Food Systems and Nutrition Patterns: Biodiversity, Resilience and Food Security

On July 8th Emerging ag Inc, in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) hosted a Zoom webinar entitled Food Systems and Nutrition Patterns: Biodiversity, Resilience and Food Security.  

The session asked the questions around if agriculture and biodiversity can coexist and how food systems can best prepare for disasters. It provided a discussion on how natural disasters impact the environment and food systems. The session also explored how to increase food production for the growing global population while still being able to protect the environment and promoting biodiversity.

The webinar, which was held in the auspices of the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF), boasted an impressive panel of five experts who were able to speak on various aspects of the issue at hand. The panel included:

• Naeem Shahzad, Assistant Professor, National University of Sciences and Technology
• Howard Shapiro, Distinguished Fellow, World Agroforestry Centre
• Roseline Remans, Senior Scientist, the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture
• Jimmy Smith, Director General, International Livestock Research Institute
• Rene Castro, Assistant Director in charge of Biodiversity, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The webinar was attended by over 200 people and had an additional audience watching through a live YouTube showing. It was an interactive session which began with a series of polls which the audience could take part in to further understand some of the context that would be talked about by the panel. Poll questions included the topics of biodiversity landscapes, sustainable foods and food waste. Those in attendance were also able to ask questions following each presentation and take part in a question and answer period at the end of the session.

Overall, the event was a huge success and provided some much needed and appreciated insight into the state of the world’s food systems and how adaptation to changing climate factors can affect the biodiversity of the food we eat, as well as the importance of biodiversity in our food systems.

Watch the full session