FAO World Food Forum 2026 opens in Rome with youth and innovation focus
FAO's World Food Forum 2026 runs 8–16 October in Rome under the theme Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow, with 35 new National Youth Chapters launched.
The story in focus
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization opened its sixth World Food Forum in Rome on 12 October 2026, running 8–16 October under the theme Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow. The programme spans three pillars and includes the launch of 35 new National Youth Chapters.
- The forum runs 8–16 October at FAO headquarters, organized around the Global Youth Action Initiative, the Science and Innovation Forum and the Hand-in-Hand Initiative Investment Forum.
- FAO launched 35 new National Youth Chapters, with certificates presented to participating countries across five regions.
- FAO estimates 673 million people experience hunger and 2.6 billion cannot afford a healthy diet.
A week of dialogues and exhibitions
The 2026 World Food Forum opened at FAO headquarters in Rome, bringing together government leaders, researchers, investors, farmers, fishers, Indigenous Peoples and young people. FAO describes the event, now in its sixth year, as one of the largest global gatherings on agrifood systems transformation.
The programme includes high-level dialogues, innovation laboratories, pitch events, matchmaking sessions and exhibitions. FAO's Global Exhibition, From Seeds to Foods, runs at Rome's Circus Maximus from 8 to 12 October and examines how biodiversity and seeds conserved across generations shape today's food. Other sessions cover artificial intelligence and frontier science, investment opportunities and the sustainable management of water resources.
Youth chapters and hunger figures
FAO launched the 2026 Global Youth Forum, presenting results from National Youth Chapters and marking the launch of 35 new ones across Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and the Near East and North Africa. A UN Youth Office representative announced a partnership with the Youth Committee.
Friday marks World Food Day 2026. FAO cites an estimated 673 million people experiencing hunger and 2.6 billion unable to afford a healthy diet, while noting that many tools and technologies needed to improve food security already exist. In opening remarks, Director-General QU Dongyu said innovation and action must scale up as climate extremes, biodiversity loss and water pressure intensify.
How many new National Youth Chapters did FAO launch at the 2026 forum?
FAO launched 35 new National Youth Chapters, with Assistant Directors-General and Regional Representatives presenting certificates to participating countries across five regions during the Global Youth Forum opening ceremony.
Sources & further reading
- World Food Forum 2026: Flagship event opens under theme “Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow.” ↗fao.org
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