Paul Newnham is the Executive Director of SDG2 Advocacy Hub, which coordinates global campaigns and advocacy to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2: To end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. To help transform food systems, Paul and his team are leading projects such as the “Beans is How” campaign, which promotes the nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits of beans. On this episode of Food Lab Talk, Michiel speaks with Paul about leading with empathy, investing in relationships, and intentionally communicating your theory of change.
Paul Newnham: “I think we often think that ideas are the thing that drive, but ideas are only as good as the people and the networks that carry them. And so I think investing in networks, investing in relationships is really critical. Within that, an insight that I've learned is to diversify that. Sometimes we go deep within a particular sector, but we don't look across. It's really important to look across both horizontally and vertically within your given field. And I think it's about building those kinds of webs so you can succeed in getting a message out there or a cause to gather momentum.”
01:28 How culture and development led Paul to SDG2 Advocacy Hub
03:28 Chefs bridge the gap between food systems and hunger
05:20 Equity and leading with empathy
07:07 Joy and celebration as a catalyst for change
08:13 Optimism, tenacity, and “getting to the next hill”
10:17 Overview of SDG2 Advocacy Hub
11:33 Sustainable food systems are diverse, responsive, and giving
12:27 A food system is like a mixing table
14:57 Shifting diets through supply and demand
18:05 Convenience, cost, and taste as food purchase drivers
19:47 Beans as a way to drive systemic change
23:03 “Beans is How” - Theory of Change
24:00 Using policy levers
25:08 Building the model to accelerate food systems change
25:53 Why an explicit framework builds lasting momentum
28:16 Importance of investing in diverse networks
30:26 Takeaways for changemakers
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*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.
What is Food Lab Talk?
A better food system starts with one thing: vision. Food Lab Talk gives global food system changemakers a platform to articulate their vision for the future of food.
The series features interviews with inspiring individuals who are working on the frontlines of many of our most pressing food issues: reducing food loss and waste, enhancing food system transparency, facilitating shifts toward more balanced plant-forward diets, enabling informed individual choices for sustainable lifestyles, and accelerating the transition to a circular food economy.
Join Google’s Michiel Bakker to meet the leaders taking bold action and answering what each of us can do to create a better food system for us all.