What really drives food policy decisions? A new blog series on practical political economy

Globally, 2025 marked a year with some important achievements and notable setbacks in efforts to achieve healthier, sustainable food systems. In one key advance, over 40 governments committed to expanding national school meal programs to improve children’s health and nutrition. In addition, in a rare victory for multilateralism and the environment, the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which prohibits harmful subsidies that lead to overfishing and depletion of marine life, finally entered into force after 20 years of negotiations.

Among the reversals, there was the weakening of the European Union’s Farm to Fork Strategy, previously a cornerstone of the European Green Deal climate policy, as member countries responded to the political fallout from the 2024 farmer protests and a growing focus on food as a security issue amid geopolitical tensions. Brazil had a moment in the global spotlight as host of the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém. However, this was overshadowed by a court case, backed by agribusiness associations with support from some elected officials, challenging the almost 20-year-old Soybean Moratorium meant to protect the Amazon from deforestation. And in Botswana, in a move intended to protect domestic producers, the government re-introduced a ban on imports of South African horticulture products in December—less than a year after lifting the previous ban, which had undermined low-income households’ access to fruits and vegetables.

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