How can we reimagine food systems to embrace and support the needs of different regions of the world in a just and sustainable way? And which elements of existing systems of food production, distribution, and trade demand critical reassessment to place the well-being of all at their core?

These were among the themes explored during the Baha’i International Community (BIC) Brussels Office’s most recent roundtable discussion, “Transcending the notion of conflicting interests in food systems transformation,” which is part of an ongoing series of discussions that has been highlighting the intrinsic connections binding the needs of people in one region or group—whether farmers, distributors, consumers, etc.—to those of another. 

Joined by diverse participants, from civil society and academia to the farming community, the event built on the idea that the needs of different parts of the world are inherently linked. 

Chloe Jamali from the BIC Brussels Office said that “European policies inadvertently impact other nations beyond its borders, so this puts a moral imperative on the continent to consider how food systems can be redesigned to advance the betterment of all, and how trade can be carried out in a just manner that is also fair and beneficial to all.”

Mujahid Rasool from COLEAD Link added that legislation made in Europe “translates in one way or another to other countries as well.” 

“How might we go about getting the larger stakeholders to recognize that interdependence?” asked Alex Rizzo-Banks, from George Washington University, who, together with other students from the university, participated in the event as part of an international ethics course.

In considering how food systems can better serve the needs of an interconnected world, Vania Luna, from the Brussels Fair Trade Advocacy Organization, said, “Food systems are very much ingrained in our current [economic] systems, so if we want to change the food system, it has to go with a more holistic change of society."

Another theme that emerged throughout the discussion was the approach to dialogues on food systems, including the role of a joint conversation among diverse actors. 

Aishna Shah, from CARE International, said there is value in “having shared dialogues across the food system, and across the supply chain.”

Patricia Willems from the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Food said, “It's important to have these conversations because this challenge, of conflicting and diverse interests in the food system among the stakeholders, is impacting different levels. And this impedes the collaborative effort that is needed to achieve food systems change.”

In considering that all people bring knowledge and value to deliberations, Emmanuel Atamba, from TMG Research, said there is “no reason why there should continue to be an assumption that certain areas or certain regions of the world have more knowledge than others.”

Sheila Etam from BRAC International said, “There is a mentality that we tend to go to rural communities and smallholder farmers with solutions, but in our experience, we find that we are actually going to learn.”

The BIC Brussels Office looks forward to ongoing exploration of these themes, which are also outlined in a statement it released last year on the future of agriculture in the European Union.