We are facing unprecedented challenges. In a world of growing uncertainty, we need to produce more and better food for a growing population and ensure it is accessible to all, breaking the barriers that exclude millions from access. We will only cope with these challenges by returning to the principle of diversity in our food systems.

We have to be careful we do not gamble with people’s livelihoods. Food system transformation has to be taken in incremental steps with positive proofs of concept rather than through ideology.

Impact … is not felt at the level of beautiful documents that are shared, but in how you move the needle and shift the reality of the lives of rural people and all of the people in the food systems.

What’s shifted over the years is the recognition that to change agriculture and food, you must adopt a food systems approach. We’re asking the sector to feed the world. It must be environmentally sustainable and ensure livelihoods for all food systems actors.

The Donor Platform’s commitment to information sharing and member updates has contributed to a significant level of alignment and cooperation on rural development and food security issues.

We need to find ways of building resilience because we can’t afford, as a global community, a continued sort of humanitarian and emergency support. We try and catalyse our investments to influence policy to have an even greater impact on promoting sustainable food system transformation.

We are now concentrated on solving the immediate crises, but there will be another crisis coming. It is important to maintain a long-term perspective and also deal with the root causes to hunger and malnutrition.

If I can produce a harvest, I can feed the household and community for the whole year whereas cash transfers or food delivery will only be for one day.

The COVID crisis and the situation in Ukraine clearly shows why reaching the SDG on improvement of food security is even more important than ever. We need to work on SDG2 together for a viable and sustainable food system worldwide.