From 9 to 12 April 2024, the picturesque city of Leuven, Belgium, hosted the 5th Global Food Security Conference, themed "Towards Equitable, Sustainable, and Resilient Food Systems." This vital gathering brought together experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to tackle the pressing issues surrounding global food security.

The conference delved deep into the critical role of agrifood systems in shaping our planet's boundaries and preserving essential natural resources. Participants fervently advocated for healthier dietary solutions amidst the triple burden of malnutrition and addressed the adverse impacts of climate crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, and various conflicts on food system resilience.

In her plenary titled "Solutions to Food Security: A Systems Approach" Corinna Hawkes, Director of FAO's Agrifood Systems and Food Safety (ESF) Division, discussed the failure of various measures of food insecurity and nutrition to be met. She emphasized the importance of adopting a systems approach to effectively address these challenges, advocating for collective action and practical engagement. Another keynote speaker, David Laborde, Director of FAO’s Agrifood Economics and Policy (ESA) Division, presented on building resilience in the era of poly-crisis.

Economists from ESA presented compelling research on Inclusive and Resilient Rural Transformation (RITI) subjects in collaboration with the FAO’s Rural Transformation and Gender Equality (ESP) Division. Ana Paula de la O Campos (ESA), Kate Schneider from Johns Hopkins, and Ramya Abikapathi from Cornell University delivered lectures that shed light on initiatives aimed at uplifting rural communities by creating sustainable job creation and inclusive labour mobility pathways, in and outside of agrifood system sectors. This research will be integrated into a forthcoming special issue of the Global Food Security journal, showcasing FAO's commitment to advancing sustainable agricultural practices worldwide.

During one of the sessions, Ana Paula focused on the future of farmers, farms and farming, presenting a study that explored the impact of farm size and land characteristics on household income diversification strategies, offering valuable insights into improving rural livelihoods.

Following the conference, ESA is gearing up to complete a paper titled "Smallholders and household diversification strategies around the world – Towards sustainable economic transitions". This work will feed the upcoming report by Global Land Observatory and FAO on Land Tenure Governance. In conclusion, FAO’s participation in the 5th Global Food Security Conference underscores the organization’s dedication to fostering equitable, sustainable, and resilient food systems for a better tomorrow.