FSS Stocktaking Event: Change is Happening, More is Needed

Written by GDP Chief Science Officer Mitch Kanter, Ph.D.

Food Systems Summit Event Held in Rome

I just attended the United Nations Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Event in Rome. The meeting is a follow-up to the first UN Food Systems Summit (FSS) that was held two years ago.

The FSS of 2021 was designed to promote shifts in the way the world produces, stores, consumes, and disposes of food, which has the potential to generate multiplier effects that can make food more accessible, affordable, nutritious, and environmentally friendly. Since 2021, 126 countries adopted national pathways to improve and transform their food systems.

For the FSS+2 event, 101 countries submitted voluntary country reports, which provided updates on the progress made to date. The consensus among FSS leaders is that changes are clearly occurring, but not fast enough in some parts of the world.

Importance of Event Reflected in Quality of Speakers in Attendance

This year’s meeting was well attended, with several thousand delegates from the public and private sectors present in Rome. A number of dignitaries, including the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as well as prime ministers and presidents from developed and developing countries spoke at the conference, underscoring the collective international belief that we must take steps to improve the global food system.

Sobering Statistics, But Signs of Hope

All the presenters highlighted the importance of the agriculture sector in enacting changes to feed the nearly 700 million people globally who experience hunger daily or the three billion people who can’t afford to eat healthy diets, as well as to promote climate action. Several spoke about the fragility of our food system as well, indicating that global crises like the current war in Ukraine, the COVID pandemic and natural events such as extreme heat, drought, fires, floods, etc., all serve to impact food availability and exacerbate an already less-than-optimal situation.

While many presenters talked about the level of malnutrition that still exists globally and the extent of food waste that remains rampant (it was estimated that 30% of the food produced globally goes to waste, never to be eaten), there was plenty of hopeful dialogue as well. Actors throughout the food chain, from farmers to processors, to transporters, to food companies, have shown a willingness to adopt practices and technologies (when available) that are leading to positive changes at every step of the food production and consumption process.

Another positive sign (a long time in coming) is the extent to which presenters discussed the need for the private sector to be a significant partner in driving food system change, not only by providing funding but also the technologies, the knowledge, and the speed necessary to get things done. Most presenters agreed that without private sector involvement, global food systems ambitions, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) put forth by the United Nations, will be difficult or impossible to bring to fruition.

Suggestions for Improvement

Collective recommendations from the presenters to improve our global food system included 1) embracing technologies that can mitigate GHG emissions and improve agricultural efficiencies, and making these technologies available and affordable for all; 2) creating multisectoral partnerships, and making sure industry has a seat at the table for all meaningful discussions; 3) providing developing countries access to global financing; 4) investing in the infrastructure necessary to enact change, and 5) remembering that improving the food system is at its core about people, and raising the standard of living for all.

Ultimately, changes in the ways we produce and consume food will occur, if not during this generation, then in the next. And it is highly unlikely that agriculture as we know it will go away. But to remain viable and universally accepted, the agriculture sectors will need to embrace change: changes in farming practices, and adoption of technologies that can help keep our foods as nutritious (if not more so) as they are today, more environmentally friendly, and more accessible and affordable for a greater number of people. Projects developed by the dairy sector including the Dairy Sustainability Framework, Pathways to Dairy Net Zero, and Dairy Nourishes Africa are certainly steps in the right direction; programs designed to provide access to nutritious foods to a growing global population in an environmentally sustainable manner. But there is little doubt that the agriculture sectors as a whole, including dairy, must continue to do better.

Final Thoughts

A key takeaway of the Food System Summit Stocktaking Event for me: hunger, food insecurity, and climate change due in part to GHG emissions derived from the food system are realities of modern life, despite the fact that we currently produce enough food to feed the entire global population. Embracing more effective ways to produce, process, and deliver food, and minimizing waste throughout the food chain is more important than ever to improve our agriculture system and the lives of billions of people worldwide who depend on the system for their sustenance, income, and to maintain or improve their way of life. It’s a challenge the agriculture sectors should accept and take head-on. We really have no other choice.