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Home / Science / World Food Prize Winner Advocates for People-Centric, Sustainable Food Systems

World Food Prize Winner Advocates for People-Centric, Sustainable Food Systems

6 Nov

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Summary

Nutrition expert Shakuntala Thilsted calls for food systems that nourish people and planet
Emphasizes combining AI and traditional knowledge to transform global food systems
Kerala government declares eradication of extreme poverty, promotes scientific temper in education

World Food Prize Winner Advocates for People-Centric, Sustainable Food Systems

In November 2025, Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, a renowned nutrition expert and the winner of the 2021 World Food Prize, called for a people-centered approach to food systems that can "nourish both people and planet." Thilsted, who currently serves as the Director for Nutrition, Health and Food Security Impact Area Platform at CGIAR, was speaking at the International Conference on Agrarian Change organized by the Foundation for Agrarian Studies (FAS) in Kovalam, Kerala.

Thilsted emphasized the need to work towards dietary diversity by leveraging the seasonality of foods to ensure availability and affordability. She also stressed the importance of combining novel technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) with traditional knowledge in agriculture, stating that "Using big data and AI without the integration of indigenous knowledge and practices, we are missing out a big part of the knowledge that we have to ensure that our food systems nourish people."