Panel Discussion

Shenggen Fan shared that good infrastructure, government actions, and the spirit of working together contributed to increasing food system resilience. There is a need to rethink and invest on how food can be produced better with less water, land, and other resources. On the consumption side, there is a need to explore game changing solutions to problems of GHG emissions, water shortage such as vertical farming, and others. Financing must support such initiatives.

Martin Lemoine emphasized that the food sector is an underinvested sector. He shares that the future of food systems will require private-public sector partnerships. He cited successes in contract farming as these ensure markets, enable better practices of technologies, and use of more efficient resources. He also shared the vital role of gender mainstreaming in projects which means more job opportunities for women in processing, and targeted capacity development for women farmers. Financing climate-smart agriculture, efficient livestock production, and One Health initiatives also help reduce poverty and address food insecurity.

Jessica Fanzo shared the need for more directed public and private financing towards healthy diets. Diets are now one of the top risk factors of disease and death and about 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. She also emphasized the need to invest in more infrastructure for smallholders where there is a lot of potential to grow nutritious foods. She also advocates for more investments on healthy diets.