February, 10, 2026
by Stacia Nordin, Kulima Integrated Development Solutions

What does it look like when food systems truly support One Health?

In September and October 2025, I spent a month in Sweden pondering this. I attended, presented, and discussed FoSTA-Health research at three major events on food systems and nutrition:

1. Agriculture for Development (Agri4D) conference hosted by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,
2. Launch of the EAT-Lancet Commission's Planetary Health Diet report at the Stockholm Food Forum, and
3. European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD) Congress.

Agri4D: Bringing Food Systems for One Health

(Click here to download the poster)

My first stop was the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden, at the 10th Agriculture for Development (Agri4D) conference, themed “Nurturing regenerative food systems in a changing climate.” I presented a poster on our FoSTA‑Health qualitative research, “Stakeholders’ Conceptualization and Utilization of Food Systems for One Health,” which explores how people in Malawi understand and apply FS4OH in practice. 

The framing resonated with many colleagues who are also working with systems thinking, often under different banners such as agroecology, regenerative agriculture, or permaculture. Permaculture's uniqueness lies in designing for sustainable living, intentionally integrating human needs with natural systems for long-term resilience.

Beyond the sessions, Agri4D highlighted how much impact depends on communication. A closing panel reminded us that research needs to travel through media, everyday conversations, and policy spaces—not just journals—if we want transformation. They challenged us to be brief, clear, and concrete, to bring statistics and stories, and to craft our own headlines so our work is not misunderstood or sensationalized.

EAT‑Lancet 2025: where is agroecology?

In early October, the EAT Stockholm Food Forum hosted the launch of the updated 2025 EAT‑Lancet Commission Planetary Health Diet and its call for “sustainable, healthy, and just diets.” The language strongly echoed the Permaculture ethics I live by: Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share.  Yet organic agroecology was not as central in the document, nor the event, as I had hoped.

The forum did an excellent job of linking food with biodiversity, nutrition, culture, equity, financing, and joy, highlighting initiatives like FoodRise, which draws attention to nitrogen pollution and the “novel entities” pushing us beyond planetary boundaries. At the same time, the conversations stopped short of naming and supporting the organic agroecological transitions many communities are already leading and advocating for. 

I raised this directly in Q&A sessions, noting how organic agroecology delivers on planetary health, biodiversity, and equity. Commissioners' responses consistently circled back to "what the data shows," highlighting a deeper issue: we aren't collecting the right data in the right ways, or aren’t listening to the evidence. The organic agroecology community needs to strengthen its documentation and communication of proven practices and outcomes, and policy levels must listen to the voices of all partners, not just business entities. FoSTA-Health’s evidence will contribute to this.

EFAD:  Dietitians at the forefront in Malmö

The month ended in Malmö at the 15th European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD) Congress, themed “Rethink. Reform. Sustain: Dietitians at the Forefront of Change,” where I presented my FS4OH work in a short talk (download the presentation here)

Here, the conversations from Agri4D and EAT landed firmly in the world of dietetics: food and nutrition security, universal school meals, diverse proteins, and the role of dietitians in sustainable food systems were all prominent. Of particular relevance to FoSTA-Health was one poster on Systems Leadership Facilitating Transformations to Sustainable Dietary Patterns, which aligns with work in our research work on dietary transitions.

The conference showcased the approach taken in Sweden to "Healthy and sustainable diets in schools and universities", which are assessed from a One Health perspective. One of our meals was exactly what Swedish schools were having for lunch that day, and it was wonderful! It underscored how infrastructure, training, and public investment can make healthy, sustainable food an everyday reality for children, teachers, and us.

Learning between sessions

In between the formal sessions, I was able to experience One Health in action. In Uppsala, I joined a tour of Ultuna Permakultur, a living example of permaculture design as “very One Health.” The site integrates plants, animals, and fungi in ways that build soil, biodiversity, and community resilience, while also producing food and education opportunities. It mirrors the permaculture ethics that underpin my own work: Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share.

After Agri4D, I drove south to Järna to spend a day with MatLust Utvecklingsnod, a team whose “Diet for a Green Planet” initiative is highlighted in the International Confederation of Dietetic Associations (ICDA) Sustainable Food Systems Toolkit (www.InternationalDietetics.org/Sustainability), which I coordinate with another project.

Here, one municipality has used public meals to shift towards organic, plant-rich, and locally rooted food, while supporting farmers, processors, and local businesses. A stop at an organic food company with its own grain mill, and other local enterprises, showed how values like care, quality, and biodiversity can be embedded across the supply chain. I was especially intrigued by Camelina sativa oil, an ancient, hardy oilseed now gaining attention for its omega-3-rich, high-protein seeds that can thrive in marginal conditions.

So what does this mean for Food Systems for One Health?

Across Sweden’s conferences, farms, municipal kitchens, and coastal saunas, a few threads stood out for Food Systems for One Health:

• FS4OH connects easily with other systems framings, such as organic regenerative, agroecological, and permaculture, but we need to connect so our work reinforces rather than fragments. Permaculture's uniqueness lies in intentional design for human needs as part of natural systems to achieve abundance and long-term resilience.
• Municipalities, schools, and retailers are powerful levers; they can translate global science into menus, procurement, and landscapes that people experience every day.
• Dietitians and other health professionals are ready to lead, but they need tools, networks, and supportive policies to fully integrate sustainability into their roles.
• Communication matters as much as content: short, clear messages, grounded in stories and statistics, help our research travel into media, policy, and public action.
• Coordination and collaboration are paramount. We have what we need, but we aren't making the most of it. We need synergies with each other, and most of all, with nature.

I came home with a renewed commitment to use the FS4OH framing, however people call it, to bridge agroecology, public health nutrition, and policy, and to keep learning from colleagues in places like Sweden who are already living parts of the future we are trying to build in other parts of the world.