At Rome’s historic Circus Maximus, seeds saved and shared across generations are set to tell the story of what ends up on our tables. That exhibition is one part of the World Food Forum, which opened at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters on 8 October under the theme “Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow.”
The gathering brings together government leaders, researchers, farmers, fishers, Indigenous Peoples, investors and young people from every region. Their shared task is to find ways to make food systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable. The work matters as climate extremes grow more frequent and severe, biodiversity declines, water resources face rising pressure and many rural economies offer young people too few opportunities.
Now in its sixth year, the World Food Forum is FAO’s flagship event on changing agrifood systems—the networks that grow, move and deliver food. It runs from 8 to 16 October, with high-level discussions, consultations, innovation labs, pitch events, meetings between partners, exhibitions and cultural programmes. Its three pillars are the Global Youth Action Initiative, the Science and Innovation Forum, and the Hand-in-Hand Initiative Investment Forum.
At the opening, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said that new technologies must work alongside traditional and Indigenous knowledge, and that young people need to be empowered. “The actions we take today – the new technologies we deploy, the traditional and indigenous wisdom we leverage, the young people we empower – will determine whether tomorrow’s agrifood systems can truly nourish a growing and changing world,” he said.
Qu also called for innovation in technology, business models and the way people work together, saying the world must “do more and better at scale.” Leaders taking part in the opening ceremony included King Letsie III of Lesotho, Angola’s President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin. Other speakers joined in person or by video, including heads of state and government from the Dominican Republic, Peru, Venezuela, Cuba and Türkiye, as well as Ecuador’s Vice President María José Pinto.
Young people were at the centre of another opening event. FAO launched 35 new National Youth Chapters, with participating countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and the Near East and North Africa receiving certificates. Felipe Paullier, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, announced a partnership between the Youth Committee and the UN Youth Office to strengthen collaboration. The programme also featured a song by Puerto Rican songwriter Kedward Avilés and discussions with young leaders.
The forum’s public programme brings these ideas into view. At Circus Maximus, the Global Exhibition: From Seeds to Foods runs from 8 to 12 October and explores how agricultural biodiversity and seeds preserved and exchanged over generations shape today’s food. The Science and Innovation Forum will present work using artificial intelligence, digital tools and new science to tackle food-system challenges. The Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum will connect governments, investors and development partners around investment opportunities.
The forum’s scale is one measure of the work ahead; its test will be whether the ideas and partnerships lead to practical change. By bringing young people, scientists, farmers and decision-makers into the same conversation, the gathering aims to help build food systems able to nourish a changing world.