FAO’s Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division (ESF), supported by the Government of Ireland, has teamed up with the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) at University College London (UCL) to launch a series of initiatives, including a cutting-edge training package for governments. These efforts are designed to empower policymakers with the skills to craft and implement innovative agrifood systems policies, including the National Food Systems Pathways resulting from the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit.

During a successful seminar hosted FAO headquarters in Rome on 4 July 2024, experts, policymakers and researchers discussed strategies that can support more coherent policy frameworks and institutional innovation for driving structural change in agrifood systems.

About the event

The seminar featured a guest lecture by Professor Rainer Kattel, IIPP Deputy Director, who provided an overview on the public sector capabilities needed to drive systemic change. Professor Kattel emphasized that systems approaches to policymaking require both an upskilling of existing institutions and, in some circumstances, the creation of new ones, such as policy labs or units, that have the autonomy to test and experiment with new solutions.

FAO's work on policymaking for sustainable agrifood systems transformation was shared by Siobhan Kelly, Agribusiness Economist, ESF, who emphasized that the 'systems approach' has leveraged previous 'learning approaches' in the past designed to improve efficiency and impact of the agrifood sector on food security and poverty reduction, such as the sustainable livelihoods and value chains approaches. Nonetheless care must be taken to ensure that value addition of a systems approach for policymaking is clear to governments and that tools are developed to build capacities of public institutions to navigate the complexities of the problems facing agrifood.

During the seminar, students of IIPP’s Master of Public Administration presented their research findings carried out while on placement for two months with ESF. The students engaged directly with policymakers to gain insights into the challenges and successes in improving coherence between different policy areas related to agrifood systems. Discussions also touched upon the need to engage with stakeholders who may be skeptical or resistant to new ideas and ways of working; the importance of analysing the context to choose the right tools and mechanisms; and the need to invest in the education and training of future policymakers on systems approaches as skills in this area are currently lacking.

Mr Tom Arnold, Chair of Ireland’s Agri-Food Strategy Committee 2019-2021, stressed the need to identify and focus on areas with potential for progress, as achieving coherence across everything is impossible; making strategic choices and acknowledging limitations is essential for realistic advancements.

Dr. Peter Jacobs from the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa, pointed out the fragmentation of mandates and competing paradigms within the government as significant obstacles to establishing policy coherence.

A plenary discussion focused on the gap between policy and science, inculcating the concept of non-linear policies, and fostering cooperation between policy agendas and academic paradigms.

Corinna Hawkes, Director, ESF expressed appreciation for the collaborative efforts that made the event a success, acknowledging that “the findings shared were extremely pertinent to FAO’s work on how it supports countries design and implement policies on agrifood systems transformation.” Divine Njie, Deputy Director, ESF highlighted the relevance of the UN Food Systems Summit process in elevating the critical challenges around agrifood systems, and the key role FAO plays in collaborating with partners to disseminate learnings and tools such as those presented during the seminar.

“It is great to see FAO paying so much attention to both policy design and implementation. The latter is often the hardest part in any system transformation, let alone in such challenging cases as agrifood systems. We are very much looking forward to deepening our collaboration this autumn”, said Professor Kattel.

About the research

The organizers of the seminar express their profound appreciation to the interviewees from Ireland, the Philippines, South Africa and Uganda, who participated in the research conducted by the students; whose willingness to share their experiences and insights has provided a critical foundation for our understanding of policy coherence tools and mechanisms.

The research was conducted by Odsuren Amarsaikhan, Dana Khan, Alice Nerurker, and Juliette Parenty (Master of Public Administration students, UCL IIPP), supervised by Professor Rainer Kattel (Deputy Director, IIPP), Anna Goulden (Research & Policy Analyst, IIPP) and Elena Teodora Ilie (Agrifood and Innovation Systems Expert, FAO).

Learn more:

• PowerPoint presentations: Professor Rainer Kattel, Siobhan Kelly, IIPP students.
• Seminar recording.
• UNEP, FAO and UNDP. 2023. Rethinking Our Food Systems: A Guide for Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration. Nairobi, Rome and New York. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc6325en
• FAO and UCL IIPP. Forthcoming. State-of-the-art insights for achieving better policy coherence. Technical brief. Rome.
• FAO and UCL IIPP. Forthcoming. A systems approach to policymaking for transforming agrifood systems. Technical brief. Rome.

For more information about the topic or seminar, please contact Siobhan Kelly, Agribusiness Officer, ESF and Elena Teodora Ilie, Agrifood and Innovation Systems Expert, ESF.

About FAO's work on agrifood systems: FAO supports governments in building inclusive, efficient and sustainable agrifood systems through leadership-driven, market-based action and collaboration, informed by insights and innovation and in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals. FAO works closely with governments and key actors such as the private sector, civil society organizations, regional economic community organizations and platforms integrating sustainability in its three dimensions (social, economic and environmental) across global, regional and local agrifood systems.

About UCL/IIPP: The Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) is a research and learning institute within University College London, whose aim is to rethink how the state is imagined, practiced and evaluated to tackle societal challenges. IIPP aims to create new theory and practice to support innovation in governments, to foster new capacity and capabilities within them, and overall to shift the current economic paradigm towards one that places societal value at its core.