Patricia Galvao Ferreira, Schulich School of Law

Johanna Wilkes, Lakehead University

Experiences of Planners and Participators in Emerging Global Food Governance Forums: According to the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN), millions more people are hungry today than in 2018, and a healthy diet is out of reach for billions of individuals worldwide. This situation has been exacerbated by COVID-19, inflation, climate change, and global conflict, all of which have resulted in a negative impact on communities around the world. Recognizing the dire situation as well as slow and declining progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 (zero hunger), there is an urgent need for food systems transformation. It was against this backdrop that the United Nations Food Systems Summit (the Summit), which demarcated a new era of global food governance, was planned.

This presentation proposes to focus on how policy advocates and practitioners experienced this emerging era of multi-stakeholderism in global governance. Focusing on Summit as a case study, this presentation relies on in-depth interviews with Canadian and international food systems actors who were involved in planning, engaging, or resisting the Summit process. The findings show that while the Summit deployed innovative engagement strategies, there is still much work to be done to ensure these innovative governance processes lead to genuine inclusion.

The findings presented will help highlight the opportunities and challenges with multi-stakeholderism forums such as the Summit and the evolving UN system. This includes the role of Canada as an influential international actor, need for more meaningful and connected ways of governing. In line with arguments mounted by other scholars who work on global food governance, this presentation will emphasis the need to explore place-based, rights-based solutions that help narrow the gap between the governed and governance as well as governance practices that uphold the mandate of the CFS and the broader UN system.

Sindh Gadai

A Comparative Perspective on Food Law and Sustainability in Developing Countries: Food systems in developing countries are shaped by a dynamic interaction between traditional practices and evolving legal frameworks. This presentation examines how food law and policy can bridge the gap between informal, community-based food systems and modern regulatory regimes, with a particular focus on sustainability and food security. Using Pakistan as a primary case study, this research highlights key challenges, including fragmented legal frameworks, weak enforcement of food safety standards, and limited institutional capacity. At the same time, traditional food systems grounded in local knowledge and intergenerational practices continue to play a vital role in ensuring resilience and sustainability. However, these systems often remain marginalized within formal legal structures influenced by globalization and international trade requirements. The presentation adopts a comparative approach by drawing insights from more developed regulatory models, including those in Canada, as well as international standards such as the Codex Alimentarius framework. It evaluates how these systems address food safety, environmental sustainability, and equitable access to food, and considers their relevance for developing jurisdictions. Aligned with the conference theme “Generations: Food Law & Policy Across Time,” this paper emphasizes the importance of integrating traditional knowledge with modern legal approaches. It argues that effective food law must be adaptive, inclusive, and context-sensitive, recognizing both historical practices and contemporary challenges. The presentation concludes by proposing practical pathways for legal reform, including strengthening regulatory institutions, enhancing awareness, and incorporating indigenous knowledge into formal food governance systems to promote sustainable and equitable food futures.

Mohammad Habibi

The Importance of Assessing Genotoxicity in Plants: Implications for Plant Health, Environmental Conservation, and Food Security: Global population growth and increasing food demand, combined with water scarcity, production constraints, and climate change, present significant challenges to crop production and threaten food security. The development of high-yielding, disease-resistant, and climate-resilient crop varieties is essential to address these challenges. However, exposure to genotoxic substances can induce genetic and epigenetic changes in plants, thereby causing risks to human health and environmental safety. Genotoxicity results from exposure to chemical substances, such as pesticides and fertilizers, that damage genetic material in living organisms, suggesting a substantial threat to ecosystems and plant populations. These substances can adversely affect plant growth, health, development, and conservation. This study highlights the necessity of assessing genotoxicity in plants by examining the definitions and mechanisms of relevant chemical substances, the potential genetic changes and their consequences, environmental and biodiversity implications, preventive measures including sustainable agriculture and alternative substances, the importance of collaborative partnerships with Indigenous and local farmers, and recommendations for future research and awareness initiatives.