Our Food Systems at Risk: Scaling-up Resilient Agri-food Production

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In the build-up to the United Nations Food Systems Summit, the UNDRR, WFO and FAO are hosting the Dialogue: “Our Food Systems at Risk: scaling up resilient agri-food systems”. This Independent Dialogue calls on farmers, agri-food actors and DRR decision-makers to share their experiences in managing multiple risks for building resilient and sustainable agri-food systems.

Justification

Global crises such as COVID-19, climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, conflict and other disasters are aggravating food insecurity and posing an existential threat to both humans and ecosystems alike. They are starkly demonstrating the systemic nature of risk and the need for comprehensive risk management and strengthening resilience. The UN Food Systems Summit offers a timely opportunity to focus on the fragilities underpinning food systems and to regenerate and strengthen these systems to better respond to the needs of people and ecosystems.

Comprehensive risk management is a critical means to making food systems – and agri-food production in particular – more resilient. Risk reduction can protect development investments in agriculture (including crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and forestry), as well as markets and transportation, ecosystems and child and maternal health. The sectors and systems that support and connect food systems and food security are highly integrated. If risks at producer-level are not effectively managed, this can have cascading effects across all components of the food value chain, potentially leading to overall food system failures. Adopting a comprehensive risk management approach, including for climate resilience and a green COVID-19 recovery process, would deliver healthier, more resilient, inclusive and sustainable agri-food production.

Dialogue Goals

This Independent Dialogue will unpack the systemic nature of risk in relation to food systems and encourage innovative thinking in identifying, managing and preventing complex risk drivers that threaten the resilience of food production. Discussions will centre around the intersections between disaster risk management and climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector as a key solution towards more risk- and climate-resilient and sustainable food systems.

Proposed Agenda (subject to modifications)

12:00 – 12:10: Welcome and Introduction – Curator, Shukri Ahmed, Deputy Director of the FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience

12:10 – 12:15: Interactive Panel with High-level Speakers

Mami Mizutori – Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of UNDRR

Theo De Jager – President, World Farmers’ Organisation

Romina Cavatassi – Lead Economist and Head of Impact Assessment, IFAD

Sandrine Dixson-Declève – Co-Chair UN Food System Summit Resilience Action Track 5 and Co-President Club of Rome (tbc)

Terry Otieno – Youth Secretary, Kenya Red Cross Society and Global Focal Point, UN Major Group for Children and Youth

12:45 – 13:20: Breakout groups to discuss experiences, challenges and opportunities for integrating multi-risk management into agri-food systems.

13:20 – 13:50: Feedback session: outcomes towards the Food Systems Summit and beyond

13:50 – 14:00: Closing remarks

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