Bite the Talk - Podcast Series

In Episode 32 of Bite the Talk, host Mark Gachagua is joined by two leaders at the heart of Malawi's food systems transformation journey — exploring how policy is being translated into action from the national level all the way down to the district. Guests Dr. Andrew Jamali — Director of the National Planning Commission, Malawi. Dr. Jamali is a seasoned socioeconomic development expert with over 2...

Looking at Food and Agriculture Through a Systems Lens with Dr. Corinna Hawkes, Director of FAO, Division of Agri- Food Systems and Food Safety 1. Defining the Systems Approach A systems approach is a decision-making framework that shifts focus from individual components—such as farming, processing, or retailing—to the relationships and interconnections between them. Rather than viewing food as a...

Nutrition Futures Initiative with Dr. Anthony Wenndt, Thomas Schuumanns, and Commissioner Patrick Mugisha This episode of Bite the Talk , hosted by Mark Gachagua , features a deep dive into the Nutrition Futures Initiative (NFI) . The initiative is a collaborative effort designed to bridge the gap between social protection systems and actual nutritional outcomes through a process called co-innovat...

This episode of Bite the Talk , hosted by Mark Gachagua, provides a comprehensive look at the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge and its 2025 Accountability Report . The discussion centers on the progress made in 2023 and 2024 to mobilize private sector investments toward ending global hunger and malnutrition. Core Discussion Topics The State of the Pledge : The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge, l...

In this episode of Bite the Talk , host Mark Gachagua and GAIN Uganda Country Director Damali Sali explore the "Ugandan Paradox"—why an agricultural powerhouse known as the "Pearl of Africa" still struggles with high malnutrition rates. Damali argues that the root cause is not food scarcity, but "information scarcity" and deep-seated cultural habits, such as the overwhelming dominance of the stapl...

Episode Summary In Episode 27 of "Bite the Talk," host Mark Gachagua is joined by Oliver Camp, the Environment and Food Systems Advocacy Advisor at GAIN. The episode provides a deep dive into the critical intersection of climate change and nutrition, exploring how these two agendas are being integrated across policies, finance, and national strategies. Key Discussion Points The "Helicopter View":...

Bite the Talk Episode 26: The Global Food Systems Dashboard In this episode, host Mark Gachagua speaks with Dr. Jessica Fanzo (Columbia University) and Dr. Ty Beal (GAIN) about the Global Food Systems Dashboard. They explain it was created to solve the problem of scattered and complex food data by consolidating information from over 40 sources into one user-friendly, visually appealing platform. D...

In this episode, Faiz Rasool shares Pakistan’s bold steps to reimagine its food systems. From developing a first-of-its-kind national food systems dashboard to making food systems education compulsory in universities, Pakistan is building resilience through innovation and collaboration.   Faiz reflects on the challenges of turning policy into action, the power of cross-sector partnerships, and the...

In this inspiring episode of Bite the Talk , host Mark Gachagua sits down with Eugenia Cho , an Act for Food youth leader, to explore the critical role of young people in shaping sustainable, equitable, and inclusive food systems. From her beginnings in Hong Kong, where she first learned about the environmental and ethical impacts of industrial agriculture, Eugenia shares how her curiosity led her...

This episode of "Bite The Talk" features a conversation between host Mark Gachagua and Dr. Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director at GAIN. They delve into the critical question of progress in global food systems transformation since the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) and the UNFSS+2 Stocktaking Moment. Bite the Talk is a GAIN Podcast Series. Brought to you by the Global Alliance for Improved Nut...

The discussion highlighted best practices and recommendations to enhance Kenya’s food systems, with a particular focus on effective policy implementation, financing, and inclusivity in nutrition governance. Panellists emphasized the need for collaborative efforts between state and non-state actors to drive sustainable food systems and improve nutrition outcomes across the country. Bite the Talk is...

Welcome to this episode of Bite the Talk, we are Taking Stock! The 2023 United Nations Food System Stock Take moment in Rome, followed the transformative 2021 United Nations Food System Summit or the UNFSS, enabling countries to report on the progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the midst of changing and challenging global context. Bite the Talk is a GAIN Podcast Series....

Welcome to this episode of Bite the Talk, we are Taking Stock! The 2023 United Nations Food System Stock Taking Moment in Rome follows the transformative 2021 United Nations Food System Summit, othe UNFSS, which enabled countries to report on the progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the midst of a changing and challenging global context.   This podcast series will be foc...

Welcome to this episode of Bite the Talk. We are taking stock! The 2023 United Nations Food Systems Stock Taking moment in Rome, followed the transformative 2021 United Nations Food System Summit, or the UNFSS, and enabled countries to report on the progress towards the 2030 agenda for sustainable development in the mid of a changing and challenging global context.  This podcast series will be foc...

Welcome to Bite the Talk, the podcast that dives deep into the pressing issues of our time. I am Joyce, your host for today, and we are honoured to be joined by a special guest: Dr. Sanjo Faniro, who is the National Convenor of the United Nations Food System Summit in Nigeria, and also the Director for Social Development at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning. In this ro...

Welcome to this episode of Bite the Talk. We are taking stock! The 2023 United Nations Food Systems Stock Taking moment in Rome, follows the transformative 2021 United Nations Food System Summit, or the UNFSS, enabling countries to report on the progress towards the 2030 agenda for sustainable development in the midst of a changing and challenging global context. I'm your host, Mark Gachagua and t...

In this podcast, powered by GAIN, we explore diverse issues and solutions related to nutritious food. We feature voices from farmers to leaders, including a successful partnership between GAIN, HarvestPlus, and the Syngenta Foundation. They work together to combat hidden hunger globally, particularly in India, by delivering nutrient-rich biofortified foods. This collaboration aims to create sustai...

Do you know what a wet market is? The term wet market is typically used to describe places in Asian countries that sell fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood, and meat in a non-supermarket setting. Wet markets are an essential part of food security in many countries. Today we're heading over to Bangladesh where wet markets were heavily impacted during the pandemic. Bite the Talk is a GAIN Podcast Seri...

This podcast will shine a light on people who are working to meet the 2030 targets of UN's Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number two. In this podcast series powered by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition or GAIN, we will encounter a myriad of intersecting issues, themes, and solutions. We will hear from regular folks like farmers and mothers around the world trying to put nutritious foo...

Happy International Youth Day! Today's podcast titled "Nothing about us without us" celebrates the spirit of the youth. The aim of this conversation is to understand better how government, business and other development actors engage young people and how they can help them pursue their responsibilities to ensure sustainability in food system. Bite the Talk is a GAIN Podcast Series. Brought to you...

This episode of "Bite the Talk: Push for healthier diets and sustainability for ‘made in Bangladesh’ will tackle how Apparel Brands ‘Made in Bangladesh’ must shift to greener products, safer workspace, and healthier workforce if they want to keep up with new consumers’ trends. According to the World Trade Organization, Bangladesh, with an export growing to 36 billion a year, is the second largest...

In support of World Food Safety Day 2022, this podcast sparks discussion among leaders in food safety about what is means to foster a "culture of food safety". Hear from several experts on how cultivating a "culture of food safety" supports efforts in public health, nutrition and food security. Whether producing food for global distribution or local consumption, guests share their perspectives on...

In this episode of Bite the Talk – New Commitments, New Partnerships, New Solutions – we hear again from GAIN's Executive Director, Dr. Lawrence Haddad. We last spoke to Lawrence in mid-2021 just before the Pre-summit of the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). Now we hear from him about his experiences with major moments on the Food Systems landscape in the last year, like the UNFSS which...

In September this year, the first ever United Nations Food Systems Summit will be convened – a historic moment for centring food in many critical issues facing people all over our planet today: from hunger and malnutrition; to environment and nature; to livelihoods and human rights; to resilience to shocks and stresses like COVID-19 and the climate emergency. On the occasion of the United Nations...

Cities play a crucial role in shaping food systems. Through the implementation of policies and actions, urban governments can help define what foods are available on the market and at what cost. Having policies that support the availability and affordability of food is increasingly critical as more than 50% of the global population live in cities, with this number expected to increase to 68% by 20...