Despite steadily increasing productivity, agriculture and food systems are not future-proof in their current orientation and exhibit dysfunctionalities. Large parts of the world's population are under-, mal- or overnourished. At the same time, the widespread production methods contribute significantly to climate change and species loss. The German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat / WR) sees the German agricultural, food and nutritional sciences as having a responsibility to play an active role in the necessary transformation processes. This requires a broad reorientation in the scientific fields, aiming at a comprehensive implementation of systemic approaches and a transformative perspective.