The Great Food Challenge is a three-series digital event to address global food, agriculture, and land use challenges in the face of our climate and health emergencies.

The first event takes place on 3 September, with the other two taking place on 16 October and 3 December. The event series is hosted by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Climate Action.

The first event focuses on rebuilding global food security, taking place from 2pm Irish time until 3.15pm. Registration is essential, for one event or all events, and it can be done here. The Irish Farmers Journal is a media partner for the three-part digital series because it believes that our farmers and our food industry need to be aware of the discussions at this high level.

Rebuilding global food security

With food insecurity forecast to double in 2020, post the COVID-19 pandemic, these events are designed to respond to the growing demand for new production and distribution models based on multi-stakeholder collaboration. The discussion is to focus on achieving food security and sustainable development, plus other global goals outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The influential speakers include names like:

  • HE Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, commissioner, rural economy and agriculture, African Union Commission.
  • Maria Helena Semedo, deputy director general, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
  • Dr Dave Nabarro, special adviser to WHO, United Nations.
  • Qu Dongyu, director-general, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
  • Diane Holdorf, managing director, food & nature, World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
  • The presentations will be followed by discussion on how to build resilience into economic recovery, improve stakeholder inclusivity and ensure economic growth across global food systems and regions.

    Questions

    The discussion will be open to questions from the audience and it is important that Irish voices are heard if and when necessary. So people, farmers included, are encouraged to drop in on the conversation as the content and how it is perceived is of huge significance to Irish agriculture.

    The discussion will focus on the major challenges facing global food systems in a post-pandemic world and the need to maintain security and movement in the global supply chain as countries implement COVID recovery policies and plans.

    The other events

    In the second event on 16 October the theme will be How to feed 10 billion people by 2050.

    The third event on 3 December follows the theme How do we rethink financial mechanisms to align agribusiness to the sustainable development goals?

    The three-part series enables participants to interact with and influence senior attendees from public, private, industry, and NGO sectors.