The Global Panel at CFS 52 – “Just in time” or “just in case” food systems?
The Global Panel, in partnership with the Governments of Sierra Leone and Brazil, and the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) from the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), hosted a side event at the 52nd session of the CFS 52 on 24th October 2024.
The event, “Just in time” or “just in case” food systems, moderated by Global Panel Director Professor Sandy Thomas, and Dr Iain Wright, Deputy Chair of the HLPE-FSN, focussed on food system resilience, from production to supply chain management, exploring how sustainable food system transformation can bolster resilience at many scales. The attendees discussed future challenges and options, and explored practical next steps.
The event was opened by Akiko Suwa-Eisenmann, Chairperson of the CFS HLPE-FSN, who described how our understanding of food systems has evolved from one of economic efficiency, where natural resources were considered infinite, to one where they operate in a more fragile context, with limited or degraded resources, and subject to multiple shocks.
Dr Patrick Kormawa, the Director of Climate Change and Food Security in the Office of the President in Sierra Leone and former FAO Regional Director, then gave a presentation describing the current collaboration on food systems resilience in Sierra Leone, and highlighting how, although there were many challenges, there was also real political will at the highest levels.
This was followed by a presentation from Lilian dos Santos Rahal, National Secretary of Food and Nutritional Security at the Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger in Brazil, and Gates Foundation 2024 Goalkeepers Champion, who demonstrated how the initiatives coordinated by the Department were helping to create a more equitable and resilient food security framework in Brazil, building on the very successful reduction in stunting achieved in earlier decades.
The final presentation was from Nicholas Jacobs, Consulting Director of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (iPES-Food) who described the iPES’ latest reports ‘Food from somewhere’ – Building food security & resilience through territorial markets. He highlighted the importance of putting local networks at the heart of planning for future shocks.
Professor Thomas said “I am really grateful to our distinguished speakers for their insightful presentations”. She added, “Brazil and Sierra Leone are both giving priority in different ways to building resilience into their food systems, while iPES’s new report rightly highlights the importance of investment in local markets to build help resilience in food systems”.
Dr. Patrick Kormawa, the Director of Climate Change and Food Security in the Office of the President in Sierra Leone and former FAO Regional Director