New world order for food security
Global food debates are shifting from efficiency and low prices toward food security and control. Governments and companies increasingly aim to reduce dependencies and protect national supplies, affecting global availability. Power in the food system now extends beyond producers to those controlling trade routes, logistics, reserves, and key inputs like fertiliser and seeds. These changes hit import-dependent countries hardest, especially in the Global South. This dialogue, organised by Wageningen Social & Economic Research and Pakhuis de Zwijger, explores how shifting power shapes global food security and how food can remain accessible and affordable for everyone. Join our panelists from different continents, from Africa and South East Asia to South America and Europe in our dialogue.
Met in dit programma onder meer Bart de Steenhuijsen Piters Senior Scientist Food Systems at Wageningen Social & Economic Research Pascal Murasira Executive Director, African Food Fellowship Fernando Hernandez Senior policy advisor at Both ENDS Poorva Karkare Policy Officer at European Centre for Development Policy Management Lena Kaufman China Scolar, University FreiburgAbout the speakers
Bart Steenhuijsen Piters is a senior researcher at Wageningen Social & Economic Research, focusing on the governance and resilience of food systems. His work examines how geopolitics, market power, and dependencies in trade, inputs, and logistics shape global food security. He connects academic research with policy and practice to explore how food systems can become fairer, more sustainable, and less vulnerable.
Pascal Murasira is a food security and rural development expert with extensive experience in Sub-Saharan Africa. He works at the intersection of policy, local communities, and international cooperation to strengthen smallholder farmers and regional food systems. Drawing on field-based experience, he highlights how global shifts in trade and resource control directly affect food access and livelihoods.
Fernando Hernandez – Fernando Hernandez is a senior policy advisor at Both ENDS, where he works on issues at the intersection of international trade, investment agreements, human rights and environmental justice. His work focuses on how global economic policies shape food systems, rural livelihoods and corporate accountability, advocating for systemic change that prioritises people and the planet over narrow economic interests.
Poorva Karkare is a development economist specialising in African economies and a Policy Officer at European Centre for Development Policy Management. She previously worked with the World Bank, UNICEF and DfID in Mozambique, served as an ODI Fellow at Eswatini’s Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, and analysed India-Africa relations at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Lena Kaufmann is a social anthropologist and China specialist for Freiburg University whose research focuses on agriculture, technology, and rural transformation. She studies how farming practices, migration, and environmental change shape rural livelihoods and knowledge systems, and is the author of work on agro-technological change in post-reform China.
