FAO Director-General highlights policy innovation, financing and gender equality to accelerate agrifood systems transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean

Brasilia/Rome –FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, has concluded his visit to Brazil where he participated in the 39th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC 39).

Hosted by Brazil, the conference brought together more than 500 delegates from 32 Member Countries, including the host country’s Head of State, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 27 Ministers and eight Vice-Ministers, alongside representatives from UN agencies, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, Parliamentary Fronts against Hunger, the private sector and academia.

Participants reviewed progress and identified policy priorities that will guide the work of the Organization in Latin America and the Caribbean over the next two years.

The conference took place at a time when the region is showing encouraging signs of progress. Hunger has declined for four consecutive years, yet significant challenges remain: an estimated 33.6 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean still suffer from hunger, while millions more face food insecurity and limited access to healthy diets.

In his remarks to the opening ceremony, the Director-General highlighted the region’s strong potential to lead global agrifood systems transformation, while noting that persistent inequalities and growing climate pressures continue to challenge progress. Unlocking that potential, he stressed, will require stronger policies, innovation and investment to ensure agrifood systems deliver nutritious food, decent livelihoods and environmental sustainability.

For his part, President Lula da Silva reaffirmed his country’s commitment to ending hunger and promoting inclusive development.

During the ceremony, the Director-General designated Rosângela Lula da Silva, First Lady of Brazil, as FAO Special Goodwill Champion Against Hunger. In this role, she will help raise global awareness of hunger and support advocacy efforts to strengthen political commitment to food security and the right to adequate food. The designation also reflects Brazil’s longstanding leadership in combating hunger through policies that combine social protection, support for family farming and inclusive development.

Major highlights

One of the Director-General’s key engagements during the three-day conference was a High-Level Special Event on effective policies and programmes to eradicate hunger and poverty while reducing malnutrition and inequality.

“We have the data. We have the evidence. We have the tools. What we need now is collective action, guided by solidarity and by the spirit of collaboration,” the Director-General stressed. 

Ministers and policymakers emphasized the need to strengthen policies that link agriculture, social development, health and education, particularly in rural areas where poverty and inequality remain most pronounced. Participants also noted that food insecurity continues to disproportionately affect women and rural populations, underscoring the importance of inclusive policies that promote productive inclusion, expand opportunities for smallholders and support rural livelihoods.

The Director-General also took part in a High-Level Special Session focused on increasing financing for inclusive and resilient agrifood systems through the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative. Government representatives, development banks and partners discussed opportunities to mobilize innovative financial instruments and strengthen institutional frameworks to support agrifood systems transformation.

The Hand-in Hand initiative was highlighted as a platform that helps countries identify priority investment opportunities using geospatial analysis and economic modelling, enabling governments to connect with potential investors and partners. Qu underscored that transforming agrifood systems requires not only greater investment, but also better targeted financing guided by robust data, analysis and evidence to deliver tangible impacts.

Gender equality was another key theme throughout the conference. FAO marked the regional launch of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, highlighting the essential contributions of women across agrifood systems.

Women represent around 36 percent of the workforce in agrifood systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, yet many continue to face barriers in accessing land, credit, technology and training.

“Let us use this International Year of the Woman Farmer to guarantee access to land; let us close the gender gap in land tenure,” the Director-General said. “A woman who owns her land is a woman who can access credit, who can make decisions, and who cannot be displaced.”

On the final day of the conference, the Director-General participated in a ministerial roundtable on policy pathways to sustainable agriculture and forest management for climate-resilient development. Discussions focused on strengthening policy coherence between agriculture, forestry and climate agendas while addressing deforestation and land degradation.

In this context, Qu outlined four policy priorities to accelerate climate-resilient agrifood systems in the region: strengthening governance and policy coherence, mobilizing and de-risking climate finance, investing in technology and data, and promoting landscape restoration and climate-smart solutions.

Concluding his participation in the conference, the Director-General expressed his appreciation to the Government of Brazil and its leadership under President Lula da Silva, as well as to participating countries for their strong engagement.

On the sidelines of the conference, Qu also held bilateral meetings with several regional leaders to discuss strengthening cooperation with FAO and advancing agricultural development, modernization and food security.