Food Systems e-Course 2026 Kicks Off with a Powerful First Plenary Session

On 25 February 2026, Netherlands Food Partnership (NFP) and Wageningen University & Research officially launched the first webinar of the Food Systems E-Course 2026, bringing together more than 380 live participants from across the globe. The session set an inspiring and thought-provoking tone for the weeks ahead.

Opening Remarks: Science, Leadership, and Responsibility

The plenary opened with remarks from Thijs Woudstra, Head of Food & Nutrition Security at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dr. Namukolo Covic, Head of the CGIAR Liaison Office for Africa and member of the NFP Supervisory Board.

Mr. Woudstra emphasised the importance of science-based learning in a time when misinformation increasingly shapes public discourse. He also highlighted opportunities for renewed global commitment to food and nutrition security.

Dr. Covic challenged participants to think beyond definitions and frameworks. Food systems, she reminded us, must ultimately deliver healthy, diverse, affordable, and sustainable food — outcomes that must be visible on people’s plates. She encouraged participants to explore how a food systems approach can meaningfully strengthen their own professional practice.

Understanding the Food Systems Approach

The session was hosted by Herman Brouwer and featured two distinguished guest speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Inge Brouwer, Program Director of the CGIAR Science Program on Better Diets and Nutrition and Professor at Wageningen University
• Amy Melissa Chua, Director for Corporate Social Responsibility Communications and Engagement at Jollibee Group Foundation

Prof. Brouwer explained what a food systems approach truly entails, highlighting the interconnected nature of production, markets, diets, and policy. She emphasised the urgency of transforming food systems in light of persistent malnutrition, climate pressures, and inequality, while challenging common myths and dominant narratives. She also illustrated how innovation can be strategically leveraged to improve dietary quality and promote sustainable, healthy diets.

Amy Chua complemented this with practical insights from the Philippines, showing how food systems thinking informs work with smallholder farmers and inclusive business models. She underscored the importance of institutional adoption and agro-enterprise clustering, while reflecting on real-world lessons and constraints, including power asymmetries within food systems.

Watch the Webinar Clips

To make the content more accessible, the plenary session has been edited into short thematic clips. You can now watch the opening remarks and key insights from the first webinar, as well as videos of upcoming webinars on NFP’s YouTube channel: 2026 Food Systems e-course.