The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in Germany is organizing a high-level networking meeting to develop policy recommendations on the transformation of agricultural and food systems.  

The meeting, taking place on 15 June, will bring together over 250 participants involved in projects around the world that are supported by the German government. Entitled Partners for change – Transformation to a food secure, resilient and sustainable future, the meeting calls on participants to share their knowledge and experience with the aim of developing policy recommendations. These recommendations will be officially presented to the Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze at the closing of the meeting. 

Co-founder and Executive Director of the Shamba Centre for Food & Climate, Carin Smaller, has been invited to deliver the opening keynote address. In her speech, Carin will discuss agriculture and food system transformation and how to shift from crisis reaction to crisis prevention. Maximo Torero, Chief Economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will also deliver a keynote address. 

Food systems transformation a policy priority 

This high-level meeting takes place at the mid-point for the completion of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. While achieving the SDGs appears increasingly out of reach, the meeting will serve as an opportunity to reflect on what can yet be accomplished and the direction needed in order to close the achievement gap by 2030. 

The German government has included the fight against hunger and poverty, and the protection of the climate among its policy priorities in development and cooperation.  

This priority was made clear in 2022 when Germany presided over the G7 meetings and made global food security a top policy objective. With the other G7 countries, they set up the Global Alliance for Food Security with the aim of mobilizing USD 12 billion to respond to food crises.  

They have also provided strong support for the Zero Hunger Coalition, a long-term alliance to eliminate hunger nutritiously and sustainably by 2030 

Meeting objectives 

The high-level meeting aims to provide policy recommendations for the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development. It will consist of three high-level panel discussions and two workshop sessions.  

The first panel on connecting crisis response with agricultural food system transformation, will be led by the German State Secretary for the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Jochen Flasbarth, alongside Ibrahim Assane Mayaki,the African Union’s Special Envoy for Food Systems, Satu Santala, Associate Vice President from IFAD, and Jürgen Vögele, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank. It will be followed by a panel discussion on international cooperation and a common understanding for food system transformation with viewpoints from a diverse group including the private sector, multilateral institutions, governments and civil society organizations from across Africa. 

The two workshop sessions will provide participants with the opportunity to develop policy recommendations for the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development on the transformation of agricultural and food systems. Participants, who are confronted with the issues facing food systems, will be able to share their experiences and best practices, identify lessons learnt and explore solutions to the challenges ahead.  

Bringing together partners from around the world 

The meeting will bring together global partners whose projects are funding by the German government. It includes partners working in green innovation, soil protection, and food security, nutrition and resilience as well as their cooperating partners involved in land policy, agricultural financing in rural areas, youth employment, organic agriculture and sustainable fisheries, among others.  

These organizations and partners support projects in numerous African countries as well as in Asia. 

13 June 2023