On 26 April, 2021, the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization attended the National Dialogue on Food Security and Sustainable Development hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China and organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing. The Dialogue was organized by China in response to the call of the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres to conduct extensive national-level dialogues in the run up to the global Food Systems Summit to be convened in September 2021. The Food Systems Summit seeks to launch bold new actions to deliver progress on all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals, each of which relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems. 

The National Dialogue addressed five topics related to its theme, namely China’s food system transformation and policy support, food production and sustainable development, food loss and shock response, food security and equitable livelihoods of urban and rural residents, and sustainable food consumption. Vice Minister, Zhang Taolin of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China addressed the gathering and underscored food security as a key priority for the Government.

Mr. Anshuman Varma, Deputy Head of CSAM, shared views on the role of sustainable agricultural mechanization in reshaping food systems under the topic of food production and sustainable development, and reiterated the need for international cooperation.