Food Systems
Food systems are under increasing pressure to produce sufficient food for the global population, decrease the environmental impacts of production, and buffer against complex global change. The corona pandemic poses an acute challenge to our global food systems. That is why we at the World Food Convention – Digital Edition 2020 are asking the following question: HOW SHOULD RESILIENT FOOD SYSTEMS LOOK LIKE IN AND AFTER THE CRISIS? Read background information on challenges and opportunities for food systems worldwide.
The live panel discussion will take place on 25 June from 3.00 pm CEST (UTC+2). Registered participants will have the opportunity to ask their questions live after the panel discussion.
Keynotes
Video Statement




Background
Global nutrition
In a guest article in the Tagesspiegel, Bayer CEO Liam Condon subscribes possible solutions that will secure the global food supply and make it resistant to crises like Covid-19. This includes for example continuous investment in agricultural science and research.
Food Security: Covid-19 remains an acute threat
Covid-19 remains an acute threat to global food security. Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) warned in the “World Food Convention – Digital Edition 2020”: “For countries that depend on agriculture, the
Looking beyond the farm gate: New IPCC Special Report on Land Use and Climate Change
Almost three quarters of habitable land on earth are under human use – resulting in substantial impacts on our climate, a new report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows.
Lancet report: Healthy lives and a liveable planet for all require major changes in what we eat and how we produce it
Feeding a growing population of 10 billion by 2050 is possible if we shift towards a planetary health diet, a major new report by the EAT Lancet commission shows.
Sustainable and healthy food to feed the world in 2050: Nature study
“Feeding a world population of 10 billion people is possible – yet only if we change the way we eat, and the way we produce food, our research shows…”
Spacefood for cows: Industrial microbes could feed cattle, pigs and chicken with less damage to the environment
Deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, nitrogen pollution – today’s agricultural feed cultivation for cattle, pigs and chicken comes with tremendous impacts for the environment and climate.
From artificial meat to fine-tuning photosynthesis: Food System Innovation – and how to get there
Food production has always shaped the lives of humans and the surface of the Earth. Be it plough or refrigerator, time and again innovations have transformed the ways we grow, process, and consume food over the last millennia.
Regional nuclear war a risk for global food security
Even a limited nuclear war could have dangerous effects far beyond the region that is fatally hit.
Focus on food to address climate change
Bringing together agricultural production, supply chains, and consumption: In a comment published in the new journal Nature Food researchers discuss a new global food system approach to climate change research.
Feeding the world without wrecking the planet is possible
Almost half of current food production is harmful to our planet – causing biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and water stress.
Global food production at risk of simultaneous heat waves across breadbasket regions
Certain patterns in the jet stream encircling the Earth can bring simultaneous heatwaves to breadbasket regions responsible for up to a quarter of global food production.
From avocados to apples: Producing food closer to cities could help reduce climate emissions
Millions of tons of groceries from agriculture are transported to our cities all around the globe every day to feed its dwellers.
The State of the World’s Children 2019
For the first time in 20 years, UNICEF’s flagship report examines the issue of children, food and nutrition, providing a fresh perspective on a rapidly evolving challenge.
Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Nutrition
The COVID-19 pandemic is a health and human crisis threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people around the world.
From Land of Famine to Land of Hope
Will Ethiopia Become a Model for an African Upswing?
Africa’s Demographic Trailblazers
How falling fertility rates accelerate development
A contested issue
The rise in international opposition to the right to sexual self-determination
For a secure global food supply
For a secure global food supply. International Cooperation and Trade with Developing and Emerging Countries in the Light of the COVID 19 Pandemic: Contributions of the German Agribusiness
Food systems in times of COVID-19
In the Covid crisis well-off people could continue to work from home and buy food in supermarkets. The poor work mostly in the informal sector and lost their job from one day to another. They purchase from informal markets that
COVID-19: The current health crisis could trigger a food crisis
In addition to essential short-term crisis responses, it is crucial to uphold long-term development measures and transform food systems
Tony Blair & Agnes Kalibata: Food Security During the Pandemic
Tony Blair, Ex-Prime Minister of the UK, and Chairman of the Institute for Global Change and Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, highlight four ways the international community can prevent a catastophe in developing
AGRAS Food Security Monitor
According to the latest Food Security Monitor report by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), 2020 rainfall as already witnessed and forecasted in the East and West African regions indicate increased precipitation and wetter conditions (above normal
Securing the 2020 cropping season in the face of COVID-19 Pandemic
At an AGRA’s webinar, participants expressed cautious optimism that despite the impact of COVI-19, Nigeria’s ag sector is ensuring access to quality food at prices people can afford. They also discussed provision extension and advisory services, roles of women and
How to stop hunger from becoming more deadly than the virus?
As the world grapple with containment of COVID-19 pandemic, food protests especially among poor and vulnerable African communities are likely going to be deadlier than the virus itself, if governments and international institutions do not act now, experts have warned.
Kalibata, Beasley and Condon confirmed for Panel Discussion at the Virtual Summit
Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), David Beasley, Executive Director, UN World Food Programme (WFP), and Liam Condon, Member of the Board at Bayer, have confirmed their participation at the World Food Convention –
Six Months That Will Change Global Food Security, One Way or the Other
COVID-19 has rocked economies and disrupted daily lives all over the world. Whether the global food system, especially in developing countries, emerges stronger or more fragile will depend on what happens next.
A contribution of Bayer AG
Coronavirus and the food industry
How much does the coronavirus burden the German food industry? Tagesspiegel-Authors Heike Jahberg, Laurin Meyer and Thorsten Mumme take a glance at the supermarket shelves. Crisis. What crisis? Germany is hoarding yeast, but Nestlé, the world’s largest food producer, continues
World Food Program on the corona crisis
The coronavirus also affects the work of the World Food Programme: Expert Amer Daoudi talks on the starving, Covid-19 and crisis logistics with Tagesspiegel-Author Christian Böhme. Mr Daoudi, what does the pandemic mean for those who are starving? Global containment
French fries crisis in Germany
The drought in Germany, full potato stores and the appreciation of farmers in corona times: On these topics Tagesspiegel-Author Heike Jahberg has conducted an interview with Farmers’ President Joachim Rukwied. Mr Rukwied, it has been very dry for weeks, now