This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food. In our new podcast mini-series, 10 Minutes for 10 Years: Conversations About the Future of Food, we invited our members to speak with their partners around the world. The result? A unique tapestry of perspectives about food systems today and in the future.

Food systems transformation requires new and better solutions at all scales through a systems-level approach and deep collaboration among philanthropy, researchers, grassroots movements, the private sector, farmers and food systems workers, Indigenous Peoples, government, and policymakers. In this final episode, Ruth Richardson, outgoing Executive Director of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, speaks with Michael Quinn Patton, Strategic Evaluation Advisor to the Global Alliance. Together they reflect on the need for transformation, the value of hope and inspiration, and all that has happened during 10 years of transforming food systems.

Global food production relies on unsustainably produced fertilizers that deplete organic nutrients in the soil. In addition, human waste and fertilizer runoff cause harmful algal blooms and pose other health risks.

This episode features Dr. Charles Midega and Dr. Rebecca Nelson, principal investigators on a recently-funded project from the McKnight Foundation: "Building the Circular Bionutrient Economy to Enhance Systems Health in Africa’s Lake Victoria Basin." Dr. Midega discusses his focus on the black soldier fly as a way to process organic residue transformation into animal feed. Dr. Nelson, meanwhile, explores the benefits of transforming human excrement into useful and safe soil supplements for agriculture. Together, they explore food security, soil health, sanitation practices, and concerns around reusing human waste.