FAO promotes agrifood systems transformation at the Borlaug International Dialogue
Des Moines/Washington, DC – At the 2023 Borlaug International Dialogue, which took place October 24 to 26, the World Food Prize Foundation brought together hundreds of people from more than 65 countries to address the urgent issues of global food security and nutrition. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) had a significant presenceat this year’s event, beginning with a keynote address, “Transforming global Agrifood Systems for Good Food for Today and Tomorrow,” by Director General QU Dongyu at the opening ceremony.
Focusing on the changes and achievements of FAO over the past several years, QU emphasized that “the new, cutting-edge FAO recognizes the need for innovation breakthroughs to successfully transform global agrifood systems, and to produce more and better, with LESS, to feed the world and to provide access to healthy food. We need breakthroughs to reduce inequalities, for gender parity and to provide opportunities for the youth in the agricultural sector.”
Also speaking at the opening ceremonywere United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Dr. Rajiv Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. Attendees included agricultural ministers from around the world, leaders from the private sector, civil society and academia, as well as previous World Food Prize Laureates.
Complementing the DG’s presence, FAO Directors Vincent Martin, David Laborde and Jocelyn Brown Hall were present on the main stage and in break-out sessions. Director of Innovation Vincent Martin moderated the main-stage session “Empowering Marginalized voices: Fostering Resilient and Gender-Inclusive Agrifood Systems.” The session included a video featuring Deputy Director for the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, Lauren Phillips, who highlighted key findings from FAO’s 2023 breakthrough report, The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems and drove home the point of the necessity ofgender equality to achieve global food security.Director of Agrifood Economics division David Laborde participated in a break-out session hosted the IFPRI/CGIAR on the impacts of the conflict in Ukraine on food systems around the world and what is needed to recover, improve resilience and sustainably nourish people across the globe.FAO North America liaison office Director Jocelyn Brown Hall discussed risk reduction strategiesfor farmers around the globewith AgriSompo CEO, Bob Haney in a session of the C-Suite Connect Series.
“Each year I look forward to attending the World Food Prize,” said Director Jocelyn Brown Hall. “The Borlaug Dialogue is the preeminent event in the U.S. where the focus onfinding transformative solutions to achieve ‘sustainable, equitable, and nourishing’agrifood systemsdovetails with FAO’s mandate to end hunger and malnutrition around the world. The presence of Director General QU Dongyu this year demonstratesFAO’s commitment to actively engage with U.S. stakeholders.I am encouraged by a continued shift in discussions toward adopting a holistic approach tofood insecurity. FAO brings data-based, scientifically grounded informationto the discussions of innovation, resilience, inclusion and sustainability that take place here in Des Moines.”
FAO hosted a centrally-located exhibition booth that highlighted FAO’s overarching aspiration of achieving the Four Betters – Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life and several areas of FAO’s work, including science, innovation and technology; climate action; gender equality; anticipatory action; emergencies and resilience; and private sector engagement.
Each October in Des Moines, Iowa, the World Food Prize Foundation recognizes “the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.” Envisioned by Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug, the World Food Prize calls forth the “global imperative to provide safe, affordable, nutrition, sustainable and equitable food for all.”
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