Investing in small-scale agriculture and local food systems is one of the most impactful ways of tackling malnutrition and food insecurity, bringing lasting benefits to national economies. This is the message Alvaro Lario,  President of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), will take to the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit that will bring global leaders and the world’s nutrition experts together in Paris on 27-28 March 2025.

“Smallholder farms are the roots that sustain global nutrition. Investing so they thrive is not just about feeding people today – it’s also about long-lasting solutions that build resilient and equitable food chains that can feed the world for generations to come,” said Lario in advance of the summit.

At the Summit, Lario will emphasize that combating malnutrition requires more than just increasing agricultural productivity – especially in regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where yields remain low. It also means supporting the production of a wider variety of local, nutritious, and climate-resilient foods. Of the planet’s 5,000 food plant species, people mostly eat only nine, of which just three – rice, wheat and maize – provide 50 per cent of all calories. Hundreds of local and neglected foods exist which are nutritious and resilient to local climate conditions. They include for example, millet, sorghum, several types of beans, fruits, and vegetables.