FAO and Future Food Institute join efforts to develop capacities on food innovation and sustainable food systems

Rome – FAO and the Future Food Institute (FFI) have joined forces to foster technological advances and encourage multi-stakeholder collaboration within the food production, food research and food policy sectors, signing a formal partnership agreement on the first day of the Future of Food Symposium. 

FFI, an Italian non-profit, works to create a more sustainable future of food through education, innovation and community building. The institute aims to boost entrepreneurial potential and improve agri-food expertise and tradition, and educates stakeholders along food value chains about food innovation, nutrition sensitive food systems, and the SDGs. The partnership will enhance FFI’s education, innovation and community building activities through the integration of FAO’s e-learning materials, on sustainability, climate change impacts, water scarcity, gender and rural development. Joint activities also include promotion of food loss and waste reduction through education and advocacy initiatives to raise awareness on food sustainability issues. 

“The partnership with FFI is an opportunity to develop joint academic programmes in the areas of nutrition, sustainable food systems, food waste and loss analysis, climate-smart agriculture and many other areas of common interest as we work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Marcela Villarreal, Director of the Partnerships Division at FAO. 

Sara Roversi, Director and Founder of FFI, also welcomed the agreement “Today represents the starting point of a long-term joint program that aims to accelerate exponential positive change,” she said, speaking at the signing. “We will achieve this by considering innovation in agribusiness as a key solution for the most urgent challenges we are facing.’’