Greetings!

The way we produce and consume food continues to take a toll on nature. Our food system is responsible for up to one third of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and for as much as 80% of the biodiversity loss on our planet.
 
By now, governments, scientists and civil society all agree that food systems and forests must play a key role in solving the climate, economic and health crises plaguing our world today.
 
The upcoming UN Food Systems Summit will look at how we can become more sustainable consumers, by shifting to approaches such as nature positive production, which promotes equitable livelihoods and is resilient against stress factors like climate change and extreme weather events.
 
If we want to transform our food systems, we need evidence in order to find the right solutions. Having better data and better access to information can help us make better decisions and keep track of our progress.
 
Our September newsletter provides new insights about the ways in which we can collect more reliable forest data and thus improve forest management. Integrating Forests and Landscape Restoration into National Forest Monitoring Systems and using systems like Arena can help us halt the decline of soil, water and climate conditions in ecosystems that are critical for food production.
 
Read about how forests, food and rural communities are linked in Colombia, Indonesia and Ecuador, and explore how participatory processes that bring together inputs from Indigenous Peoples, organic farm management practices, and local community management, can promote sustainable food systems.
 
Indonesia’s social forestry program is possible thanks to results-based payments. In this issue we talk about how a nation needs a benefit-sharing plan to divide those RBPs. Interesting examples from Chile, Ghana and Nepal highlight the importance of regional equity, investing in local projects and women’s empowerment.
 
More than 2,000 game changing solutions have been submitted for the Summit. We look forward to seeing which one will get endorsed at the meeting. Together we can trigger the needed transformation.