After the successful launch of the FAO report The future of food and agriculture – Drivers and triggers for transformation in December 2022, FAO has engaged in sharing the findings of the report and its methodological underpinnings in a series of events and presentations. In the latest event, Lorenzo Giovanni Bellù, Senior Economist, Team Leader of the Policy Intelligence Branch - Global Perspectives in the FAO Agrifood Economics Division (ESA) and lead author of the report, went to Geneva (Switzerland), mid-May, to present the report to colleagues from international organizations and permanent representatives based in Geneva in a special event organized by FAO Liaison Office in Geneva (FAOLOG), using the opportunity to discuss possible collaboration on strategic foresight. The interest and support from FAOLOG are significantly appreciated.

However, the dissemination phase of the report kicked off already in early 2023 with a mission to Washington, DC and New York (USA) to contribute to seminars on the future of agrifood systems and present the report to different audiences. The interest and support from FAO’s Liaison Offices in Washington, DC and New York were significantly appreciated.

The overall goals of the presentations in selected international fora such as United Nations’ liaison offices, United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the World Bank and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), were to promote and influence the global debate on the necessary transformations of agrifood, socioeconomic and political systems, and raise FAO’s profile regarding strategic foresight activities.

Lorenzo Giovanni Bellù started by participating in the panel discussion of World Bank’s high-level session on “Stepping up climate ambition in the agriculture and food global practice” in the context of the World Bank Agriculture and Food Forum 2023. More than six hundred participants attended the event and the panel generated a fruitful discussion, particularly regarding the respective roles of high-, low- and middle-income countries.

Given the increasing interest in foresight activities and in consolidating mutual relationships, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) organized a Policy Seminar: The future of food and agriculture – Drivers and triggers for transformation, with the aim of showcasing the report to the Washington-based development community. The presentation and discussion with IFPRI colleagues involved in foresight activities paved the way to further explorations of possible synergies between FAO and IFPRI.

Within the UN system, firstly, the report was presented to colleagues in the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). The presentation was received with great interest, particularly because emphasis was put on the mutual relationships and influences between agrifood systems and the broader socio-economic and environmental context.

Secondly, the report was discussed with colleagues in various Liaison Offices of UN agencies, including United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), International Labour Organization (ILO), World Food Programme (WFP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), among others. The comprehensiveness of the alternative scenarios for the future of agrifood systems allowed discussing the perspectives of the different agencies and the practical implications to support transformative processes.

Thirdly, a presentation to colleagues in the FAO Liaison Office regarding the Corporate Strategic Foresight Exercise (CSFE) and the report was made. The discussion highlighted the role of the CSFE in the preparation of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 and how it yielded the report. Importantly, it conveyed the need to use momentum to dissemination strategic foresight to regions and the importance of cross-agency work to transform agrifood systems.

Last, but not less important, FAO was invited to present The future of food and agriculture – Drivers and triggers for transformation to the Holy See UN Mission. The presentation was an opportunity to increase FAO’s profile as a forward-looking organization, including on themes of specific interest of the Holy See, such as increasing inequalities, and climate justice.