The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of agrifood systems to shocks and stresses, as it increased global food insecurity and malnutrition. Action is needed to make agrifood systems more resilient, efficient, sustainable, and inclusive.

The FAO’s The State of Food and Agriculture 2021 presents country-level indicators of the resilience of agrifood systems — these measure the robustness of primary production and food availability, as well as physical and economic access to food, and can thus help assess the capacity of national agrifood systems to absorb shocks and stresses.

The report analyzes the vulnerabilities of food supply chains and how rural households cope with risks and shocks. It offers guidance for minimizing trade-offs as we develop policies to enhance food supply chain resilience, support livelihoods in the agrifood system and, in the face of disruption, ensure sustainable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for all.

The seminar participants will discuss these policy conclusions and how to act on them.

Introduction and Context Setting

• Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI and Global Director of Systems Transformation of CGIAR

Presentation of The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2021: Making agrifood systems more resilient to shocks and stresses

• Máximo Torero, Chief Economist, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (Presentation)

Panel Discussion

• Alexious Butler, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

• Julian Lampietti, Manager, Global Agriculture Practice, World Bank

• Thomas Reardon, University Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University (MSU)
• Danielle Resnick, David M. Rubenstein Fellow, Global Economy and Development Program, Brookings 

Closing Remarks

• Jocelyn Brown Hall, Director, FAO North America

Moderator

• Rob Vos, Director of Markets, Trade and Institutions Division, IFPRI