Policy and Governance of Sustainable Food Systems Webinar Series

Save the Dates: “Policy and Governance of Sustainable Food Systems” Webinar Series

The Philippines had an undernutrition prevalence rate of 14.7% from 2017-2019 which has been exacerbated by the economic lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.  The recent inflationary prices of basic food items have resulted in further increasing the number of hungry Filipinos. Undernutrition has also caused the very high rate of child, placing the country in the top ten countries worldwide.  

The SDG2 Zero Hunger Project

In mid-2020, the Working Group on SDG2 Zero Hunger started out as an informal gathering of food security advocates who are faculty members and administrative staff of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), Xavier University (XU), and the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), and as well as members of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Philippines (SDSN PH). 

Since late 2020, the WG has been organizing webinars on various themes and topics related to food systems, shifting from a narrow focus only on single sectors related to hunger such as production and agriculture, health, nutrition, environment towards a systems thinking approach for a far-reaching analysis and understanding of the complexity and interconnectedness of our food problems and challenges.  Consequently, more comprehensive and sustainable solutions to the ever-growing challenge of hunger and malnutrition can be identified and addressed. Further, the Working Group has been mindful to ensure that the voices of representatives from the basic sectors – the farmers, IPs, women, students and youth, etc. are actively heard in these webinars. 

As of the end of 2022, a total of 17 webinars have been organized with the overall aim of raising the consciousness and awareness of faculty, staff, students from the different Ateneo campuses and the schools and institutions linked with the SDSN all over the country, using a Food Systems framework and approach to the problems of hunger, malnutrition, agricultural production, access and availability of food, the effects of climate change and the environment on food production, food sovereignty and sustainability, food safety, and food waste among others.  

Just recently, the initiatives of the working group has been adopted by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Philippines (SDSN PH) to be an official project it supports. Furthermore, SDSN PH appointed Mr Edgardo Valenzuela (ASoG/SOSS-Econ) to be the Project Coordinator for SDG2 Zero Hunger.

Upcoming Webinar Series: Policy and Governance

For the series of webinars this 2023, the SDG2 Zero Hunger Project has identified the overall framework revolving around “Policy and Governance”. In particular, the series will tackle five critical subject areas:

Webinar 1 (March 1, 3:00-5:00pm,GMT+8): Securing Food:  Availability, Sustainability and Access

Webinar 2 (April 26, 3:00-5:00pm, GMT+8): Social Protection and Safety Nets

Webinar 3 (September 19, 2:00-4:00pm, GMT+8): Sustainable Water for Food Security, Health, and Nutrition

Webinar 4 (October 17, 2:00-5:00pm, GMT+8 ): Land and Food Systems

Webinar 5 (November 14, 2:00-4:00pm, GMT+8): Food Waste and the Environment

Separate sign-up links and posters will be released for each webinar soon.

Each webinar will start with a presentation by a representative from the academe on the current state of the particular subject area. This will then be followed by one to two government representatives knowledgeable on the legislative/policy and governance issues and concerns related to the subject area. As in previous webinars, representatives from the basic sectors, NGOs/CSOs, consumer organizations, youth and students will serve as reactors to the different presenters. 

For questions or concerns, as well as expression of intent for partnerships, please contact sdsnph@gmail.com (cc: ais@ateneo.edu) with “SDG2 Webinars” on the subject line.