On Oct 11, the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP), of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), together with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT East Asia Office, the UNEP-International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), and China Agricultural University, co-orgnized  an international conference themed "Building Diverse and Resilient Agri-Food Systems". The event attracted over 800,000 online viewers.

The conference united experts and scholars from UN agencies, international organizations, and research institutions for a multidisciplinary dialogue. Through keynote speeches and a high-level roundtable, participants discussed how technological and policy innovations can jointly advance biodiversity conservation, nutritional improvement, and sustainable transformation of agri-food systems. The meeting aimed to strengthen international collaboration and promote  a more resilient agri-food system in the future.

During the roundtable session, Dr. Bai Keyu, Associate professor at IARRP, served as chairman. Panelists included Professor Pan Canping from China Agricultural University, Irish Baguilat, Coordinator of the Asian Farmers' Association, Hua Ning, Director of the Ecological Conservation Program at The Nature Conservancy, Au Shion Yee, Lead Water Resources Specialist at the Asian Development Bank, Professor Yang Donghui from Yunnan Normal University, and Toby Gardner, Director of the Trase Initiative. The discussion focused on synergistic pathways between technological and policy innovation in driving the transformation of agricultural and food systems, emphasizing the challenges and strategies for biodiversity conservation  and sustainableutilization.

Experts shared successful international practices in agri-food system transformation, analyzed key global challenges, and proposed forward-looking recommendations. They agreed that the integration of technology and policy is a critical driver of sustainable development. Establishing scientific pesticide  management mechanisms and promoting ecologically friendly diversified  cropping systems can simultaneously safeguard food security and biodiversity.

Looking ahead, participants highlighted the need to incorporate the value of natural capital into accounting frameworks, guide public and private investment toward watershed governance and the protection of critically endangered species, and enhance data transparency and global performance benchmarks. They also called for integrating local knowledge, gender equity, and ecological policies into decision-making systems to collectively shape a resilient, equitable, and ecologically healthy future for global agri-food systems transformation .