CIFAR Arrell Future of Food Initiative
Ask bold questions.
Reimagine the Future of Food.
Food — its production, transportation and processing — is responsible for the greatest environmental impact humans have on this planet. The global food system is also under mounting pressure: food insecurity is rising, biodiversity is declining and climate-driven shocks have intensified.
What is urgently needed is a bold and integrated approach that acknowledges the complexity of these problems and brings together diverse voices to reimagine how we grow, share and sustain food in a rapidly changing world.
The CIFAR Arrell Future of Food Initiative is made possible through the generous support of the Arrell Family Foundation.
Discovery Workshops
The CIFAR Arrell Future of Food Initiative is taking a crucial step forward, announcing the selection of 7 interdisciplinary research teams to participate in its inaugural Discovery Workshops. To learn more, read the Future of Food Report, offering an overview of the discovery panel’s discussions and recommendations on potentially transformative areas for future research.
Child-First Food Systems Digital Twin: Optimizing Policy Bundles for Equitable Diets and Health
- Mahsa Jessri, University of British Columbia
- Mary L’Abbe, University of Toronto
- Douglas Manuel, University of Ottawa
- Martha White, University of Alberta | Learning in Machines & Brains Fellow and Canada CIFAR AI Chair
- Paul Gustafson, University of British Columbia
Synthetic Biology and Programmable Plant Systems: A Transdisciplinary Approach for Sustainable Agriculture
- Margaret Frank, Cornell University
- Arjun Khakhar, Colorado State University
- Robert Smith, University of Edinburgh
The Urban Future of Food
- Kate Brown, MIT | Humans & the Microbiome Program Advisor
- Mikkel Thelle, National Museum of Denmark
- Anne Braedder, Roskilde University
- Joshua Arnold, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Nathan McClintock, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
Envisioning a New, Inclusive Food Economy That Rebalances Power in Food Systems
- Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
- Festo Massawe, University of Nottingham, Malaysia
- Ee Von Goh, World Vegetable Center
- Wendy Geza, University of KwaZulu-Natal
- Suwilanji Sinyangwe, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Action Network
Capital Markets and the Future of Food
- Phoebe Stephens, Dalhousie University
- Truzaar Dordi, University of York
- Alain Naef, ESSEC Business School
- Sarah Sippel, University of Münster
- Arianna Muirow, ReLeverage Consulting
Legume Futures: Reimagining Food, Climate and Culture Through Morama and Bambara
- Jose Jackson Malete, Michigan State University
- Linley Chiwona-Karltun, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Percy Chimwamurombe, Namibia University of Science & Technology
- Eugénie Kayitesi, University of Pretoria
- Prince Marowa, University of Zimbabwe
Digital Livestock Intelligence: AI‑Driven Digital Twins for Planetary Food Security and Animal Consciousness
- Suresh Raja Neethirajan, Dalhousie University
- Hervé Panetto, Université de Lorraine
- Tamami Nakano, Osaka University
Global Advisory Council
The work of these teams will be directed and evaluated by a newly formed Global Advisory Council, who will comprise a group of esteemed advisors with deep expertise in food systems transformation.
Among the members are:
- Laura Arrell, Managing Director, The Arrell Family Foundation, Canada
- Hugo Campos, Deputy Director General for Science & Innovation at the International Potato Center, Peru
- Cary Fowler, President, Food Security Leadership Council, United States of America