Sustainable food to fight world hunger 

How to make sustainable food a reality: Solutions for a sustainable food system 

In 2025,conflict was the main cause of hunger for 140 million people, spread out over 20 countries.¹ Most of these countries are either currently at war or are still suffering the consequences of a past conflict. The climate crisis and Covid-19 pandemic have both underlined the precarious nature of already-vulnerable populations’ situation and threatened their food security. Across the world, thousands of people have lost their source of income and are finding it difficult to feed themselves. This is happening both in the North and in the South. 

To tackle this situation, sustainable food is one of the solutions available that can guarantee food and nutritional security for as many people as possible. 

But what is sustainable food? How can we combat the climate crisis and make our food system sustainable? We will explore all of this in this article. 

Defining sustainable food 

What is sustainable, healthy, responsible food? 

According to the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), sustainable food refers to the set of food practices that aim to feed humans with sufficient quantity and quality in the long term. It means food that respects the environment while remaining financially accessible to consumers and profitable for producers. 

What is the link between sustainable development and sustainable food? 

According to the FAO, diets based on sustainable food have ‘little impact on the environment’ and ‘contribute to the food and nutritional security and health of current and future generations’. Sustainable diets also help to protect and respect biodiversity and ecosystems. By prioritising crops grown without chemical fertilisers or pesticides, they foster biodiversity. 

What is sustainable food? 

For a food item to be sustainable, it must not have contributed towards damaging the environment and must have respected environmental regulations from the design stage to its final consumption. 

What will eating sustainably do for the planet? What are the pillars of a sustainable food system? 

Reducing the effects of the climate crisis 

One of the main causes of world hunger is the climate crisis. Natural catastrophes like cyclones, floods and droughts are occurring more and more frequently and lasting longer and longer, plunging thousands of people into a precarious economic and nutritional situation. These climate phenomena deprive populations of their land, income and homes. The link between the climate crisis and greenhouse gas emissions – caused by human activities such as deforestation and industrial agriculture – has been proven by IPCC researchers. 

Climate change and the resulting phenomena lead to diminished harvests for farmers and pose a threat to agricultural production systems. They destroy crops, deplete the soil and increase food prices. Certain populations are forced to move to survive: in fact, 216 million people could need to migrate due to climate change by 2050, according to the World Bank.²  

Meat consumption 

By promoting reduced consumption of meat in rich countries, sustainable food also helps to combat deforestation. To feed European livestock on industrial farms, fodder is often imported from countries that employ mass deforestation to grow the soybeans used in it. 

Animals also generate methane, another greenhouse gas. Reducing our meat consumption, especially in industrialised countries, can therefore relieve pressure on the climate. 

Meat production also generates a significant amount of greenhouse gases. Globally, meat production is on the rise, currently totalling more than 364 million tonnes in weight.³ For example, producing just a kilogram of beef generates 32.5 kg of CO₂. Specifically, industrial livestock farming causes the agricultural sphere to emit more greenhouse gases, as the animals must consume fodder that has a major impact on the climate. On top of that, the livestock are kept on agricultural land that could be used for more food production. In sum, sustainable food involves reducing our meat consumption. 

However, livestock farming plays an essential role in many regions affected by food insecurity, especially in the Global South, where it provides protein, micronutrients and essential income. Sustainable food solutions are therefore not the same everywhere: in countries in the North, a sustainable food system may require reduced meat consumption, while in the South, the goal is often to improve access to a diverse, nutritious diet. 
Food habits have a significant impact on the environment.  

The consequences of agro-industry 

The industrial agricultural system, which is widespread in developed countries, causes damage to our planet and has been questioned by the IPCC. Experts warn that it will be ‘impossible to maintain global temperatures at safe levels without changing our way of managing land and producing food’. 

Monocultures and the use of chemical inputs such as pesticides and fertilisers have an impact on the climate and biodiversity. 

Indeed, the fertiliser industry is linked to the fossil fuel industry. Agricultural chemistry uses large quantities of hydrogen in the process of making nitrogen-rich fertilisers. 
Today, 95% of hydrogen is still made from fossil fuels (mainly gas, but also coal). Stopping the use of fossil fuels is therefore a crucial step in the fight against climate change. 

Furthermore, using fertilisers increases greenhouse gas emissions and degrades the soil, which becomes much less productive in the long term. Ultimately, excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides pollutes the environment, including the air, groundwater and water courses. 

Long-distance distribution and agro-industry tend not to adopt sustainable food mechanisms.  

Reducing food waste 

To build a sustainable food system, we must first perfect our agricultural production. 
Each year, 1.3 million tonnes of food⁴ – around a third of all food – is lost or wasted somewhere in the food supply chain, anywhere between the production phase and the consumption stage, according to the FAO. 

In countries in the South, the food is wasted at the production stage. We call this food loss. The waste happens at the opposite end of the chain in the North, during consumption. Most waste occurs in households, which throw out 11% of the food they acquire.⁵ 

According to FAO, ‘a reduction of food waste at global, regional and national scales would have a substantial positive effect on natural and societal resources. Food wastage reduction would … avoid pressure on scarce natural resources.’ Halving food waste would make it easier to feed the human population sustainably. 

The fight against food waste is a major component of sustainable food systems.  

What are the solutions for sustainable food systems?

To make sustainable food accessible, we must prioritise sustainable agriculture that benefits ecosystems and ensures sustainable management of land and natural resources. 
Unlike the prevailing industrial agricultural system, sustainable agriculture guarantees production free from chemical fertilisers or pesticides. Excessive production and use of fertilisers and pesticides pollutes the environment. Production of these chemicals involves a major industrial process that causes various kinds of environmental damage. 

Sustainable production and consumption 

Sustainable food also means consumers prioritising local, seasonal products that come from a responsible production system, such as organic agriculture or agroecology. Local food requires less energy (transport, conservation, etc.) than products imported from far away, and therefore has a smaller carbon footprint linked to production and transport. 
Sustainable food therefore calls for short supply chains and distances.  

Agroecology, an alternative to industrial agriculture 

Agroecology is a set of agricultural practices that respect the different seasons and regions and allow farmers to grow crops without chemical inputs, by working with ecosystems and making the most of interactions between plants, animals and soil. 

It harnesses various environmentally friendly techniques, such as using compost or seeking complementarity between species. On top of that, agroecology aims to integrate other ecological management parameters, like saving water and cultivated land, promoting reforestation, and combating erosion. This production method makes the soil sustainably productive, thus forming part of a virtuous circle. Agroecology is a science of ecosystems that values knowledge of the land and local farmers’ expertise. 

It is also a social movement that puts smallholders and citizens at the heart of food systems, so that they have full control over what they grow and what they consume. In other words, agroecology is not limited to the implementation of certain agricultural practices: it is also a social model that seeks to ensure greater justice in food systems, for example by rebalancing commercial relations between producers, distributors and consumers to guarantee fair pay for farmers. 

Agroecology does not employ conventional agriculture techniques. It respects humans and the environment. 

In a similar vein, agroforestry is an alternative for reforestation. Agroforestry is a land management method by which trees or shrubs are grown around or on cropland or pastures. Agroforestry can make a major contribution towards mitigating the climate crisis because trees can capture carbon, as well as helping to adapt to the effects of the climate crisis. Trees planted on fields protect crops against excessive winds, bitter cold, droughts, floods and storms. 

Sustainable agriculture projects in the countries where we operate 

In the countries where we operate, we implement programmes to improve populations’ resilience and adapt agricultural practices to climate change, or even to fight against desertification. 

We raise awareness of best agroecological practices and combat the factors that contribute towards world hunger. 

Farmer field schools for sustainable food in Cameroon 

In Cameroon, Action Against Hunger has set up farmer field schools, where farmers come together to learn about agricultural techniques that are adapted to their surroundings. These spaces are useful for testing out sustainable practices, improving yields and diversifying crops, while encouraging exchange of knowledge among producers. 

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By strengthening local expertise and valuing farmers’ knowledge, these initiatives help families to access a more varied and nutritious diet. They also contribute towards boosting communities’ autonomy and ability to deal with climate events. 

Adapting food systems to climate change in Bangladesh 

In Bangladesh, the effects of climate change (floods, soil salinisation and extreme climate events) are seriously disrupting food production. These phenomena directly affect food availability and rural populations’ livelihoods.  

To respond to this challenge, Action Against Hunger has developed tailor-made solutions, like crop diversification and promotion of resilient agricultural practices. These approaches allow communities to maintain their production, improve the quality of their food and strengthen the sustainability of their food systems, under threat from climate shocks. 

Solidarity initiatives for accessible, sustainable food in France 

In France, Action Against Hunger is taking action to ensure access to sustainable food for all. In Marseille, the association is developing local initiatives like a solidarity market with organic products for affordable prices, while creating social connections in less privileged neighbourhoods. In Seine-Saint-Denis, the project Vital’im helps vulnerable households to access quality products thanks to a sustainable food cheque system. 
This action is taking place alongside workshops and other support to encourage healthier, more responsible food practices. 

Through these initiatives, we are helping to fight food insecurity while promoting sustainable, healthy, environmentally friendly food that benefits both producers and consumers.  

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Sources :

¹ WFP, Global Report on Food Crises 2025 
² Groundswell Report, World Bank 
³ FAO, FAOSTAT Livestock Primary Production 2023 
⁴ FAO, Pertes et gaspillages de nourriture dans un contexte de systèmes alimentaires
durables
⁵ Les Echos , Gaspillage alimentaire : dans le monde, près de 20 % de la nourriture est
jetée à la poubelle