Extension and advisory services (EAS) play a key role in facilitating innovation processes, empowering marginalized groups through capacity development, and linking farmers with markets. Advisory services are increasingly provided by a range of actors and funded from diverse sources. With the broadened scope of EAS and the growing complexity of the system, the quantitative performance indicators used in the past (e.g. related to investment, staffing or productivity) are not adequate anymore to understand whether the system is well-functioning.

The Food Systems Thinking Guide for UN Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams is an interactive resource designed to support food systems transformation as a contribution to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It emphasizes a systems approach, fostering collaboration across diverse stakeholders – including governments, civil society, and private sectors – to address interconnected challenges like food security, environmental sustainability, and social equity.