The 2026 World Food Day Symposium brings together global experts, policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders to advance climate-resilient, culturally rooted, and equitable food systems. Convened by the Green Institute in partnership with the HeTa Research Institute and the University of Birmingham, UK, the symposium is held under the theme “Food for Tomorrow: Cultivating Climate-Resilient, Culturally Rooted Food Systems.” It highlights practical solutions that strengthen agricultural resilience, safeguard indigenous food knowledge, enhance nutrition security, and inform sustainable, inclusive food policies.
KEYNOTE
Prof. Harriet Kuhnlein
Emerita Professor of Human Nutrition, McGill University, Canada
Hon. Dr. Ajibayo Adeyeye, Esq.
Co-Founder, Nibanola Motherland, Ondo, Nigeria
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS
Prof. Mike Hardman
Director, Environmental Research & Innovation Centre (ERIC), University of Salford, UK
Prof. Dr. Md Enamul Hoque
Professor, Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), Dhaka, Bangladesh
Dr. Olaoluwa Olarewaju
Assistant Researcher, South Africa
Dr. Rahaf Ajaj
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental and Public Health, Abu Dhabi University, UAE
Dr. Dola Adeboye
Executive Director, African Food Research Network, Gauteng, South Africa
Dr. Amélia M. Delgado
Researcher, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development (MED), Portugal
Prof. G.A.S. Ginigaddara
Professor, Agricultural Systems, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka
Dr. María Reguera
Tenured Professor, Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
Dr. Sini V. Pillai
Assistant Professor, Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, India
Prof. Cosimo Magazzino
Department of Political Science, Roma Tre University, Italy
Prof. Mmapatla Senyolo
Associate Professor, Agricultural Economics, University of Limpopo, South Africa
Dr. Emmanuel Ndhlovu
Research Fellow, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Dr. Shaikh Tanveer Hossain
Director, Policy and Strategy, IFOAM-Organics Asia, South Korea
Dr. W.M. Wishwajith W. Kandegama
Senior Lecturer, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka
Dr. Eleonora Guadagno
Associate Professor of Geography, e-Campus University, Italy
Dr. Olawale E. Olayide
Reader/Associate Professor of Sustainability Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria