The second day of the 4th Global Conference of the One Planet Network’s Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme has reached its end after another series of important and interesting events. The two main session segments of the day looked at consumption and production patterns, and transformation levers to transform global food systems in a sustainable and inclusive manner, meeting our common challenges. Shifting our consumption and production patterns will be crucial for achieving the change that is needed in order to counter the current negative trends of biodiversity loss, disruption of life-supporting ecosystems and climate change. In her keynote address, Ms Rebecca Shaw, Chief Scientist of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), emphasized the combined benefits of taking a whole of food systems approach when looking at climate solutions including consumption, production and loss and waste. These solutions will have to be shaped according to local conditions – there is no magic bullet or one size fits all.

Mr Dao The Anh, Vice President of the Viet Nam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), highlighted the challenges that the Vietnamese intensive agriculture model is facing across several segments of the sector, which is relatively fragmented. “As a result, we can see that we need a food systems approach to have stakeholders working together.” Indeed, this observation is a key element to successfully work in an integrated manner in a food systems approach.

The second part of the day was dedicated to a range of side-events on related topics. Ms Corinna Hawkes, Director of the Food Systems and Food Safety Division (ESF), moderated two side events; one presenting the five building blocks underpinning successful multistakeholder collaboration for food systems transformation, and another one on inclusive and sustainable urban food systems and the role of cities and local governments within multi-level governance. Mr Pierre Ferrand, Agriculture Officer with the FAO regional office for Asia and the Pacific (FAORAP), moderated the side event “Harnessing the potential of agroecology in Southeast Asia to transform food systems to become sustainable” to explore agroecological innovations and initiatives as a key approach for food system transformation.