Science under pressure: building resilient food systems through innovation and partnership in turbulent times
At the end of 2025, Juan Lucas Restrepo reflects on continued opportunities for applied research and development amidst a complex landscape, including proven models for innovation and sustainable food systems transformation.
Science under pressure: building resilient food systems through innovation and partnership in turbulent times
At the end of 2025, Juan Lucas Restrepo reflects on continued opportunities for applied research and development amidst a complex landscape, including proven models for innovation and sustainable food systems transformation.
A wakeup call for sustainable development
This year has brought a decisive shift in how the world thinks about food systems, climate resilience, and the role of science in providing concrete solutions. Throughout 2025, the international development sector experienced significant contraction. Shifts in geopolitical priorities, inflation, and domestic political pressures led many governments to reduce development budgets or redirect them toward immediate humanitarian or security concerns. This is consistent with the broader trend observed across donor countries in recent years, where climate and development funding are increasingly fragmented, competitive and vulnerable to short term political cycles.
This shrinking resource environment is not occurring in a vacuum. It intersects with accelerating global challenges, including:
- conflict and displacement disrupting food and land systems;
- climate related disasters growing in frequency and severity;
- rising food insecurity in vulnerable regions;
- continued biodiversity loss;