shared series of goals.

At that time, one of my roles was to help with the development of new goals for the period 2015 to 2030.  Governments made it clear that they wanted development goals to be relevant for the whole of humanity, to be people-centred and leave no one behind, to recognize the interconnections between the different facets of people’s lives and to be pursued through partnering and integrated action.  The focus shifted to a development plan for the future of people throughout the world, as well as of the planet where we live. Between 2012 and 2015 a process was established involving millions of people and hours of intense negotiation. It was a mammoth task – agreeing on the future direction for the development of our world.

The result was an extraordinary document - the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – with its 17 Goals and with its commitment to universal people-centred and interconnected action.  It was agreed by the heads of 193 nations in September 2015. The 2030 Agenda is a plan for all the world’s people and the planet: it has real meaning for everyone in our world.

The 2030 Agenda is a guide for everyone who is working for the good of all from within living systems.  Its goals and targets offer points of reference to systems practitioners. It highlights areas which need urgent attention, such as people’s access to food, means for food production, ways to reduce food loss and ecosystem damage, and increased employment opportunities for rural youth.  The world’s food systems will play a vital role in ensuring that the 2030 Agenda can be realized.

A group of leaders for agriculture and food was convened in Milan on World Food Day in October 2015 to consider how food systems would need to change to align with the 2030 Agenda. After a series of meetings they now propose a four-part transformation: (1) enabling all people to access food that is nutritious and healthy (including through reducing loss and waste) always; (2) regenerating ecosystems and caring for soils, oceans, forests and biodiversity; (3) reducing atmospheric carbon emissions and supporting adaptation of livelihoods to climate change; (4) contributing to resilient livelihoods for poorer people, especially for young people and women in rural areas.

These systems transformations must respond to the interests of the billions of poorer people on our planet – smallholder farmers, landless people, those earning less than $2 a day – who frequently are not able to make choices about what they eat or how their food is produced.  They need help to ensure their good nutrition and to reduce the risk of diet-related disease in later life.

In Stockholm, earlier this month, I witnessed the beginning of a series of Food Systems Dialogues to encourage greater alignment around the four-part food systems transformation at local, national and global levels. The Dialogues are designed to be advanced everywhere.  I am delighted, as the Dialogues will give the people with whom I have spent so much of my working life a chance to ensure that local challenges are heard and appreciated at the international level – and vice versa. I am confident that the Dialogues will lead to effective collective action for better food systems everywhere. I am convinced that Dialogues around living systems are vital for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – indeed, for ensuring the wellbeing of people and planet.

Great scientists like Dr. Norman Borlaug, and the Laureates that he supported, have always said that wisdom lies with the people. As I receive the World Food Prize, I reflect on the thousands of courageous women and men who are working at local level for food systems that are well-functioning and just. They have the wisdom needed to reduce levels of malnutrition or diet-related illness. They can devise food systems that benefit people and the planet and that contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They are the transformation leaders of the future.