From New York to Europe to Malaysia: a new generation of food policies is ready for adoption

From New York to Europe to Malaysia: a new generation of food policies is ready for adoption

Claudia Laricchia

Three indigenous ingredients for feeding the cities of the future

Fasten your seatbelts. This is the journey of the urban food policies across New York City, Malaysia, Europe for feeding the cities of the future thanks to the future citizens’ mindsets and models.

In April 2026, the SMILY Academy – a special program of the Indigenous peoples’ climate justice forum -, was selected by the New York City Food Policy Center and Hunter College for bringing on stage its new perspective and framework of urban food policies throughout the integration of the so-called indigenous factor.

The Indigenous People Food Policy Summit was the very first public occasion and milestone to feed the conversation on an unprecedented approach, gathering Indigenous communities, universities, social innovators, and policy experts. That preview immediately became a white paper: Food Policies Beyond Food has been officially published by SMILY Academy in collaboration with ConfBenefit AISBL – the European Federation of B Corporations -, the Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Justice Forum, G100 Indigenous Communities and Integration, and the Food Science and Technologies Center Best4Food at the University of Milano-Bicocca.

Which are the secret ingredients of this new framework? Those to have in the luggage during this journey toward the future of urban food policies?

The first ingredient is the key concept that food policy is no longer only about food. It is about climate policy, health policy, economic development policy and territorial governance. Once in charge of food policy, you are committed to justice (climate and social ones), health and community (including the economical dimension).

The second ingredient is the indigenous factor, a new concept composed by those elements identifying the ancestral indigenous wisdom in concrete, meaning: the integration of ecological intelligence, biodiversity stewardship, food sovereignty, regenerative practices, community governance, and relational thinking derived from Indigenous food systems.

Please note that while many sustainability strategies focus primarily on technology and efficiency, this approach recognizes that resilience also comes from relationships (relational thinking of the indigenous factor): relationships between people and themselves – considering the crucial role of inner dimension and mindset which includes many methodologies to be defined and implemented, including Sasa Bozic’s 11 ancient strengths -; the relationship between people and ecosystems; between cities and territories and between innovation and ancestral wisdom.

This means to reverse food strategies to feed cities and their increasing need for quality and quantity of food. It is now time for adaptation. Indeed, cities worldwide are facing similar challenges: climate risks, public health inequalities, supply chain vulnerabilities, biodiversity loss, and growing social fragmentation. Traditional policy silos are no longer capable of addressing these interconnected issues.

That’s why the answer proposed by Food Policies Beyond Food is the creation of Territorial Impact Ecosystems. This means bringing together an entire stakeholder value chain: municipalities and city governments; Universities and research centers; benefit corporations and mission-driven enterprises; food producers and local farmers; restaurants and hospitality operators; impact investors and financial institutions; foundations and civil society organizations; youth networks; women’s leadership organizations; Indigenous and marginalized communities and knowledge holders.

These are the co-designers of local food resilience strategies as the entry point for wider transformation. The paper describes an iconic example of the indigenous communities of the East Himalaya, including the Mising community, whose traditions root the future in terms of resilience and approaches to the living land. 

Can a city redesign procurement systems to support local biodiversity? Can a school become a center for food literacy and climate education? Can a restaurant become a laboratory for regenerative sourcing and cultural storytelling? Can a corporation align its ESG (environmental social governamental) commitments with measurable local impact? Can a university connect research with community implementation? Not only they can, but they should for designing a governance model capable of linking climate action, economic development, public health, and social cohesion.

The third ingredient is the food policy governance, which must be designed through participatory processes that align justice, health and community the way cities can have food centred social and climate plans; urban planning and public health strategies; food education for citizens of the future, before cities of the city. How?

One proposal is the creation of a permanent Food Policy Councils as multi-stakeholder governance platforms connecting institutions, citizens, universities, indigenous and marginalized communities’ representatives and businesses.

This would allow to the redefinition of public procurement by transforming school, hospital and public canteens into drivers of sustainable, local and healthy food systems and the support of short food networks, peri-urban agriculture and inclusive market infrastructures, addressing food deserts and transforming them in urban food forests, enhancing food education and embedding climate literacy into urban communities. That’s how we build food systems as a living infrastructure for social, ecological and cultural regeneration, at the core of urban infrastructure, inseparable from climate resilience, biodiversity protection and public health.

Once you recognize the three ingredients (food policy at the root of justice, health and community; the indigenous factor; food policy governance and living infrastructures) as the pillars of the new generation of urban food policy and once understood that food justice is social and environmental justice as well as collective intelligence based food governance, once recognized marginalized communities as the epicenter of the change, the journey begins.

Indeed, this food architecture leads cities to encourage local food, seasonality, nutritional values, food as a medicine, fermented food, functional foods, the perception of food and land as a living being and to do so alongside the entire food value chain, especially food procurement. They clarify how cities should be the living space to flourish, to nourish relationships to feed justice, health and communities.

The journey started in New York. It became a white paper. And it is now ready to take off for two very important global events to be held next fall. The first one is the Annual Women Economic Forum (WEF) 2026, taking place from 14th to 17th October 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that will bring together inspiring women leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and changemakers from across the globe under the theme, “Powering the Future: Empowering Communities and Cultures of Care, Co-existence, Creativity & Commerce through Women-Led Development.”

This event celebrates the vital role of women in shaping inclusive economies and sustainable societies, spotlighting women-led initiatives that foster community empowerment, cultural understanding, creative industries, ethical leadership, and economic growth.

The second one is the Women Economic Forum in Turin, Italy, scheduled from October 24th to 26th. WEF network counts 500,000 people in 150 Countries and G100 is gathering 1 million people all over the world, including Nobel Laureates and Head of States. It represents the ideal occasion to keep travelling, gathering contribution, experimenting implementation for the integration of indigenous factor into urban food policies, and analysing food policies beyond food.

In this way we can talk to municipalities, because the framework offers a roadmap for integrating food policies into climate and social justice plans, health strategies, and community engagement; we can talk to businesses and B corporations through ConfBenefit, because it provides an opportunity to move beyond compliance and contribute actively to territorial resilience through ESG-oriented partnerships and regenerative value chains; we can talk to investors and foundations, because it creates a platform for measurable impact generation; we can talk to universities, because it offers a living laboratory where research becomes implementation; we can keep taking with communities, because the framework creates new opportunities for participation, inclusion, and shared ownership. This happens because this framework is the beginning of a practical invitation.

Food policies must be designed to regenerate territories, strengthen communities, accelerate climate action, and create shared value. Feeding healthy communities is just a consequence of the profound change of the premises. Join us in this exciting journey toward a better future.

Claudia Laricchia, Women Economic Forum Italy – Public Affairs Director; SMILY Academy, President; Global Forum of Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Justice Forum, Head of Strategic International Cooperation; European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability and Rome Business School, Professor; and Correspondent of Mahabahu.

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