Food Day: UN, FFI hold 24-hour global conversation on improvement of food systems

Fri, Oct 16, 2020
By editor
3 MIN READ

Agriculture

As the world marks the 2020 Food Day, the United Nations Food System Summit and the Future Food Institute (FFI) have held a 24-hour marathon global conversation on how to transform food systems globally.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the online event featured celebrities, indigenous people, youth climate activists and small-holder farmers, among other stakeholders across the world.

Speaking at the event on Friday, the UN Special Envoy, Dr Agnes Kalibata, said that the programme would focus on how to transform the region’s food system in the next 10 years.

She noted that nutritious food allowed for healthy and productive life as well as the myriad of ways in which the region produced, processed and consumed food that touched every aspect of human existence.

The scientist added that food systems, when functioning well, had the power to bring people together as families, communities and nations.

“We owe it to ourselves to drive progress to the SDGs that we have committed to achieving in 10 years.

“Transforming our food systems is the most powerful action we can take to solve our biggest problems globally,” she said.

Also speaking, the Regional Host, Dr Paul Newnham, said that part of the discussions would focus on how the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) was transforming African food systems from the lab to the farm.

“The UN food systems summit is to identify new actions, solutions and strategies to deliver progress on all the 17 SDGs, each of which relies, to some degree, on healthier, sustainable and equitable food systems.

He noted that the dialogue presented an opportunity to engage all citizens, as food system stakeholders, and bring them together at a time where so much was pushing them apart.

According to him, the 24-hour global relay conversation will also highlight the summit’s five action tracks and cross-cutting levers of change.

“With 10 years to go to deliver the SDGs, the online conversation must stimulate greater local participation and partnership for a global movement,” he said.

Also, the CGIAR Special Representative to the UN Food Systems Summit, Dr Kanayo Nwanze, said that the scientists must work to ensure that food was safe and sustainably produced.

According to him, African food system is changing from traditional farming to a modern mechanised system of farming, aimed at building a healthy food system.

Nwanze noted that the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) had an extensive partnership network across Africa in its bid to nourish the continent through research.

He said that IITA had harnessed its partnership to improve livelihood and build entrepreneurship capacities, thereby creating jobs through its agriprenuer programmes.

NAN reports that the highlight of the programme was the official launch of the Food Systems Summit Dialogues. (NAN)

– Oct. 16 2020 @ 17:15 GMT |

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