Travel to Rome, Italy for Global Food Policy Convenings

From October 10-24, 2025, FJAR Lab Director Kristin Reynolds and fellow New School Food Studies faculty member Thomas Forster travelled to Rome, Italy for the World Farmers Markets General Assembly, the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Global Forum and the annual convening of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

Mid-October is always a busy month for the United Nations Rome-based food agencies as a number of events cluster around World Food Day on October 16. This year the 80th anniversary of the largest agency, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was celebrated. It was also the 10th anniversary of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, the first global mayoral pledge to support sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems. 

Participation in these global food policy events are an important part of the FJAR Lab’s focus on bridging scholarship with public action for social justice in the food system, and we’ll continue to include updates in this newsletter about forthcoming activities and outcomes!

By Thomas Forster and Kristin Reynolds