Playing the long game

As we head into the European summer, I am reminded of something every football fan knows.

Matches are not won by the team with the best individual players. They are won by the team that is a collective, anticipates, adapts and works together when the game changes. And some luck is also in the mix.

The same is becoming true for agrifood systems.

The past few weeks have been full of partner meetings, but one theme kept surfacing wherever I went. Whether recording a podcast on food security and geopolitics, discussing the future of resilient agro-trade with public and private leaders, joining conversations during London Climate Action Week, hosting the Living Wage & Living Income Summit, or signing an expanded partnership with Olam Agri, the message was remarkably consistent.

No one was asking whether resilience matters anymore. They were asking how to invest in it, measure it, and make it commercially viable.

For years, food security and agriculture at large were too often seen as a development issue. Today, it sits alongside economic resilience, strategic autonomy and geopolitical stability as a boardroom priority.

We no longer operate in a world where global agrifood markets can be taken for granted. Climate change, geopolitical tensions, value chain disruptions and growing pressure on natural resources and farmer livelihoods have fundamentally changed the landscape.

What gives me optimism is that the conversation has changed. They are becoming less about short-term risk management and more about long-term value creation.

• Diversifying sourcing and investing in local production capacity to make value chains more resilient to climate, global shocks and trade disruptions
• Embedding living wages and living incomes into business models so farmers, workers and companies are all better equipped to withstand future disruptions.
• Scaling innovative financing mechanisms that unlock investment where it is needed most.
• Building public-private partnerships that share risk, align incentives and create long-term value across the entire value chain.

None of these solutions can be scaled by a single company or organisation.

One moment from the past weeks reinforced that more than any other. The passing of our dear colleague Ronald Sanabria, whose life's work demonstrated that lasting progress is built by bringing people together around shared purpose. His legacy is a powerful reminder that collaboration is not a soft option; it is the foundation of meaningful change.

I'll leave you with one final thought before the European summer. A few nights ago, my hotel room neighbour unintentionally became my World Cup alarm clock while enthusiastically following the Netherlands–Morocco match. Sadly, the result for me as an orange team supporter didn't justify the interrupted sleep.

But it did remind me that lasting success, in football and in business, isn't built on one game. It comes from preparation, teamwork and the ability to bounce back.

The same applies to resilient agrifood systems.

As many of us take time to recharge this summer, I hope we also take a moment to reflect on the partnerships we are building today. They will determine not only the resilience of our businesses, but also the resilience of the food systems and economies we all depend on.