Global Governance of Food Systems

What are the opportunities for better global governance of the food system? The current global food system inhibits equal access to healthy foods and productive inputs, is characterized by high levels of corporate concentration, and remains vulnerable to multiple sources of volatility. At the same time, food systems have become incredibly complex and subject to broadening policy concerns in many domains—from environment, health, agriculture, land and water, energy, gender, youth, trade, finance, to peace and security—that simultaneously influence food systems and are impacted by them. Many of these domains are already overseen by specific global institutions, but the breadth of food systems requires coordination across institutions as well as between major global food system actors, processes, and movements. Clearly, given the breadth of food systems, strong coordination is required across institutions and between major global food system actors, processes, and movements. Yet, traditional global governance mechanisms, such as multilateral institutions, increasingly have faced a legitimacy crisis in recent years and hampered by growing geopolitical tensions. At the same time, a variety of rising economic and political actors are contesting power asymmetries embedded in the traditional multilateral system and promoting their own food system agendas.  

Given this context, the need to identify opportunities for bolstering global governance of the food system is more critical than ever. During an invitation-only hybrid workshop on 19-20 September, IFPRI and CGIAR researchers, along with global experts and practitioners, will come together to take stock of key issue areas within the food system that are most affected by the current global governance setting. These issue areas include trade, finance, health and nutrition, the humanitarian-development nexus, and agricultural inputs. Taking place in the run-up to the 2024 UN Summit of the Future, which is aimed at rebuilding trust in international cooperation to tackle global challenges, the workshop aims to serve as the foundation for a larger project aimed at identifying mechanisms to strengthen global food system governance.

Countries

Global

Topics

Governance
Trade
Nutrition
Food Crises
Markets and Value Chains
Food Systems
Agriculture Production