Agri4D – a digital success towards resilient food systems

This year’s Agri4D brought together researchers, policy makers and practitioners to engage with the challenges of food systems with a focus on low-income contexts in a globalised world. Participants engaged in 22 different panels, all related on how to build resilient food systems.

Different solutions were highlighted and discussed during the conference. For the food systems in the world to become more sustainable and to provide sufficient and nutritious food for all, major changes are inevitable. There is a need for a more distinct system perspective where social, economic and environmental factors are taken into account, with change in both production and consumption - locally, nationally and globally.

Sofia Boqvist, associate professor at SLU and programme director of AgriFoSe2030 (Agriculture for Food security) commented after the conference:

"The Agri4D conference is a very important platform for researchers and stakeholders to meet and discuss the most recent knowledge contributing to resilient food systems. A recurrent theme during the conference was the need to bridge science to policymaking and practice to make best use of the most recent research. By connecting to stakeholders outside academia we can contribute to improved and sustainable food security.”

Some key messages from Agri4D 2023

• Sustainable food systems will require inclusive, flexible and context specific approaches to build resilient systems that consider the well-being of both people and planet.
• Co-create research and knowledge with practitioners and policy makers from the start.
• Reach out to all – smallholders are many and a diverse group.
• Work from farm to fork but just as important to work from fork back to farm (circular systems / closing the loop).
• Working in silos slows the progress towards sustainable food systems, while generating partnerships can contribute to comprehensive transformation.
• Build conflict-resilient food systems that not only rely on state actors.

Matthew Kessler, co-moderator, shares his own reflections of the content and outcomes from the conference.

"How do you run a conference on such a complicated topic like food systems? You’d have to explore the complex and interconnected webs that connect seeds and inputs to farms, farms which produce food that is regionally or internationally distributed across global supply chains, food that is then sold, or processed and sold, and purchased in markets, retailers, restaurants, and ultimately end up on people’s plates."

Read the full blog post here