Food and sustainability challenges can be addressed through new partnership model, says report from World Economic Forum and Deloitte Global

Davos, Switzerland, 22 January 2016 — Transforming the world’s food systems through country-led action partnerships will be key to sustainably feeding over 9 billion people by 2050, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (Deloitte Global), Building Partnerships for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security: A Guide to Country-Led Action.

The report is being launched today at the Forum’s 2016 Annual Meeting in Davos. Based on the experience of the Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture initiative (NVA), the report is a practical, user-friendly guide for country-level and global leaders who are working to build and strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainable agriculture and food security. It draws on best practices and lessons learned from 19 countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas, where partnerships catalysed and supported by the NVA have benefitted 9.6 million farmers to date.

“Many of the world’s most pressing challenges, from poverty and hunger to climate change and social equality, are linked to agriculture and food security,” says Shay Eliaz, a Principal with Deloitte United States (Deloitte Consulting LLP) who leads the team that worked closely with the Forum on the NVA report. “The NVA Partnership Model, which draws on the joint experience of the NVA and Deloitte Global, outlines the NVA’s approach which has already seen success in driving investment, innovation, and collaboration toward the issues of food security, environmental sustainability, and economic opportunity.”

The Forum emphasizes that the NVA Partnership Model can be applied beyond agriculture to help address a range of complex, global challenges. Indeed, the UN Sustainable Development Goals recognize multi-stakeholder partnerships as an important vehicle for implementation of all 17 of the UN’s “global goals,” which cover health, education, sustainability, and economic growth.

“Achieving transformational change on a global level – on any issue – requires country-led action,” says Lisa Dreier, Head of Food Security and Agriculture Initiatives at the Forum. “After five years of catalysing, developing and supporting partnership activities in 19 countries, the NVA is excited to share with the world its ‘recipe for success.’ We hope it can provide practical guidance to leaders who want to mobilize multi-stakeholder action on any issue.”

The NVA Partnership Model

The NVA Partnership Model has been co-developed with leaders of 19 NVA-supported partnerships in three continents, which are supported by a global network of over 500 organizations. At its core are five guiding principles, which state that partnerships should be locally-owned, globally supported, market-driven, holistic across full value chains, and multi-stakeholder, with open and inclusive engagement across all food system actors.

Since 2010, NVA-supported partnerships have mobilized over US$10 billion in investment commitments, of which US$1.9 billion has been implemented. Participating countries include:

Deloitte Global will continue its collaboration with the Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture initiative to help countries implement the guide’s recommendations in a series of regional meetings through 2016.

Read the copy of New Vision for Agriculture report.

About the Guide

Building Partnerships for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security: A Guide to Country-Level Action is a report from the World Economic Forum, prepared in collaboration with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (Deloitte Global). It was developed in response to the growing demand for new models of multi-stakeholder collaboration to achieve food security, sustainable development, and other global goals outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is based on the experience of the Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture (NVA) Initiative, which has worked since 2010 to support multi-stakeholder partnerships that drive improvements in food security, environmental sustainability, and economic opportunity at the national level.

About the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas. Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is tied to no political, partisan, or national interests. More information can be found at www.weforum.org.

About Deloitte

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a more detailed description of DTTL and its member firms.

Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte’s more than 225,000 professionals are committed to making an impact that matters. Deloitte serves 4 out of 5 Fortune Global 500® companies.