A farmer waiting for rain. A school trying to serve healthier meals. A young person looking for work in agriculture but unable to access land or finance. A government trying to keep food prices stable while climate shocks, debt and conflict keep narrowing the choices available.
These are the kinds of realities that sat behind this year’s regional Food Systems Transformation Meetings, even when the discussions turned to policy, investment and coordination.
Between March and May, countries and partners gathered across five regions for the 2026 meeting series, hosted in Bangkok, Panama City, Geneva, Cairo and Accra. The meetings brought together governments, National Food Systems Convenors, youth leaders, farmers’ organisations, Indigenous Peoples’ representatives, civil society, researchers, development banks, UN agencies and private sector partners.
The series began in Asia and the Pacific, where countries met in Bangkok in early March. Discussions focused on climate resilience, nutrition, livelihoods and nature, with strong attention to how national food systems pathways are being embedded in planning, climate commitments and investment pipelines. Digital tools, data and innovation featured throughout the meeting, alongside a strong emphasis on young people as co-leaders in shaping more resilient food systems.
In Panama City, countries across Latin America and the Caribbean brought the conversation closer to rural communities and local economies. Family farming, territorial approaches and Indigenous knowledge were central themes. Speakers also raised a concern heard throughout the series. Policies can be strong on paper, but without financing, market access and local capacity, communities may see little change in their daily lives. The meeting placed particular emphasis on public and private investment that reaches small-scale producers, rural women and young people.
The Europe and Central Asia meeting in Geneva focused on country-led priorities, peer learning and investment at a time when food systems across the region are being affected by inflation, trade disruption, climate pressure and economic uncertainty. Countries and partners explored how to strengthen coordination around national pathways and connect food systems more closely with climate, health, nutrition and development agendas.
In Cairo, the Arab Region meeting was shaped by some of the most acute pressures facing food systems today. Water scarcity, conflict, displacement, economic fragility and supply chain disruption were all part of the discussion. Participants focused on resilience, food security, climate finance, local production, decent work and stronger regional cooperation. In video remarks, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed emphasised the need for implementation at scale, grounded in science, data, Indigenous knowledge and local experience.
The final meeting took place in Accra, Ghana, from 18 to 20 May, bringing countries and partners across Africa together around implementation, investment and regional collaboration. Discussions highlighted governance, private sector engagement, youth inclusion, science and data, climate-smart agriculture, investment-ready pathways and alignment with regional agendas including the CAADP-Kampala Declaration and Agenda 2063.
Across the five meetings, the tone was practical and often frank. Countries spoke about financing that is too fragmented, coordination that remains difficult, and institutions that are being asked to respond to several crises at once. But they also shared examples of work already underway, including school feeding programmes, climate-smart agriculture, youth-led agrifood businesses, digital tools, accountability systems and efforts to strengthen local food production.
A few priorities kept returning. Financing needs to be better aligned with national plans. Food systems work needs finance, agriculture, health, trade, education, environment and social protection to connect more effectively. Regional cooperation matters more as climate shocks, food insecurity and market instability cross borders. And young people need a larger role, with real access to land, finance, skills and markets.
The Accra meeting closed the regional series with much of the discussion centered on what comes after the meetings themselves. Again and again, countries raised questions about implementation – how national plans connect to financing, how support reaches communities faster, and how governments can respond to mounting pressure on food systems while managing economic strain, climate impacts and rising food insecurity.
Across the series, countries shared experiences that differed widely in context but often echoed one another in substance. The conversations reflected a stronger focus on practical cooperation, investment and country-level delivery, alongside growing recognition that food systems are closely tied to livelihoods, public health, economic stability – and the people whose lives depend on whether food systems can withstand the pressures ahead.
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