The 2025 Food Systems e-course First Plenary Session (Videos)

The 2025 food systems e-course, organized for the sixth time by Wageningen Social & Economic Research and the Netherlands Food Partnership (NFP), started on Monday 24 February 2025.

800 participants from all over the world joined this year’s edition selected from 2500 people who registered for the e-course. High participation already observed during the first week with over 4500 comments and interactions from participants.

The e-course incorporates a weekly plenary session where experts and practitioners share their insights and experiences, followed by a panel discussion. The first plenary session of the 2025 food systems e-course held on 26 February 2025 with the title “Why is a food systems approach important?”.

Opening Remarks

Ms Wilma van Esch (Head of Food & Nutrition Security at the Department of Inclusive Green Growth, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Dr. Namukolo Covic (Board member of NFP, ILRI Director General’s Representative to Ethiopia, and CGIAR Country Convenor for Ethiopia) made opening remarks on the first plenary session. Please watch the video below:-

Presentations & Discussion

Prof. Dr. Inge Brouwer, Associate Professor at the Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, made the first presentation. Prof. Inge’s research focuses on improvement of dietary quality of (young) women and children, in low and middle income countries through agricultural or food systems approaches, with special emphasis on reducing the burden of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overnutrition. She is also leading the Flagship Food Systems for Healthier Diets under the CGAIR funded Agriculture for Nutrition and Health research programme led by IFPRI and leading the Initiative Sustainable Healthy Diets through Food system Transformation (SHiFT). Please watch the first presentation by Prof. Dr. Inge Brouwer below:-

The second presenter was Cherrie Atilano, the Founding Farmer, CEO and President of AGREA Agricultural Systems International, Inc. AGREA aims to help eradicate poverty for farming and fishing families in order to alleviate the effects of climate change, and establish food security in the Philippines. She is a High-Level Ambassador of the United Nations Scaling Up Nutrition, an Advisory Board member of the World Bank Solutions for Youth Employment. Please watch the second presentation by Cherrie Atilano below:-