Food and Climate Systems Transformation Alliance (FACT Alliance)

The Food and Climate Systems Transformation Alliance (FACT Alliance), is a first-of-its-kind initiative, connecting researchers, the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), farming communities, and government to drive innovation and inform better decision making for resilient and sustainable food systems. The effort is led by Greg Sixt, J-WAFS research manager for food and climate systems, and consists of 16 global member institutions at the vanguard of research and policy on climate change and food systems.

What sets the FACT Alliance apart is its collaborative, transdisciplinary, multi-institutional and cross-sector approach. With an assembled group of researchers and leaders in agriculture, nutrition, and food systems, the FACT Alliance is strategically positioned to facilitate new, solutions-oriented capabilities for addressing the more challenging aspects of food systems as they relate to climate change. By deepening engagement with stakeholders on the ground, the FACT Alliance aims to shorten the time frame between research and action.

Central to the work of the FACT Alliance is the development of new methodologies for aligning data across scales and food systems components, improving data access, integrating research across the diverse disciplines that address aspects of food systems, making stakeholders partners in the research process, and assessing impact in the context of complex and interconnected food and climate systems.

The FACT Alliance will conduct what’s known as “convergence research,” which meets complex problems with approaches that embody deep integration across disciplines. This kind of research calls for close association with the stakeholders who both make decisions and are directly affected by how food systems work, be they farmers, extension services (i.e., agricultural advisories), policymakers, international aid organizations, consumers, or others. By inviting stakeholders and collaborators to be part of the research process, the FACT Alliance allows for engagement at the scale, geography, and scope that is most relevant to the needs of each, integrating global and local teams to achieve better outcomes.

Why in fact, do our food systems need transforming?  

Agriculture and food production systems are increasingly at risk from weather and environmental changes driven by the climate crisis, yet intensive farming practices, deforestation, unsustainable diets, supply chains, and food waste all contribute to climate change. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that atmospheric warming of two degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels could trigger a worldwide food crisis. A recent study published in Science suggests that emissions from food systems alone could push global temperatures past this point, even if energy-related emissions were zeroed out. In addition, population growth, changing diets, and a food system reliant on global trade increase the likelihood of persistent price volatility, supply disruptions, and food insecurity.

Targeted research is needed to identify, develop, and implement effective and scalable technologies, policies, and practices that will dramatically and rapidly transform food systems to be climate resilient, sustainable, and more secure. Systems-oriented evidence will be key in formulating and effectively scaling approaches to promote productivity and access to nutritious food, while reducing the substantial impact food systems have on climate. With a better understanding of the dynamic and complex relationship between the components of food systems (from farm to table and beyond), stakeholders' actions, and the system’s dynamic interactions with the earth’s climate, the FACT Alliance seeks to strategically catalyze research that drives transformations across the food system.