FIRST FAO GLOBAL EXHIBITION: FROM SEEDS TO FOODS Opening Remarks

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues and friends,

Welcome to a truly historic occasion – the first FAO Global Exhibition: From Seeds to Foods.

Today, we celebrate not only a milestone in FAO’s history – our 80th anniversary – but also the opening of a week of celebrations through the World Food Forum, when the world comes together here in Rome to focus on the future of agrifood systems.

For the first time, we are bringing FAO’s work beyond the walls of our building – to the public, our Members, partners and staff – with an exhibition of unprecedented scale, creativity and vision.

Thank you for joining us to mark this special moment.

From Seeds to Foods is more than a title. 

It represents the full story of agrifood systems – from the first seeds planted thousands of years ago to the latest innovations in crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries, and aquaculture that will nourish generations to come.

Here, you can explore how humanity has safeguarded seeds across millennia, discover advances in seed banking and biotechnology, and see the global efforts—from the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the Arctic to local community seed banks—that protect the biodiversity on which our future depends.

This Exhibition shows the full scale of life and nourishment – the ancient and the modern, the local and the global, the scientific and the human.

Woven throughout is the aspiration that guides all our work: The Four Betters - Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life, leaving no one behind.

Dear Colleagues,

Every food journey begins with something small yet powerful - a seed, a seedling, a fingerling, breeding stock, or genetic material.

From these humble beginnings grow the amazing diversity of foods that nourish and connect us all.

But food is not only about science or biology – it is about people! 

Farmers, fishers, herders, scientists, youth, and women – the millions of hands and minds that make food possible every single day.

Every step on this journey matters – how food is produced, processed, marketed, traded and ultimately enjoyed at every table.

When FAO was founded in 1945, the world’s population was 2.5 billion. Today, it is more than 8 billion – and by 2050, it will reach nearly 10 billion.

FAO was created for one essential mission: to defeat hunger and malnutrition.

For eight decades, working Better Together with Members and partners, FAO has helped transform agrifood systems beyond what the founders could have imagined.

Over these 80 years, we have learned that food security is not only about producing more, but about producing better – more efficiently, more inclusively, more resiliently and more sustainably.

Today, the transformation is accelerating faster than ever, but more effort is still needed. 

Technology is reshaping how we grow, trade, and consume food – connecting traditional knowledge with modern science.

Imagine a farmer guided by sensors that show exactly when and where to irrigate;

A young entrepreneur using drones to detect plant diseases before they spread;

Or a herder monitoring livestock health with smart devices like her phone or tablet. 

These are not visions of tomorrow – they are realities of today.

And this Exhibition shows why that matters – because innovation, when shared and scaled, is one of the strongest seeds of hope.

With more than 100 Members and hundreds of exhibitors from across the world, this 1200 square meter space has become a living crossroads,

Where history meets the present to shape the future,

Where tradition and technology come together under one shared vision for tomorrow.

Where we can work Better Together.

Dear Friends,

Bringing this vision to life has been a huge task – and a perfect example of the One FAO in action.

I wish to thank His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forests of Italy, as well as His Excellency the Mayor of Rome, for their invaluable collaboration in hosting this exhibition.

Many thanks also go to our Members, who are showcasing their own achievements and innovations, and to the hundreds of exhibitors - from universities, research institutions, the private sector, and youth organizations – for your creativity and contributions.

I invite all of you to step into a living landmark in this Exhibition – a wooden walkway, built entirely from reclaimed wood, designed to protect the roots of five centuries-old plane trees.

This is a legacy project by FAO and Cara-binieri Forest-ali, in collaboration with the Rome Municipality and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests. 

It is a symbol of sustainability, care and respect for nature’s heritage.

Over the next four days, I invite you to explore, learn, taste and be inspired.

Bring your families, friends, and colleagues to experience FAO in a new way – to discover the power and potential of food and agriculture.

This is not only FAO’s Exhibition – it is YOUR Exhibition!

Yet, as we celebrate the beauty, diversity and innovation of food, we must also remember that too many people in our world are still hungry, without enough to eat or access to healthy and nutritious food.

Everything we showcase here must serve those who need it most.

Better Together - let us keep planting the seeds of knowledge, innovation and solidarity to build a future where no one is left hungry,

For People, Planet and Prosperity. 

Thank you.