Every year on October 16th we celebrate World Food Day. It's not just about what's on our plate, it's a reminder that our food system has a fundamental impact on our climate, our health, our economy and our quality of life. Our current food system can produce vast amounts of food and feed much of the world. But it also destroys the soil, wastes vast amounts of food and fails to ensure equitable access for all. It simply does not meet the conditions of food sustainability.
The good news is that there are solutions. Many people, projects, and companies are already showing that it can be done differently. And many of them originated or grew up in the Impact Hub community.
Food sustainability
means that we can produce, distribute and eat food in a way that:
✅ did not exhaust the planet,
✅ fed the current inhabitants,
✅ did not destroy the possibilities of future generations,
✅ and it was fair to the people who make it.
It's not just about organic farming, but also about fair prices for farmers, shorter supply chains, less waste and access to quality food for all. In short – food that is good for people, fair for those who grow it and kind to the planet.
Climate change is destroying crops and soil
Drying landscapes, more frequent weather extremes, flooding, soil erosion – all of this makes it difficult for farmers to grow crops. Yields are less certain, costs are rising, and some areas of the world are already losing the ability to grow food at all.
More sustainable farming methods, smart technologies and data work are helping. Farmers are gradually switching to more sustainable farming methods – regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, precision technologies or more resilient crops. For example, applications Clever Farm (which went through our Google for Startups acceleration program) uses sensors and satellite data to help farms save water, fertilizer, and costs.
There is plenty of food, but not for everyone
There will be enough food produced on the planet to feed everyone. Not because there is no food, but because we want it. they cannot afford it, do not have access to it, or it is of poor quality. Communities in rural or remote areas lose control over where their food comes from and how it is produced. They are dependent on food imports and vulnerable to crises. Distribution itself often fails – food is thrown away before it reaches those who need it most.
The solutions exist and they are not just theoretical. And they are not about how to produce more food, but about producing, sharing and eating smarter, more fairly and with respect for people and nature.
Community gardens, cooperatives, farmers markets, or local food networks give people back control over what they eat and where their food comes from. Such projects build food sovereignty and greater resilience. Shortening and localizing supply chains It allows for fresher food grown with more care for the planet and the money stays in the local economy. The next step can be the so-called community farming, when people "prepay" a share of the harvest from the farmer. He is assured that he will harvest for a specific customer, and they will receive fresh food straight from the farm.
We addressed how to shorten supply chains from farmers directly to consumers in our program Challenge Lab: From fork to fork, in which we connected students, farmers and innovators to find ways to produce food more sustainably - you can see how it turned out read in the article.
S availability Food banks, community markets, social enterprises and projects such as A truly healthy school, which went through our Future of Food acceleration program and is focused on ensuring quality meals in schools and food education.
Agriculture as a threat to nature
Intensive farming leads to deforestation, water depletion, soil chemification and loss of biodiversity, and pollutes water and soil. The food system is responsible for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and is one of the main sources of methane. If we continue like this, we will not have where ani jak grow.
The need to move towards regenerative (a model that restores the soil, not destroys it) and organic agriculture is obvious. Circular approaches to food production or water retention in the landscape are paths that are already being implemented today, for example Impact Hub Amsterdam with your program Sustainable Food EcosystemIt connects entrepreneurs, scientists and farmers working on a circular and healthy food system.
Projects and innovators working with circular principles are involved in the solution. Project Czech landscape, which went through our SDGs Awards accelerator) is returning large animals to our landscape to help restore biodiversity and healthy grasslands, society Herb Fabrica (passed our Social Impact Award incubation program in 2018) grows herbs hydroponically without chemicals, in harmony with the ecosystem and community.
Food waste – we throw away a third of what we produce
Almost a third of the world's food is never eaten - it spoils after harvest, during transport or is simply thrown away. This means a waste of water, energy, money and human labour. And when food is decomposes in landfills, causing greenhouse gas emissions.
Better warehouses, technology, food redistribution, sharing platforms, or apps like Too Good To Go are helping. In the Czech Republic, the issue is being addressed by, for example: Save the food (which went through our ClimAccelerator Beyond), an app that connects restaurants and bakeries with people — will offer food that would otherwise be thrown away. But the solution also starts at home — by planning better and eating what we buy.
Projects that help to further utilize biowaste also have their share in the solution. For example ReCoffee, Alumni of our incubation program Social Impact Award, collects coffee grounds from cafes and produces new products from them — scrubs, fertilizers, and materials.
Change is inevitable
If we don't change the food system, we will see more hunger, more crises, and less fertile land. Agriculture based on land depletion and cheap labor is unsustainable in the long term – economically, ecologically and socially. Inequalities between those who have enough and those who suffer will continue to grow, and with them the risk of conflict.
But the good news is that change is already underway. It's happening in fields, labs, urban communities, social enterprises, and startups. And the more people, companies, and organizations get involved, the faster the system will transform.
Food is much more than what we put on our plates. It is an interconnected system of people, landscapes, economies and cultures. Changing it for the better will not only benefit the planet – but all of us.
And this change has already begun. The question is not if, Of when will you join her?
Impact Hub supports people and projects around the world that are transforming food systems towards food sustainability, fairness and local resilience:
- AXES program Impact Hubs in Colombia and Costa Rica help small agribusinesses reach the market, operate without deforestation, and receive fair prices and investment.
- Sustainable Food Ecosystem The Impact Hub in Amsterdam connects entrepreneurs, researchers and organizations that address food waste, regenerative agriculture and healthy eating.
- Many Impact Hubs are creating startups focused on alternative protein sources, local distribution, food sovereignty, or landscape restoration.
