FAO presents its engagement with the Private Sector at webinar organized by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

The webinar titled: “Farm to Fork Strategy – Aligning the food industry with the European Green Deal's climate neutrality objectives and the SDGs” explored ways and means to better align food industries with the European Green Deal, climate neutrality objectives and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in order to stimulate sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption. The event reviewed the challenges faced by the food industry as well as the solutions, instruments and legislative initiatives needed to support the role of the private sector in the transition towards more sustainable, equitable and secure food systems.  

Among the entry points towards sustainability that were reviewed were: innovation, the circular economy, the bio-economy, packaging and logistics, and education.  

The meeting also highlighted the importance of an enabling environment, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises, which have lower capacities to embed sustainability in their systems. 

The event offered an opportunity for FAO to present the normative and technical role of the Organization in its work with the food industry and to showcase the importance of the recently adopted FAO Strategy for Private Sector Engagement 2021-2025.  

“FAO engagements have to lead to transformative change and innovation – to country-owned solutions. Without private sector resources, ambitious goals cannot be achieved,” said Alexander Jones, Director of FAO’s Private Sector and Resources Mobilization division. “Private sector resources and expertise can be leveraged by official development assistance, bringing in new investments”, he added, underlining that “there is a need to scale up on innovation, in finance and investments, harnessing the greater flexibility of smaller and medium-sized companies”. 

The event also included interventions from private sector speakers, who referred to the importance of sustainable agriculture practices, such as nano-farms, vertical farms, indoor farms and hydroponics. 

You can learn more about how FAO engages with the private sector and the newly launched Connect Portal here.