Global Forum for Food and Agriculture

GFFA 2023: Food Systems Transformation: A Worldwide Response to Multiple Crises

The BMEL’s Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is the international conference on agri-food policy issues. It has been held at the beginning of the International Green Week in Berlin for 15 years. Many of the GFFA events, including 16 expert panels, a science slam and the opening event, will be open to the public. Attendance is free of charge.

The Crop Trust will be hosting an expert panel:

Diversity for Resilient Food Systems

Global food system transformation begins with diversity. More diverse food systems mean more climate resilient, more sustainable, more nutritious food systems - but also food systems that celebrate the culinary and cultural diversity of consumers everywhere. As every good stockbroker knows, diversification is a key risk mitigation strategy. Though diversifying appears to go against global supply chain efficiency, the industry increasingly recognizes diversity as the key to innovation. This panel will explore the many facets of diversity and how they are crucial to global food system transformation. Panelists will discuss the value of diversity for nutrition, innovation, climate resilience and culinary uses.

Keynote Speaker

Stefan Schmitz

Executive Director

Crop Trust

Panel Guests

Sharon Cittone

Founder and CEO

Edible Planet Ventures

Lawrence Haddad

Executive Director

Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

Brent Loken

Global Food Lead Scientist

WWF

Sonja Vermeulen

Managing Director of Genetic Innovation

CGIAR

Moderator

Jaspreet Stamm

Innovative Finance Lead

Crop Trust

Recap

On 20 January, the Crop Trust participated in the BMEL's Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) international conference on agri-food policy issues.

In Berlin's City Cube, we hosted an expert panel titled "Diversity for Resilient Food Systems."

Global food system transformation begins with diversity. More diverse food systems mean more climate resilient, more sustainable, more nutritious food systems - but also food systems that celebrate the culinary and cultural diversity of consumers everywhere. As every good stockbroker knows, diversification is a key risk mitigation strategy. Though diversifying appears to go against global supply chain efficiency, the industry increasingly recognizes diversity as the key to innovation.

In his keynote speech, the Crop Trust's Executive Director Stefan Schmitz highlighted the importance of crop diversity in adapting to changing environments, increasing crop yields and quality and helping farmers control pests and diseases.

He highlighted that we could not bring back genetic diversity already lost but we should increase efforts to conserve the existing diversity and use it to adapt crops for the future.

Dr. Schmitz's recommendations for food systems transformation included recognizing crop diversity as a global common good, building a global system for conservation, providing more substantial financial support, strengthening links between genebanks and researchers and increasing the use of neglected crops.

The Crop Trust's Innovative Finance Lead Jaspreet Stamm moderated the panel discussion with expert speakers:

Sharon Cittone, Founder and CEO of Edible Planet Ventures
Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)and
Brent Loken, Global Food Lead Scientist at WWF.

The panelists agreed that there's an urgent need to start pivoting the diversity of solutions for transforming food systems in different parts of the world. They highlighted the importance of place-based strategies and innovations and the power young people could bring into the mindset shift needed for systems transformation.

The event concluded with a Q&A that focused on the role of the private sector in supporting more diverse farming practices and the importance of collaboration between multiple stakeholders for successful food systems transformation.