Did You Know You Live In a Food System?

Better Food. Better World.

“There is no such thing as cheap food.”

For some of us, a typical day’s diet could be oatmeal for breakfast, bean salad for lunch, and fish and chips for dinner. Little do we know, the oatmeal was farmed unethically with illegal pesticides, the beans came from a country suffering from drought and the fish came from a company that illegally overfished foreign waters, destroying a way of life for generations of local fishermen. Like many of us, Special Advisor for the UN World Food Programme, Elizabeth Nyamayaro grew up knowing hunger, despite a childhood filled with freshly picked mangos and cream straight from the goats – her family was badly affected by a drought driven by climate change devastated her village and crops.

In the premiere episode of, “Better Food. Better World”, Elizabeth shares her story and speaks with three leaders of the food security movement. The Father of Food Systems, Dr. Steven Were, gives us an overview of food systems. Chef Arthur Potts Dawson, star of The People’s Supermarket, challenges restauranteurs to educate their customers. Activist and poet Linda Gabriel stresses the importance of indigenous knowledge and shares a poem dedicated to her first food educator, her grandmother. Join us to learn why ‘Food is our greatest asset.’

Key Moments:

• 0:52 - Intro to “Better Food. Better World” with Elizabeth Nyamayaro
• 4:50 - Elizabeth shares her story of growing up, going hungry, and being saved by a UN worker.
• 11:55 - Elizabeth introduces Dr. Were who defines food systems.
• 17:04 - Elizabeth talks with Chef Arthur Potts Dawson and asks him about his favourite comfort food.
• 19:12 - Arthur Potts Dawson challenges restaurants and markets to address the terrible crime of food waste. Elizabeth responds with a story about the origins of fish and chips.
• 25:52 - Elizabeth talks with activist and poet Linda Gabriel who shares her discovery of the correlation between indigenous knowledge systems and permaculture.
• 29:46 - Linda Gabriel shares a poem dedicated to her grandmother.

Selected Links: https://www.wfp.org/

Join the Conversation on Social Media: #BetterFoodBetterWorld

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldFoodProgramme

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WFP

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-food-programme

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Worldfoodprogramme/

Connect with Elizabeth and Our Guests:

Elizabeth Nyamayaro:

Humanitarian and author of ‘I am a Girl From Africa’, Elizabeth Nyamayaro is the Special Advisor for the UN World Food Programme. Over the past two decades, she has worked at the forefront of global development and has held leadership roles at the World Bank, World Health Organization, UNAIDS, UN Women, and Merck. Her track record building and leading public-private partnerships is a key asset to WFP as it advocates for global solidarity to end world hunger.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/enyamayaro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enyamayaro/

Dr. Steven Were Omamo:

Dr. Steven Were Omamo is widely considered the “Father of Food Systems.” He is the current Country Representative for Ethiopia, the largest operation for the UN World Food Programme. Past roles with UN WFP include Coordinator of Food Systems Strategy, Policy and Support, and Deputy Director of Policy and Programme at our Rome headquarters. In this inaugural episode, Dr. Omamo gives us a brief education on food systems.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/swomamo

Arthur Potts Dawson:

Celebrity chef Arthur Potts Dawson argues that “There is no such thing as cheap food.” We either pay a financial or environmental cost for food. He challenges restaurateurs and markets to educate their consumers, allowing them the opportunity to support local food producers with their wallets.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/arthurpottsd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthur_potts_dawson/

Linda Gabriel:

Poet and advocate Linda Gabriel stresses the importance of indigenous knowledge. While studying permaculture, she realized many of her classes taught knowledge her grandmother had already shared with her. This led Gabriel to seek further agricultural education from her elders. She leaves us with a poem dedicated to her grandmother.