Plenary Session 1: Food Systems Transformation in Practice – Successes, Challenges and the Way Forward will be an opportunity to share agrifood systems transformation experiences; identify best practices and showcase successes that can be replicated across countries and regions; address transformation challenges and persistent bottlenecks that can disrupt progress; and discuss the way forward for how the food systems approach can be applied at national and sub-national levels in response to complex agrifood systems problems and support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Transforming agrifood systems is vital to achieving the SDGs, as evident from the staggering numbers of hunger and malnutrition. In 2021, between 702 and 828 million people were affected by hunger, and projections suggest that by 2030, nearly 670 million people will still be facing hunger. Furthermore, a significant proportion of the global population, approximately 3.1 billion people, could not afford a healthy diet in 2020. The negative impacts of modern agrifood systems extend beyond hunger and malnutrition, contributing to inequality, biodiversity loss, and 1/3 of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

Recognizing the importance of agrifood systems transformation for achieving the SDGs, the session will emphasize the implementation of national pathways, tailored to specific contexts, as a means to promote agrifood systems transformation at scale. It will highlight successes emerging from this approach and address challenges that impede further progress.

The Plenary will be framed around a keynote address and a technical scene setting, followed by two dialogues that include both panel discussions and interventions from the floor. This format encourages an open and interactive discussion, facilitating the exchange of relevant examples, experiences, and insights from all participants.

Dialogue 1: Food Systems Transformation Successes and Challenges

In this dialogue, participants will discuss successes achieved since the Food Systems Summit in 2021 and explore strategies to scale up and share these successes across various contexts. The dialogue will also focus on the challenges and bottlenecks hindering the transformation process.

Dialogue 2: The Way Forward

The second dialogue will revolve around the future of food systems transformation, particularly in the next two years leading up to the 2025 Stocktaking Moment.

The two Panel dialogues will be followed by Ministerial interventions.

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