The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), in collaboration with leading academic institutions, inaugurated a two-day Capacity-Building Workshop on Food Systems Courses for university faculty on May 29–30, 2025, at the Avari Hotel, Lahore.
The workshop brought together over 40 faculty members from 10 universities across Lahore and Faisalabad, demonstrating a shared commitment to advancing food systems education and strengthening nutrition-sensitive policy development in Pakistan.
The primary aim of the training was to equip university faculty with the knowledge, methodologies, and pedagogical tools needed to integrate food systems thinking into academic curricula. The initiative supports both national and global efforts to address the triple burden of malnutrition, while promoting sustainable, resilient, and equitable food environments.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Farah Naz, Country Director of GAIN Pakistan, emphasized the essential role of faculty members in shaping a future-ready food workforce and reaffirmed GAIN’s dedication to supporting transformative change within the education sector.
Faiz Rasool, Head of Policy and Advocacy at GAIN Pakistan, highlighted the pressing issue of malnutrition in the country, particularly about food insecurity and the growing impact of climate change. He emphasised the importance of equipping young people with relevant knowledge of food systems and using that foundation to inform future policy and program development. He further stressed the need to build faculty capacity as a critical enabler of system transformation—an area that this GAIN initiative specifically targets.
During the workshop, participants explored curriculum design for food systems education, effective assessment and evaluation strategies, experiential and participatory learning methods, and the integration of digital tools in classroom instruction. These sessions were designed not only to strengthen pedagogical approaches but also to encourage institutional collaboration, curriculum innovation, and active engagement with local policy contexts.
This workshop marks a pivotal step toward institutionalizing food systems education within Pakistan’s higher education sector. It lays the groundwork for continued academic engagement, capacity strengthening, and knowledge co-creation, ultimately supporting a more nutrition-secure and sustainable future for the country.
