So what makes leadership in food systems special?

In many of my conversations about leadership in general this is one of the questions that keeps intriguing me. Good leadership is (needed) everywhere, in all dimensions of life. But, is there something special or unique about leading within food systems? What sets food systems leadership apart from other spaces of leadership? Exploring this will help us to live, support and encourage better food systems leadership. Ultimately, it will help us be better food systems leaders.  

As we start 2025 with continued joy and determination to be good food systems leaders, I invite you to explore this with me and I look forward to your insights and questions.

Nurturing

Food nurtures, in many ways. There is the daily nurturing of health of every human being, with every bite we take. Food systems leadership makes that possible. Healthy food systems also nurture the soil, the water, the genetic base that make it possible to produce food. And the many other species that live in and with human food systems: the rich biodiversity that can be found in symbiosis with humans. Food systems nurture our economic society, by being a critical part of what we produce, process, and sell. Food systems also nurture the spirit, the soul. More on that below. As food systems leaders, we can be aware of who and what our work helps nurture, how they are nurtured, and if it allows people to flourish or simply survive. We can interrogate whether our efforts lead to deeper, richer, healthier nourishment or not.

“As food systems leaders, we are always working on something meaningful. Every day we have the opportunity to rethink how we nurture, connect and build our stories,” writes African Food Fellowship Director Joost Guijt.

Relationships

Food systems are built on relationships at all levels. The relationship between the parents who feed their children, and between the traders who connect farmers with those who finally eat their food. The relationships between those who set the rules of the game within food systems, and those who work with or around those rules. The relationships between people and the land, with food as the connection between them. The relationships within the ecosystems that create food. Everything we do within food systems is done in relationship to someone or someplace else. And these relationships happen in so many ways: at the breakfast table, in an office, when having dinner with friends, a community gathering where the scent of food fills the air and we sit where we can, shoulder to shoulder, plate to plate. As food systems leaders we can ask ourselves which relationships we are dependent on, which we make possible, and what the quality of those relationships is. Do they bring joy, power, and opportunity to more people and non-human beings?

Identity

Food is personal. Every bite we eat is part of our identity. A plate of beans and matoke, a fresh fruit salad, a samosa, chicken curry or capuccino. A quick snack or a lengthy meal. Every time we smell garlic roasting or coffee brewing, every time we taste soft banana or fresh roti, every time we see multi-coloured stews, reminds us of where we came from and triggers conversations about where we are heading. The landscape behind our plates – what specific set of conditions produce our plate of beans and matoke, or our cup of coffee or chai? – is part of our identity. Who we share our food with also matters. Tales, memories, and narratives are built around food and help us understand and celebrate ourselves. As food systems leaders we can ask ourselves what identity we are reinforcing with what we do, and why. What does it mean for our identity to be working with indigenous leafy vegetables versus imported onions, local or global value chains? What stories can we tell about the food systems we are part of, and are these the narratives we want to take forward?

Daily practice

Every day food is part of our lives. We cannot park our eating for a month, like we could a car. Or put away our breakfast for days like a smartphone. Or ignore it, like a problem we wish wasn’t there. Food cannot be ignored. So every day we nurture, build relationships, and enrich our identity. As food systems leaders, we are always working on meaningful stuff. Every day we have the opportunity to rethink how we nurture, connect and build our stories. Never-ending opportunity, never-ending value.

By Joost Guijt, African Food Fellowship Director.