Recap from Global Food Talk: “Securing reliable and sustainable agri-food systems, while minimizing climate impact”
In connection with UN’s World Food Day on October 16, Food Nation hosted a Global Food Talk, on how the agri-food system can be a significant driver towards securing a reliable and sustainable food supply while minimizing climate impact.
With the UN World Food Day as a reference point, Food Nation on October 26th live-streamed a Global Food Talk to several hundred high-level stakeholders from around the world. Participants were enlightened and inspired with answers on how to achieve real change while scaling up our global food production for a future with even more mouths to feed.
Global Food Talk is a platform for conversations about the global challenges to food supply and sustainability and the knowledge and experience that must be brought into play to solve them.
The main question for the dialogue was how to we secure reliable and sustainable agri-food systems, while minimizing climate impact, and the keynote speech was delivered by Mr. Kaved Zahedi, Director, Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Further, Mr. Dan Jørgensen, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy delivered opening remarks, where he shared Denmark’s ambitions and role in supporting the green transition of the agriculture and food system.
Watch a recording of the Global Food Talk here:
Food production is part of the solution
Along the issue of climate change, the world’s population is projected to reach 10 billion in 2050. One of our biggest challenges will be to feed everyone with safe and nutritious food – food that is produced in a responsible and truly sustainable way.
Imagine a world where food production actively heals the planet. While the path is challenging – with agriculture currently contributing to a third of global greenhouse gas emissions – we believe in the possibility of change. To honor the Paris Agreement our global food production needs a transition. Here, knowledge sharing, dialogue and collaboration across international borders is vital in achieving real change.
In the first fireside talk, Leif Nielsen, Director at The Confederation of Danish Industry and Merete Juhl, CEO at Danish Agriculture & Food Council, discussed how to stimulate growth and the transformation towards more climate-friendly food systems. Amongst other things, they both agreed on urging for a speeding up of investments and regulatory changes to enable the private sector to contribute – and that food production is a part of the solution, e.g. by fostering a closer collaboration between the energy sector and the agri-food sector.
In the second fireside talk, Kristian Hundebøll, CEO at DLG, and Marcus Remmers, Partner of Bioindustrial Investments at Novo Holdings, discussed how business drivers and actions can accelerate the green transition in the food and agriculture sector. They both shared their in-depth knowledge about the concrete actions that their respective organisations are taking at the moment in order to contribute with real options for the agri-food sector who wishes to lover its carbon emissions.
Mr. Remmers concluded his participation by advising business leaders to find a way to make working for green transition come from their hearts. If actions are taking with a deep conviction, from the heart, collaborations, new perspectives and approaches – and the right solutions – will come.