The G20 Food Systems Agenda

The report details the G20's shifting focus on food security from 2020 to 2025, highlighting key declarations and initiatives from various presidencies. It compares G20 efforts with G7 initiatives and other global actors like the FAO and WFP, while outlining South Africa's specific priorities for its 2024-2025 G20 presidency, including inclusive market participation and climate resilience.

• Global food security has been severely compromised by the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine, which caused surges in food, energy, and fertiliser costs and threatened the 2030 goals of Agenda 2030.
• The G20's food systems agenda has evolved through successive presidencies: Saudi Arabia focused on preventing restrictive trade measures; Italy's Matera Declaration emphasized sustainable food systems and rural-urban linkages; Indonesia supported the Black Sea Grain Initiative to facilitate grain and fertiliser flows; India focused on agricultural inputs and the Deccan High-Level Principles; and Brazil established the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.
• While the G7 has launched several food security initiatives, such as the Apulia Food Security Initiative and the Mattei Plan for Africa, these efforts are often criticized for lacking transparency, insufficient co-design with the Global South, and a lack of concrete financial commitments.
• Under its G20 presidency starting in November 2024, South Africa has identified four priority areas for the Agriculture Working Group: inclusive market participation, empowerment of women and youth, innovation and technology transfer, and building climate resilience.
• South Africa's G20 task force on food systems is conducting three specific studies focusing on global commodity price volatility, price stabilisation techniques, and the effectiveness of climate-resilient food security policy instruments.
• Canada's 2025 G7 presidency supports several Africa-specific agricultural projects, including a CAD 10 million contribution to the Africa Fertiliser Financing Mechanism and the 'Green Economy of Ghana' project to promote climate-smart agriculture.

APA

Cheteni, P. (2025). The G20 Food Systems Agenda. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SAIIA_Synthesis_3_G20FoodSystems.pdf

Chicago

Cheteni, Priviledge. The G20 Food Systems Agenda. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2025. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SAIIA_Synthesis_3_G20FoodSystems.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cheteni |first1=Priviledge |title=The G20 Food Systems Agenda |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=2025 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SAIIA_Synthesis_3_G20FoodSystems.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cheteni2025g20, author = {Cheteni, Priviledge}, title = {{The G20 Food Systems Agenda}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2025}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SAIIA_Synthesis_3_G20FoodSystems.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }