Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen will this week host the G20 Agriculture Working Group (AWG) and Food Security Task Force Meetings in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
According to the Department of Agriculture, the high-level meetings will take place over three days, from 23 to 25 April 2025, and form part of a series of international events leading up to the G20 Summit scheduled for November 2025. These meetings aim to strengthen global collaboration on food security and agricultural development.
Organised by the Department of Agriculture, the sessions will be held under the themes "Data-Driven Approaches to Addressing Food Security" and "Promoting Inclusive Agricultural Investment and Market Access." The discussions will focus on advancing key priorities such as promoting policies and investments that enhance inclusive market participation and improve food and nutrition security, empowering youth and women in agrifood systems, fostering innovation and technology transfer in agriculture and agro-processing, and building climate resilience to ensure sustainable agricultural production.
This week's gathering follows the first G20 Agriculture Working Group Meeting held on 3 and 4 March 2025, where Minister Steenhuisen highlighted the global challenges facing farmers and called for stronger international cooperation. He emphasised the principles of Ubuntu, which call for collective action, mutual respect, and shared responsibility.
The initial AWG meeting allowed G20 members, invited guest countries, and international organisations to engage with the priorities South Africa has set during its Presidency. These priorities received overwhelming support from participants, underscoring their relevance and urgency.
With this endorsement, the AWG is now set to push forward with transformative agricultural policies aimed at fostering global cooperation, increasing sustainable farming investments, and securing a resilient food system for the future. The upcoming meeting in Durban will offer G20 members a chance to further advance these priorities and begin drafting a forward-looking declaration to be adopted by Ministers of Agriculture later this year.
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