Under the leadership of UN SecretaryGeneral António Guterres, and in partnership with H.E. Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy, the Pre-Summit of the UN Food Systems Summit will take place in Rome from 26-28 July 2021.
The event will consolidate the progress achieved through the Summit’s wide-ranging process of diverse public engagement, consultations and data gathering that began in 2020, setting the stage for an ambitious and productive Summit in September.
The event will bring together youth, farmers, indigenous peoples, civil society, researchers, the private sector, policy leaders and ministers of agriculture, environment, health, nutrition and finance, among other players. The three-day gathering aims to deliver the latest evidence-based and scientific approaches worldwide, launch a set of new commitments through coalitions of action and mobilize new financing and partnerships.
It will take place in a hybrid format, with an in-person component complemented by a vast virtual programme and platform enabling all who would like to participate from all parts of the world. Find the provisional agenda HERE.
Affiliated parallel sessions will serve a key complementary role in bringing out additional valuable ideas and offering a platform to convene actors worldwide to ensure more voices and ideas are heard, and more actors are thinking about how to take action in their own contexts. Find the provisional programme of affiliated sessions HERE.
WFO Key Events and Activities
26 July | 17:30-18:20 CET
The Voice of Farmers, Fishers, Pastoralists, and other Producers toward the Food Systems of the Future
The session builds upon the outcomes of a series of farmer-focused consultation processes at the national, regional and global levels, which took place in the form of both Independent and Global Summit Dialogues.
Led by farmers, fishers, pastoralists and other producers in all their diversity, the session will fully engage multi-stakeholders with a vision to jointly build more equitable, empowering, sustainable, and resilient food systems. The event program will be released soon.
26 July | 13:30-14:20 CET
Repurposing Public Support to Food and Agriculture
Organized by the Just Rural Transition initiative in partnership with COP26 Presidency (UK Government), World Bank, World Farmers’ Organisation, and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
The event will: 1) highlight the opportunity to repurpose policies and better target public support to reduce the hidden costs in today’s food and agricultural systems; 2) showcase existing tools, analysis, and evidence available to support countries move forward with the repurposing agenda; 3) exploring how inclusive approaches that engage food producers can strengthen outcomes; 4) outline opportunities for stakeholders to contribute via a Policy Action Agenda and support this work beyond the Food Systems Summit.
To attend this session, please register HERE.
27 July | 08:00-08:50 CET
Unleashing science’s potential to transform food systems
Co-organized by CGIAR and the World Farmers’ Organisation
The event will feature the participation of Arianna Giuliodori, Secretary General of the World Farmers’ Organisation, as a speaker. In this session, Member states will share insights into how agricultural research for development has shaped their policy priorities, nutrition objectives, and development outcomes to date. With these insights, a panel of food systems stakeholders, including farmers, will explore how a portfolio of new research initiatives will act as a platform to operationalize transformational food systems targets identified through the UNFSS process in the pandemic’s wake.
Other Must-Attending Sessions
21 July | 08:00-08:50 CET
The Food Systems Summit: Opportunities for Transformative Change
Organized by Food and Land Use Coalition
Happening in the side-lines of the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit, this event will explore opportunities for transformative change in our food and land use systems, featuring a cross section of key players in the field, including farmers, businesses, country representatives, nutritionists, and climate experts.
Theo de Jager, President of the World Farmers’ Organisation will join the discussion to provide insight into the opportunities and challenges for farmers, and why it is important to have them around the table of the UN Food Systems Summit.To attend this session, please register HERE
26 July | 19:30-20:20 CET
Coalition for Carbon+ Farming Journey: European Green Deal in Action
Organized by the European Carbon+ Farming Coalition
The session is designed to share the action-oriented and farmer-centric approach of the EU Carbon+ Farming Coalition and emerging outcomes. It will seek to inspire and engage government leaders and relevant stakeholders in Europe and worldwide as part of the necessary global efforts needed in the transition towards net-zero, nature-positive food systems.
The WFO Gymnasium Alumni Member Diana Lenzi, as President of The European European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA), will join the event as a speaker.To attend this session, please register HERE.
27 July | 08:00-08:50 CET
Accelerating and Scaling Investment in Soil Health
Organized by WBCSD
Theo de Jager, President of the World Farmers’ Organisation will join the discussion. This session will aim to build a multi-stakeholder consensus on how to scale and accelerate investments into soil health.
28 July | 13:30-14:20 CET
Accelerating Progress towards Good Food for All
Organized by SDG2 Advocacy Hub and International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Sectoral silos keep stakeholders from forming a clearly articulated, aligned policy consensus to improve the health, livelihoods, productivity and sustainability of smallholder farmers. This virtual session will bring together a wide range of stakeholders to engage in a lively discussion about the urgency and the opportunity to build a new consensus for smallholder farmers. Theo de Jager, President of the World Farmers’ Organisation will join the discussion.
To attend this session, please register HERE
28 July | 13:30-14:20 CET
Towards Global Partnerships for a Climate Smart and Efficient Food Future
Organized by Cooperative Partnership for Climate Smart Food and Forestry (Dutch Agri-development agency Agriterra, Dutch Agricultural and Horticultural Association (LTO), Dutch Young Farmers (NAJK), Danish Agriculture and Food Council (DAFC) and the Finnish Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK)
The session will focus on the need to mobilise more global climate finance for public-private partnerships to help cooperatives help their owners, the farmers, sequester carbon and mitigate agriculture emissions in developing countries. READ MORE
Join the World Farmers’ Organisation and be part of the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit to give a stronger voice to our farmers’ community! Everyone everywhere can join.
Register NOW and spread the word within your network. Do not forget to hashtag #Farmers4FoodSystems.