On Friday 16 October, the Netherlands Food Partnership organises World Food Day 2020 with an inspiring online event for agri-food professionals. This edition’s specific theme is ‘Smart Solutions for Healthy Diets’. The Dutch agri-food sector and its international partners aim to increase their collective impact to ensure the accessibility and affordability of healthy diets for all, produced and processed in a sustainable way. A transformation of our food systems and innovative solutions, moving beyond just technical solutions, is needed.

The English spoken event can be followed online and is broadcasted live from the studio in Amsterdam. It starts with a pleanry programme from 10.30 till 12.30 and is followed by different sessions (details to be announced soon) from 13.00 till 14.30. World Food Day is organised by the Netherlands Food Partnership in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you are interested to join, please visit the website.

Context

There is an urgent need for a global, rapid response and to accelerate and increase (our) collective efforts in achieving SDG2: end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. The worldwide and unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, causing a global health and economic crisis, on top of already existing emergencies, sharply put into focus the vulnerability of our food systems.

The joint efforts to achieve the objectives under SDG2 by 2030 are impressive, but not enough. Looking at the roadmap towards the 2030 Agenda, the world is off track in meeting the global goals. It is important to come together and propose smart solutions and innovative actions, and to discuss challenges to strengthen the efforts and collectively achieve more impact. Furthermore, a concerted and integrated approach is required to address the interlinkages of SDG2 with other goals.

The Netherlands has a lot of knowledge and expertise to apply and share, especially when it comes to using a food systems approach and the Dutch Diamond approach, in which actors from government, business, knowledge institutions and civil society collaborate together. The Netherlands is also a partner in many international networks. Therefore, it has a lot to offer and can make a significant contribution towards achieving SDG2. World Food Day provides an inspiring environment for exchange between agri-food professionals on progress towards achieving SDG2: what are the smart solutions, how do we overcome bottlenecks and challenges and how can (new) coalitions be initiated and strengthened?

Programme

With an inspiring, interactive online programme, participants will engage with the latest insights in food systems approaches and smart solutions for healthy diets for all, presented by renowned international experts in the agri-food sector.

Participants will also be able to:

• Take part in the online discussions with other professionals about innovative solutions and current challenges in food systems;
• Get inspiration from smart solutions for healthy diets;
• Make use of an online networking app to connect with other professionals in the sector.

Hadassah de Boer will moderate the morning programme from 10.30 – 12.30 with contributions from Carola Schouten, Kitty van der Heijden, Simon Groot, Jack van der Vorst, Carol Gribnau, Jackline Owili and Myrtille Danse, and others.

The afternoon programme provides five Smart Solution Sessions from 13.00 – 14.00: participants can take an action oriented deep dive in their favourite smart solution:

• Join Hivos in a session on TRANSFORMING FOOD SYSTEM GOVERNANCE .
• Join Wageningen University & Research in a session on ASSESSING FOOD SYSTEMS IN TIMES OF COVID-19.
• Join Topsector Horticulture & Starting Materials in a session on SMART BUSINESS SOLUTIONS IN HORTICULTURE.
• Join Yoba4Life, SNV Uganda and the Netherlands Food Partnership in a session on DAIRY AS MOTOR FOR NUTRITION.
• Join the Design Academy Eindhoven in a session on DESIGN, HORTICULTURE AND THE CHALLENGES OF URBANISATION.

To conclude the Professionals Event, all participants are invited to join the Netherlands Food Partnership in a ​plenary dialogue​ from 14.10 – 15.00 on the preparations and contributions in the run-up to the ​2021 UN Food Systems Summit​.

For all information on this World Food Day Professionals Event, please visit the official website,  where you can also find the link for online registration.

Public event “World Food Day Show”

In the afternoon an online event is open for everyone to attend: the “World Food Day Show” is filled with experts, food changers, chefs and an online cinema. The programme is in Dutch: please visit the website to discover how you can contribute to healthy and sustainable diets for everyone.

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About World Food Day

World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16 October in over 150 countries to create awareness and action for SDG2: end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

FAO’s 75th anniversary coincides with the 75th anniversary of the UN and the beginning of the Decade of Action to Deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. These initiatives are all taking place under exceptional circumstances, as countries are dealing with the global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite severe disruptions, it is vital that the international community uses this opportunity to call for action and to look closely at the future we need to build together.

Maintaining access to safe and nutritious food is and will be an essential part of the response to COVID-19, particularly for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, who are being hit hardest by the pandemic and related economic shocks. World Food Day is calling for global solidarity to help the most vulnerable to recover from the crisis, and to make food systems more resilient and robust so they can withstand increasing volatility and climate shocks, deliver affordable and healthy diets for everyone, and decent livelihoods for food system workers. For more information visit the FAO website.

With the World Food Day Professionals Event, the Netherlands Food Partnership contributes to these efforts, bringing stakeholders together to address and discuss the challenges in food systems. The Dutch agri-food sector and their partners will have the opportunity to exchange progress made on SDG2, and learn from each other’s solutions and challenges. The online event will offer a space to initiate collective actions and start new collaborations to increase the necessary impact towards 2030.