POLICY SEMINAR
The future of food and agriculture – Drivers and triggers for transformation
Co-organized by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), IFPRI, and the CGIAR Research Initiative on Foresight
FEB 1, 2023 - 10:00 TO 11:15AM EST

A new report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on “The Future of Food and Agriculture: Drivers and Triggers for Transformation” aims to inspire strategic thinking and actions to transform agrifood systems toward a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive future.

The report analyses current and emerging drivers of agrifood systems and their possible future trends, including the issues at stake and the threats and problems facing future food production and consumption.

This policy seminar, co-organized by FAO, IFPRI, and the CGIAR Research Initiative on Foresight, offers an opportunity to hear from the report’s authors and engage with a group of panel discussants on challenges facing food and agriculture, foresight approaches to exploring alternative future pathways, and opportunities for food system transformation, with particular focus on the Americas.

Introductory Remarks
Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Presentation of the report
Lorenzo Giovanni Bellù, Senior Economist and Lead of the Policy Intelligence Branch – Global Perspectives, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Panel Discussion
Valeria Piñeiro, Acting Head of the Latin American region & Senior Research Coordinator, IFPRI
Joseph Glauber, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
Elisabetta Gotor, Principal Scientist and Program Leader, Performance, Innovation and Strategic Analysis for Impact, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT
Keith Wiebe, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI; Lead of the CGIAR Research Initiative on Foresight

Closing Remarks
Jocelyn Brown Hall, Director, FAO Liaison Office for North America
Charlotte Hebebrand, Director, Communications and Public Affairs, IFPRI

Moderator
Evgeniya Anisimova, Manager of Media and Digital Engagement, IFPRI

Links:
Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO): https://www.fao.org/home/en
CGIAR Research Initiative On Foresight: https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/foresight/
The Future Of Food And Agriculture – Drivers And Triggers For Transformation: https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cc0959en/

More about this seminar:  https://www.ifpri.org/event/future-food-and-agriculture-%E2%80%93-drivers-and-triggers-transformation

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The future of food and agriculture – Drivers and triggers for transformation

POLICY SEMINAR
Food Loss and Waste in Fruit and Vegetable Supply Chains
Co-organized by IFPRI, Embassy of Denmark, and World Resources Institute
MAR 14, 2023 - 9:30 TO 11:00AM EDT

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about one-third of all food produced around the globe is lost or wasted. This is particularly egregious in a world where one in nine persons is food insecure, and widespread food affordability concerns in low- and middle-income countries have resulted from COVID-related value chain disruptions and the global impact of the war in Ukraine. 

This annual event will take stock of efforts around the world to tackle food loss and waste through initiatives like Champions 12.3, a coalition of leaders from governments, businesses, international organizations, research institutions, farmer groups, and civil society dedicated to inspiring ambition, mobilizing action, and accelerating progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 by 2030.

The seminar will also take a closer look at fruits and vegetables, which are among the healthiest but most wasted foods. Given their perishable nature, great care, attention, and cooperation along all parts of fruit and vegetable value chains are required to reduce food loss and waste.

Welcome
Rob Vos, Director, Markets, Trade and Institutions Division, IFPRI, and Lead, CGIAR Initiative on Rethinking Food Markets
Jacob Jensen, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark

Keynote Address
Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Panel Discussion
Rob Vos, Director, Markets, Trade and Institutions Division, IFPRI, and Lead, CGIAR Initiative on Rethinking Food Markets
Muhammad Yakubu Bubayaro, Founder/CEO, Bunkasa Agritech 
Shannon Sajdak, Senior Sustainability Manager, Apeel
Signe Frese, Director, CSR and Quality, Coop Denmark

Closing Remarks
Liz Goodwin, Senior Fellow and Director, Food Loss and Waste, World Resources Institute (WRI)

Moderator
Luciana Delgado, Senior Research Analyst, IFPRI

More about this seminar: https://www.ifpri.org/event/food-loss-and-waste-fruit-and-vegetable-supply-chains

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Food Loss and Waste in Fruit and Vegetable Supply Chains

HYBRID POLICY SEMINAR
Tackling the Hidden Costs of our Food Systems
Co-organized by IFPRI, The Food System Economics Commission (FSEC), and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
JUN 6, 2024 - 9:30 TO 11:00AM EDT

Food systems provide important benefits to the global population, not only providing food but also supporting livelihoods for more than one billion people around the globe. However, food systems also encompass hidden environmental, health, and social costs, estimated to be at least $10 trillion per year, as mapped out in two separate seminal reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Food System Economics Commission (FSEC).

Please join us for a discussion on these hidden costs of food systems and the remedies to reduce this economic burden, while moving toward more sustainable, health-promoting, and socially inclusive food systems.

Speakers include experts involved in FAO’s report, The State of Food and Agriculture 2023, and FSEC’s Global Policy Report, The Economics of the Food System Transformation. Additional food system experts will delineate the hidden costs of food systems and examine transformative approaches for reducing them.

Open and Welcome Remarks | Setting the Scene
Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI and Managing Director, Systems Transformation Science Group, CGIAR
Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

FAO SOFA report
Andrea Cattaneo, Senior Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 

FSEC Global Policy Report Findings
Caterina Ruggeri Laderchi, Director, Food System Economics Commission (FSEC)

The Role of Diets in Reducing Food System's Hidden Costs
Jessica Fanzo, Professor of Climate and Food at Columbia University

Addressing Obstacles to Food Systems Transformation
Danielle Resnick, Senior Research Fellow, Development Strategies and Governance Unit (DSG), IFPRI

Moderator
Charlotte Hebebrand, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, IFPRI

More about this Event: hhttps://www.ifpri.org/event/tackling-hidden-costs-our-food-systems
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Tackling the Hidden Costs of our Food Systems

IFPRI Policy Seminar
The Unjust Climate: Measuring the impacts of climate change on rural poor, women, and youth
Co-organized by IFPRI, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Gender, Climate Change and Nutrition Integration Initiative (GCAN)
June 18, 2024
9:30 – 11:00 am (America/New York)
3:30 – 5:00 pm (Europe/Amsterdam)
7:00 – 8:30 pm (Asia/Kolkata)


More intense and frequent climate events are increasingly disrupting agriculture-based livelihoods, with disproportionate effects on marginalized groups, including women farmers. Yet there is a lack of empirical research on the adverse effects of these extreme weather events, making it even more challenging to build smallholders’ resilience and address rising gender inequalities.

In a recent report, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations quantified the negative impacts of certain extreme climate events on poor rural households. The report, which included contributions from the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Gender, Climate Change and Nutrition Integration Initiative (https://www.ifpri.org/project/g-can-gender-responsive-and-climate-resilient-agriculturefor-nutrition),  found that both floods and heat stress have already widened the income gap between poor and non-poor households by US$20 billion a year. Among other findings, it also showed that each day with extremely high temperatures reduces the total value of crops produced by women farmers by 3 percent relative to men.

Please join us to discuss key results from the report and hear from policymakers, practitioners, and partners on how they are working to generate relevant evidence and make a difference on the ground.   

Opening Remarks
Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Key Findings from the Report
Nicholas Sitko, Senior Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Resilience to Climate Change and Gender
Claudia Ringler, Director, Natural Resources and Resilience (NRR), IFPRI

Importance of Data
Carlo Azzarri, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI

Priorities for Inclusive Climate Action in Asia
Mansi Shah, Program Manager for the Future of Work Activities, Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA)

Priorities for Inclusive Climate Action in Africa
Faith Gikunda, Communications Director, Inclusive Climate Change Adaptation for a Sustainable Africa (ICCASA)

Donor Perspectives on Addressing Social and Economic Inequalities Through Climate Action
Aslihan Kes, Senior Gender Advisor, Resilience and Food Security, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Closing Remarks
Aditi Mukherji, Director, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Impact Action Platform of the CGIAR

Moderator
Elizabeth Bryan, Senior Scientist, IFPRI

Links:
The Unjust Climate:  http://the%20unjust%20climate/

More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/unjust-climate-measuring-impacts-climate-change-rural-poor-women-and-youth/
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The Unjust Climate: Measuring the impacts of climate change on rural poor, women, and youth

Around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in eleven people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report. Tune in to the FAO Talks podcast with FAO’s Chief Economist Máximo Torero to explore the causes of global hunger.

To learn more about the 2024 SOFI report visit www.fao.org

Interview: Laura Quiñones
Producers: Heriberto Araujo, Ruki Inoshita
Sound: Eric Deleu
Editorial supervision: Tszmei Ho

© FAO/Roberto Schmidt

SOFI 2024 - Maximo Torero on the latest hunger data

IFPRI Policy Seminar
Ending Hunger and Malnutrition: Keeping Our Eyes on the Road
Organized by IFPRI in collaboration with the World Bank
IFPRI Seminar during World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings
April 22, 2025

While global agricultural commodity prices have come down from the high levels seen in recent years, the world remains far off track in meeting the SDG2 of ending hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Last year, close to 300 million people faced food crisis while the number of people on the cusp of famine doubled. Efforts to address hunger and malnutrition are facing considerable hurdles, including protracted as well as new conflicts, cuts in official development assistance, inefficiencies in the global financing architecture, an increasingly fragmented political landscape and multipolarizing international order. How can the world mobilize more public and private resources to tackle the current food crisis, create more robust value chain and trade channels, and set countries on a path towards peace, stability and economic growth?

Timed to align with the WB-IMF Spring Meetings, this event will convene policymakers, representatives of international organizations, private sector and food system experts for a stocktaking of where we find ourselves and to chart solutions towards more aligned domestic and international, public and private financing flows aimed at ending hunger and malnutrition. Picking up on the Spring Meetings’ core theme of jobs as a path to prosperity, the important role of jobs in food value chains and improved livelihoods for furthering food security and nutrition will also be explored.

This policy seminar will:

Take stock of recent data, trends and outlooks for food and nutrition security, with a focus on the most vulnerable countries.
Discuss challenges and opportunities in resourcing, regional and global cooperation, and innovation to bend the curve of hunger and malnutrition.

Examine research findings and share policy recommendations to prevent and prepare for food crises, while broadening the focus to strengthening value chains and markets in developing countries.

Opening Session
Moderator: Ruth Hill, Director, Markets, Trade, and Institutions, IFPRI

Speakers
Shobha Shetty, Global Director, Agriculture and Food, World Bank
Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI
Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

High-level Panel on Challenges and Opportunities
Moderator: Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy; Acting Senior Director, Transformation Strategy, IFPRI

Speakers
John Steenhuisen, Minister of the Department of Agriculture, South Africa
Arnel de Mesa, Assistant Secretary for Special Concerns and for Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the DA Spokesperson, Department of Agriculture
Alvaro Lario, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Gilles Morellato, Head of Official Development Assistance team at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Rania Dagash-Kamara, Assistant Executive Director Partnerships and Innovation, World Food Programme (WFP)

Deep Dive: The Role of Value Chains in Boosting Food and Nutritional Security
Moderator: Loraine Ronchi, Global Lead for Science, Knowledge and Innovation in Agriculture and Food, World Bank

Speakers
Alice Ruhweza, President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
Ayodeji Balogun, Group CEO, the Africa Exchange (AFEX)
Matthias Berninger, EVP, Head of Public Affairs, Sustainability and Safety, Bayer Global
Joseph Glauber, Research Fellow Emeritus, IFPRI

Closing Remarks
Martien van Nieuwkoop, Director, Agricultural Development, Gates Foundation

Links:

More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/ending-hunger-and-malnutrition-keeping-our-eyes-on-the-road/

Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription

Ending Hunger and Malnutrition: Keeping Our Eyes on the Road

FAO Podcasts, a multilingual audio series produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, addresses pressing global issues including hunger, poverty, agriculture, and sustainability. With content available in English, Spanish, and French, our dedicated audio team ensures these vital conversations are accessible to a global audience. Our three distinct formats - the concise FAO Brief, insightful FAO Talks, and the deeply human documentary pieces - serve as your gateway to understanding and participating in these critical global discussions. Tune in, enrich your perspective, and join us in shaping a more sustainable future for all.

The FAO of the UN leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information. We help developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all. Since our founding in 1945, we have focused special attention on developing rural areas, home to 70 percent of the world's poor and hungry people. FAO's activities comprise four main areas:

1. Putting information within reach.
2. Sharing policy expertise.
3. Providing a meeting place for nations.
4. Bringing knowledge to the field.

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Established in 1975, IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 50 countries. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development.

New tracks tagged #Maximo Torero