On Thursday 3rd December at 12:00pm the event “Sustainable Food Systems in the Mediterranean: Accelerating Progress on the 2030 Agenda” was held within the framework of the 3rd Global Conference of the One Planet network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme. The meeting focused on the catalytic role that food systems play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through an interactive dialogue, participants discussed the need for collaborative efforts to accelerate the transformation of food systems in the region.
In the conference, organised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) and Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), speakers highlighted the importance of adopting an integrated approach to food systems in the region, specific to each case. This involves a change that further leverages the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in terms of consumption and sustainable food production, without neglecting the environmental, economic, socio-cultural, educational and nutritional problems that the region currently faces.
The Sustainable Food Systems programme provides a space for dialogue to share alternatives and solutions that lead us to achieve a sustainable food system in the Mediterranean region and beyond. In his opening speech, Máximo Torero, Chief Economist of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said “it is only possible to tackle today’s complex challenges through joint and multilateral work, and the platform meets all the requirements to contribute towards achieving the Goals”. He also commented on the importance of increasing the resilience of our food systems, which will help us to “better understand risks in a way that will enable us to both predict and address them whenever they occur”.
- Moderator: Jamie Morrison, Director of the Food Systems and Food Safety Division of FAO.
- Speakers: Plácido Plaza Lopez, Secretary General (CIHEAM); Isidro González, Deputy Secretary General (UfM); Maximo Torero, Chief Economist (FAO).
- SFS-MED Discussion Panel Platform: Roberto Capone, Coordinator (CIHEAM); José Valls Bedeau, Coordinator (FAO); Alessandra Sensi and Giuseppe Provenzano, Coordinators (UfM); organised by Sandro Dernini, Coordinator of the SFS-MED platform and Senior Adviser CIHEAM-Bari.
