2nd UN Food Systems Summit kicks off in Ethiopia with action day field engagements

Addis Ababa, July 27, 2025 (FMC) — The Second United Nations Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+4) officially commenced today in with an “Action Day” that launched the event through hands-on field visits showcasing Ethiopia’s innovations and successes in building resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems.

Delegates from across the world—including United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Qu Dongyu—have arrived in Ethiopia to participate in the global gathering. The international delegation also includes ministers, high-level government officials, and representatives from civil society, youth networks, private sector actors, and food system coalitions spanning the globe. Delegates continue to arrive in Addis Ababa ahead of the high-level plenary sessions scheduled for July 28 and 29.

To kick off the summit, participants dispersed to several key sites in and outside the capital to gain firsthand insight into Ethiopia’s food systems transformation. The field visits included:

• A clustered wheat farm in Bora district, showcasing large-scale, coordinated grain production.
• The Melkasa Agricultural Research Center, highlighting Ethiopia’s investment in agricultural science and innovation.
• The Dina Food Complex Center, which features integrated agro-processing and value addition.
• The Adama Investment Group in Adama, focusing on poultry and dairy production.
• Poultry and avocado value chains in Modjo, demonstrating agribusiness potential in horticulture and livestock.
• Dairy value chains in Bishoftu, emphasizing Ethiopia’s approach to nutrition-sensitive agriculture.
• And the Shegger City inclusive urban food and environment system, which integrates food access, green spaces, and climate-conscious urban development.

These Action Day engagements allowed global delegates to witness the tangible outcomes of Ethiopia’s national food systems pathway, which integrates 24 key transformation interventions. From climate-smart agriculture to food banks and the Green Legacy reforestation campaign, Ethiopia is positioning itself as both host and example in the global dialogue on food sovereignty.

The summit—co-convened by the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and co-hosted by Ethiopia and Italy—is being held at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) headquarters from July 27–29. It serves as a global platform to assess progress since the 2021 Food Systems Summit and the 2023 stocktaking moment, and to mobilize greater resources and political will.

As the first African nation to host the summit, Ethiopia is using the occasion to share homegrown solutions, mobilize partnerships, and elevate African-led approaches to global food system challenges.