In 2023, FAO is launching a process to take stock of recent innovations in FFS and to brainstorm on priorities for action, laying the foundations for upgrading FFS to fit emerging challenges through a new FAO-wide Value-Added Impact Area (VAIA) on Farmers as Agricultural Innovators for Resilient Agro-Ecosystems (FAIRE) focusing on FFS. This process will lead to the collective development of a Global Action Plan on the Future of FFS, involving key FFS stakeholders around the world.  

Following consultations with experts within and outside FAO in early 2023, a global forum will be held to learn from innovative experiences in FFS implementation and discuss key pillars for enhancing the potential of FFS to contribute to global development objectives. Bringing together over 80 participants from all regions, the forum will be an opportunity for key stakeholders to meet and define together how FFS can be further adapted to be fit for purpose in the XXIst century. 

The forum will be held in Malawi where a large FFS programme has been run by the FAO in collaboration with the government and a consortium of donors and NGOs. The program has given birth to many innovations including the setup of an innovative country-wide real-time monitoring, evaluation and learning system for FFS. The forum is organized by the Global FFS Platform (based in NSP) and FAO Malawi.