![\"Frank](\"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Stefanie_Frank_Viadukt-1024x683.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe\u00a0Pre-Summit\u00a0at the\u00a0end of July\u00a0established the course\u00a0of action\u00a0for the\u00a0Food Systems Summit (FSS) in September. Is it going in the right direction?\u00a0<\/h2>
Frank Eyhorn (FE): The Food Systems Summit (see box below for details) has initiated an impressive process over the past 12 months: Across 145 countries, tens of thousands of people and hundreds of organizations from civil society, politics, science and the private sector have exchanged views in over 1000 dialogues and sought answers to what the future of our food system should look like. First, it was agreed that \u201dbusiness as usual\u201d is not an option, and second, that only holistic approaches like\u00a0agroecology\u00a0provide real solutions.\u00a0<\/p>
Stefanie Pondini (SP): I consider it a significant success that agroecology was so present at the Pre-Summit and was named by numerous state representatives, including Switzerland\u2019s, as a \u201cgame-changing solution\u201d to transforming our food systems. The French Minister of Agriculture, for example, said: \u201cThere is no food and nutrition security without an agroecological transition.\u201d Agroecology was also named as one of seven tone-setting coalitions. Only a few years ago, \u201cagroecology\u201d and \u201cfood systems\u201d were terms not presentable at UN conferences and thus did not appear in resolutions.\u00a0<\/p>
At the same time,\u00a0some civil society organizations\u00a0are heavily criticizing\u00a0the\u00a0Summit. Why?\u00a0<\/h2>
SP: There are concerns that the private sector could be given too much weight and that, under the name of the Summit, greenwashing could occur at the highest level. We know from experience that lobbyists from the powerful private sector play a strong role in food-related politics. It was also feared that agroecology would be sidelined. However, thanks to external public criticism and the committed, persistent efforts of numerous internal organizations such as Biovision, agroecology was prominent in the Pre-Summit.\u00a0<\/p>
FE: Despite justified criticism of the process, the results of the Pre-Summit far exceed our expectations. Another important achievement of the Summit is that the issues of food and nutrition are now viewed systemically. Nowadays, it is generally recognized that everything is interconnected: agriculture, health, environment, economy, human rights, and climate change. The previously existing silos have thus been broken down to some extent.\u00a0<\/p>
Why\u00a0exactly\u00a0is it important to look at food\u00a0and nutrition\u00a0systemically, or\u00a0holistically?\u00a0<\/h2>
FE: From a global perspective, today\u2019s food systems are doing a poor job of fulfilling their intended purpose: around two billion people suffer from hunger or malnutrition, and three billion people\u2019s diets are harmful to their health. Those who make their living in the food system \u2013 farmers, processors, cooks, vendors \u2013 are often in the lowest income groups. And today\u2019s food systems are among the main causes of the biggest problems of our time: climate change, biodiversity and soil fertility losses, and strained water resources. Continuing to limit the topic of nutrition exclusively to questions of producing higher yields and cheaper food is of little use. What is needed are new, holistic approaches and coherent policies.\u00a0<\/p>
Where does\u00a0Biovision\u00a0see the most important levers of change\u00a0in this process?\u00a0<\/h2>
FE: Making urgently needed transformation of food systems happen \u2013 in Switzerland, in Africa and globally \u2013 requires several kinds of leverage that include further developing and disseminating ecological production methods, investing in agroecological enterprises and research, and designing conducive enabling policy environments. Biovision is involved in all these areas and tries to set these levers in motion in a targeted way with innovative approaches and broad alliances.\u00a0<\/p>