Key takeaways
- Action is needed to close the global resilience gap. The Resilient Food Systems Index evaluates the resilience of 60 countries and finds a 42-point gap between the most and least resilient. Many countries fall into a middle zone, showing where targeted investment can have the greatest impact.
- Access to affordable, nutritious food underpins long-term resilience. Food affordability is the strongest-performing pillar, averaging 71.8 globally, yet access and nutrition gaps persist. Trade and reliable access to markets is critical to enable farmers to move nutritious food efficiently from farm to fork.
- A more resilient food system depends on stronger connections. With 15 countries producing about 70% of the world’s food, connected supply chains act as shock absorbers and help move food from where it’s grown to where it is needed, even during disruption.
About the Resilient Food Systems Index
The Resilient Food Systems Index, created by Economist Impact and supported by Cargill, evaluates the resilience of 60 countries on a 100-point scale across four pillars: affordability, availability, quality and safety of food, and climate risk responsiveness.
42
Point-gap between the most and least resilient countries63.9
Global resilience average71.8
Affordability resilience, highest-performing pillar70%
Of the world’s food is produced by 15 countries
Why resilient food systems matter now more than ever
Feeding a growing world requires food systems that can adapt, recover and keep food moving through uncertainty.
Built to withstand disruption
Food systems face sustained volatility from weather, geopolitics and demand shifts. Resilience determines if disruption is absorbed or escalates.
Essential for food security
With demand rising toward 10 billion people by 2050, food systems need to deliver consistent access to affordable, nutritious food.
Powered by connections
No country is fully resilient. Connected supply chains and trade act as shock absorbers, keeping food moving when disruption hits.
5 ways to improve resilience at scale
1. Strengthen trade and connection
Resilience depends on supportive policies and trade flows that can re-route rather than stall. Cargill operates at the heart of the global food system. Our network of grain terminals, ports and fleet of more than 600 vessels connects food from where it’s grown to the people who need it.
2. Improve market access for farmers
Resilience depends on farmers having access to markets, capital and data to plan, invest and maintain production. Cargill partners with farmers to reduce uncertainty and improve market access through infrastructure, financing, risk management and innovations that scale.
3. Expand affordable nutrition
Resilience depends on people having access to healthy, affordable food. Cargill invests where nutrition, affordability and demand intersect. Around the world we produce enough protein to feed up to 170 million people per day, connecting local production to global demand.
4. Reduce food loss and waste
Resilience depends on making the most of food that is already produced. Cargill combines technology, supply chain innovation and partnerships across the value chain to recover more food, extend shelf life and improve efficiency from farm to fork.
5. Invest in innovation at scale
Resilience depends on food and agriculture innovations that can scale. Cargill partners with farmers, startups, food companies, policy makers and customers to turn ideas into practical solutions that deliver impact at scale across the food system.
What it takes to strengthen global food security
How do we build a food system that can adapt, endure and deliver, no matter the disruption?
Cargill’s Chief Economist, Lauren Bresnahan, provides insights from the Resilient Food Systems Index, highlighting the gaps and opportunities that lie ahead, and where we can go further, together.
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Lauren Bresnahan Chief Economist, Cargill
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Your Questions, Answered
What is the Resilient Food Systems Index (RFSI)?
The inaugural Resilient Food Systems Index from Economist Impact, supported by Cargill, provides a benchmark of countries’ capacity to produce and deliver affordable and nutritious food in an increasingly interconnected landscape. It evaluates 60 countries on a 100-point scale across four interdependent pillars: Affordability, Availability, Quality and Safety and Climate Risk Responsiveness.
Who created the Resilient Food Systems Index (RFSI)?
The Resilient Food Systems Index (RFSI) is based on novel, independent research led by Economist Impact and supported by Cargill. The index uses a dynamic benchmarking model of 71 qualitative and quantitative indicators across four pillars to measure resilience and builds on more than a decade of food systems research conducted by Economist Impact.
Why did Cargill support the Resilient Food Systems Index?
Cargill supported this research because resilient food systems are in everyone’s interest. They underpin economic stability and security in one of the world’s most essential industries. Through long-term investment, coordination, and partnership, we can build a system that absorbs shocks, adapts to change, and continues delivering nutrition to people everywhere.
How does the Resilient Food Systems Index define ‘resilience’?
In the Resilient Food Systems Index, resilience refers to a food system’s ability to continue delivering affordable, safe and nutritious food while absorbing shocks and adapting to long-term pressures.
What is the difference between food resilience and food security?
While food security captures the current state of food availability and access, resilience assesses the system's ability to deliver sufficient, affordable and nutritious food to all during disruption. This systemic approach identifies structural weaknesses and opportunities for long-term improvement.
Why does trade improve food system resilience?
Trade and connected supply chains act as shock absorbers. They allow food to move from areas of surplus to areas of need, even as weather, conflict or market conditions shift. By maintaining open and integrated markets, the global system can better navigate local or regional shocks.
Where are the most promising models for reducing food loss and waste?
Reducing food loss and waste is one of the fastest, most scalable ways to strengthen food system resilience because it focuses on using what we already produce more efficiently, not producing more. For example, innovations like Cargill’s CarVe computer vision and AI-enabled system help recover more food during production, while shelf-life solutions keep products fresher longer and reduce retail waste.
How does Cargill contribute to food system resilience?
At Cargill, resilience is embedded in how we work. For 160 years we’ve kept food moving. With operations in 70 countries and supply chains reaching 125 markets we connect farmers, customers and communities so food is available when disruption hits.
Why this matters
- The Resilient Food Systems Index makes one thing clear: many of the building blocks for resilience already exist. The opportunity is alignment, connecting policy, capital, infrastructure and innovation into systems that function in good times and endure shocks in difficult ones.
- Building resilient food systems takes connection, coordination and scale. No single organization can build a resilient food system alone.
- By connecting farmers to markets, strengthening supply chains, advancing affordable nutrition, reducing waste and scaling practical innovation, Cargill is helping build the foundations resilience depends on.
Resilience spotlight
Building stronger food systems
How Cargill is building stronger, more resilient food systems
When the world feels unpredictable, our food system shouldn’t be. A food-secure world is built through resilient systems that anticipate and navigate disruptions, helping people access nutritious food.
Cargill warns “food security is global security”
Cargill Chief Economist, Lauren Bresnahan, shares her insights with Food Ingredients First discussing the Resilient Food Systems Index, trade, reducing food waste and expanding food system resilience.
15 reasons resilient food systems matter for food security
Farmers and food makers, retailers and restaurants all play their part in getting food to your table. Learn 15 reasons why resilience matters, and how we’re working to strengthen it from the farm to your table.