UN Forum Calls for Overhaul of Global Agrifood Systems

Senior UN officials urge urgent investment and innovation to transform food production and distribution worldwide.

Published on Feb. 18, 2026

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Rising food prices and declining farm incomes are putting increasing pressure on the global food system, with up to 720 million people at risk of falling into extreme poverty. Against this backdrop, senior UN officials called for urgent investment and innovation to transform global agrifood systems, which encompass everything from farming and fisheries to food processing, transport, markets and consumption.

Why it matters

Agrifood systems are at the heart of progress in our societies, linking the environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainable development. Transforming these systems could generate between $5 trillion and $10 trillion in benefits across health, economic growth and environmental protection. With a projected 7% rise in the world's youth population by 2030, ensuring meaningful participation of young people is crucial to making agrifood systems more inclusive, sustainable and future-ready.

The details

Since the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, 130 countries have drawn up national pathways to reform how food is grown, processed and distributed. But ambition must now translate into results by scaling solutions, aligning finance with national priorities and accelerating action where needs are greatest. Discussions at the UN forum focused on mobilizing more finance and harnessing digital innovation to boost productivity, create decent jobs and strengthen resilience in the face of climate shocks and market disruptions.

  • In 2024, an estimated 2.3 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, and chronic hunger affected 96 million more people than in 2015.
  • The UN forum took place in New York in February 2026.

The players

Lok Bahadur Thapa

President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Amina Mohammed

UN Deputy Secretary-General.

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What they’re saying

“Agrifood systems are at the heart of progress in our societies. They are the thread that links the environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainable development.”

— Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) (Mirage News)

“Hunger remains at unacceptable levels. Fiscal space is shrinking, and pressures on agrifood systems are intensifying.”

— Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General (Mirage News)

“Closing gender gaps is not only a matter of justice - it is a driver for better outcomes for all.”

— Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General (Mirage News)

What’s next

The UN forum called for urgent action to translate the ambition of national agrifood system reform pathways into tangible results by scaling solutions, aligning finance with national priorities and accelerating action where needs are greatest.

The takeaway

Transforming global agrifood systems is crucial to addressing rising food prices, declining farm incomes and unacceptable levels of hunger worldwide. By mobilizing investment, harnessing digital innovation and ensuring the meaningful participation of youth and women, the UN forum aims to make food systems a powerful engine for accelerating progress across the Sustainable Development Goals.