Core Principles

There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.

Audre Lorde

Food systems are largely ignored in the fight for a better future, yet, globally, they employ more than one billion people and use 77% of agricultural land to raise and feed animals for human consumption. Marked by intensification, industrialisation, and commercial gain, conventional animal agriculture is wreaking havoc around the planet. It accounts for 15% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, 91% of the Amazon rainforest destruction, and 80% of all extinction threats, for example. And, animal agriculture exacts this toll while receiving less than 1% of global climate change mitigation resources.

Food systems employ more than 1 billion people and use 77% of agricultural land.

There is an urgent need to shift from this wasteful, destructive, and economically skewed model to one that is sustainable, regenerative, and equitable. Such a transition is possible only if there is large-scale reduction in the production and consumption of meat, dairy, eggs, and fish.

At 50by40, we are driven by the philosophy that only when we work together can we fix the broken global food system and build one that is fair, healthy, and compassionate. This holds the key to addressing some of the most wide-reaching issues of our time: climate change, food insecurity, nutrition deficiency, food sovereignty, public health decline, social inequality, animal exploitation, and biodiversity loss.

How we work is as critical to our functioning as what we do. We strive to be the catalyst for constructive change and productive partnerships to transform the food system as we know it today.

To this end, our work is guided by seven core principles that create a strong framework for well-informed, holistic decision making.

As a collective impact organisation, 50by40 aspires to live up to the following principles in each body of work we carry out.

Global

We strive to decrease the production and consumption of animal protein around the world whilst addressing the food crises in areas where people are plagued with hunger and nutritional deficiencies. We respect varied perspectives and knowledge, and believe that effective solutions exist in the reality of different contexts.
Collaborative

We believe that together, we are greater than the sum of our parts, and, to that end, we strive to build connections, reduce redundancies, and grow the food systems movement. We value all social justice advocates as our allies and partner with them to move towards our collective goals.
Equitable

We believe in the equality of all beings and strive to offer greater opportunity for participation to perspectives that are less commonly heard. Racial inclusion, gender parity, and equity, as well as geographical representation, are essential in our quest to achieve our mission. We seek to elevate marginalised voices, groups, and the food systems movement at large. We accept our responsibility to be proactive, strategic, and intentional as we reconcile implicit and explicit prejudice in our everyday lives, and specifically within movements addressing food system change. We know we may make missteps, but we are committed to this process and approach it with humility and an openness to continue to learn and improve.
Intersectional

We are strengthened by diversity, in partnerships and our actions, and support different roadmaps, or theories of change, and varying strategies that lead towards the same end goal. We do not believe in silver bullet solutions. Instead, we encourage and amplify efforts in policy reform, education and awareness, private sector collaboration and accountability, Just Transition, shifting financial flows, capacity building, and behaviour change.
Innovative

We believe in drawing greater attention and resources towards reducing animal protein use from governments, foundations, and civil society alike. We further aim to diversify funding avenues for our partner organisations and worthy projects, garnering support from beyond the animal protection and human health realms, and are keen to build bridges between food systems and climate change, biodiversity, gender equality, indigenous peoples’ rights, farmers, and other social justice movements impacted by the way food is produced and consumed.
Transformative

We believe the task of transforming food systems needs to take place at both the incremental and transformative levels. In the short term, we aim to meet the goals of food security, food safety, and food sovereignty through a multi-stakeholder approach while simultaneously laying the groundwork for long-term systemic change.
Futuristic

We foster deep, lasting relationships to transform our food system. This helps us answer both the long-term question of where we want to go as well as the short-term response to what we do next. We recognise the value of building blocks, design thinking and fostering consensus. Through our long-term collaborations and collective impact strategies, 50by40 is at the forefront to fortify a dynamic global food movement.

Core Principles

Food systems employ more than 1 billion people and use 77% of agricultural land.

As a collective impact organisation, 50by40 aspires to live up to the following principles in each body of work we carry out.

Global

Collaborative

Equitable

Intersectional

Innovative

Transformative

Futuristic

Explore

Contact Us

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Would you like updates from 50by40?