The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations warmly welcomes you to the self-study course “Transforming Agrifood Systems: Concepts, Approaches, and Tools for Action”
This self-paced course provides a comprehensive introduction to agrifood systems as a key pathway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It explores how agrifood systems—spanning the journey from production to consumption and beyond—are deeply interconnected with economic, social, and environmental outcomes.
Participants will learn why a systems approach is essential to address complex, interrelated global challenges such as hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and inequality. The course introduces the six elements of the systems approach for agrifood systems transformation, including systems thinking, knowledge, governance, investment, doing, and learning, and illustrates how they guide effective and sustainable transformation.
Through concepts, frameworks, and practical examples, learners will gain the knowledge and tools needed to analyze agrifood systems, identify leverage points, and design more integrated and inclusive actions.
This self-paced course is intended for professionals from government, academia, civil society, and the private sector who are involved in the coordination and management of agrifood systems transformation projects. The course is designed for professionals from government, academia, civil society and the private sector who are engaged in the coordination and management of agrifood systems transformation initiatives.
It also targets FAO staff and non-staff members in decentralized offices, particularly Assistant FAO Representatives (Programme and Administration), as well as planning and monitoring specialists, project managers, technical officers and field practitioners.
The course ultimately aims to support participants in contributing to the development of agrifood systems that are efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.
Enrol meName: Transforming Agrifood Systems: Concepts, Approaches, and Tools for Action
Course type: Self-paced course
Language: English
Course length: 7 chronological hours.
Start and end course dates: August 2026.
Modality and course methodology:
This self-paced course is delivered asynchronously through the FAO Campus Learning Management System (LMS). It comprises four topics, which participants can review at their own pace.
At the end of the course, the course content can be downloaded in PDF format. The estimated time to complete the course is approximately 7 hours.
Audience:
Government, academia, civil society, and private sector professionals involved in the coordination and management of agrifood systems transformation projects.
General objective:
Provide learners with a comprehensive understanding of agrifood systems and their transformation, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to apply a systems approach in addressing complex and interconnected challenges, and to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Specific objectives:
At the end of the course, the participants will be able to:
- Understand the basic concepts of agrifood systems and their main components.
- Explain the importance of transforming agrifood systems for achieving the SDGs and other global agendas.
- Explain the importance of using a systems approach to agrifood systems transformation.
Contents:
- Global agendas and the role of agrifood system transformation
- Systems approach
- The agrifood system
- Transformation of agrifood systems
Better: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment, Better Life.
Latin American Officer responsible for the course:
- Johanna Flores, Strategy and Planning Officer, FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Content writer
- Camilo Ardila Galvis, Agrifood Systems Specialist, FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Technical team:
- Maya Takagi – Regional Programme Leader, FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Dalia Mattioni – Agrifood Systems Specialist, FAO Food Systems and Food Safety Division (ESF)
- Victor Leon - Strategy and Planning Officer, FAO Office of Strategy, Programme and Budget (OSP)
- Monica Schuster, Global Coordinator, FAO Analytical Support Mechanism for Agrifood System Country Programming and Evidence (SCOPE)
- Pierre Boulanger, Policy Specialist, FAO Analytical Support Mechanism for Agrifood System Country Programming and Evidence (SCOPE)
Course Implementation:
FAO Campus