ForumforAg Food Systems Podcast Summary

In this edition of the Food Systems Podcast, recorded at the Forum’s Annual Conference 2025, Alex Turk talks to Janez Potočnik, Chairman of the Forum for the Future of Agriculture, about the evolution of the Forum, the critical need for systemic change in food systems, and the urgent environmental challenges facing our planet.

Here is a summary of the conversation.

We’re at the 17th Forum, and I’d like your thoughts on progress and the Forum’s new advisory council – why is that important?

We’re steadily moving from an agricultural and European perspective to a broader food systems and global perspective. The new advisory council is crucial. It will strengthen our understanding and perspectives and help us design the future: the future of the Forum, the future in the areas we need to focus on. More heads mean more ideas, especially from specialists, which will lead to more fruitful debates and guide the Forum’s future.

You said the Call to Action, with the seven commitments, would put a mirror in front of us to allow us to deliver systemic change. Is this a main focus for the Forum?

Yes, it is. We live in challenging, unpredictable times for the food system. While competitiveness, security, and fairness are vital, environmental issues haven’t improved. We must integrate these aspects. Like a Rubik’s Cube, you can’t solve the problem by fixing only one side; you need to think systemically.

We talk about sustainability running through all of this. Does that have to be a central focus ?

Sustainability isn’t just environmental; it’s about the balance of our lives, encompassing social, economic, and environmental angles. It’s common sense. Nature operates on circular logic where nothing is lost. The question is, if we are part of nature, why don’t we behave accordingly?

You’ve talked about the threat of planetary crisis, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and you also zoned in on water stress as an important area.

Indeed, water stress is critical. For the first time, the water cycle is out of balance, leading to more floods, fires and extreme weather events. Farmers are on the front line, facing significant costs. We have a moral duty to help, but our current behaviour is creating a difficult future. We’re a bit late to fix it for our generation, but our long-term responsibility for our children and grandchildren is clear.

Morally, we’d like to choose food at the price it deserves. but we think with our wallet when we get to the checkout.

Exactly. Market incentives don’t reward responsible behaviour for either consumers or producers. These incentives simply need to change.

You’ve said we are at “one minute to midnight” with existential threats and slow progress. What’s your message to speed up progress?

Humans react to serious threats like COVID or security issues. But we don’t yet see climate change as one minute to midnight, even though its effects are here and not quickly reparable. My message is to establish a healthy distance to ourselves. We are not the first or the last; we must take this responsibility seriously.

We had a NASA astronaut, Mike Massimino, opening our session. He said it’s all about the mission, and there’s nowhere else out there. You often say, “the future will be green, or there will be no future”.

It’s all about the mission, but also about emissions. We must remember that optimistic people change the world. We need to keep that optimism, but also defend the truth and be clear about scientific messages. Frankly, it’s difficult to be both science-based and optimistic right now.