Retrospections

At GFFA 2026, around 2,000 international guests exchanged views in 16 Expert Panels, three High Level Panels and at the Cooperation Market on the sustainable use of water, the innovation potential of the blue bioeconomy, constructive approaches to competing demands for water, and the strengthening of international water governance. The GFFA was held under the theme “Water. Harvests. Our Future.”

The political highlight was the 18th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference. A total of 61 agriculture ministers and 14 high-level representatives of international organisations underlined the central importance of water for agriculture, food security and sustainable development. They emphasised that agriculture needs sufficient water to produce food while also having the potential to make a decisive contribution to sustainable water use and global water resilience. They also called for agriculture to have a stronger voice in the run-up to the 2026 UN Water Conference and for the sector to be more closely integrated into global water policy.

Key topics included efficient water use, the protection of water quality and natural water storage systems, responses to droughts, floods and water scarcity, and fair and participatory solutions to competing water demands. The ministers also highlighted the importance of research, innovation, artificial intelligence and resilient crop varieties. They further stressed the potential of a sustainable blue bioeconomy to contribute to food security, climate action, biodiversity and regional value creation.

At the International Young Farmers’ Forum, 19 young farmers from all continents contributed their experiences. In their joint statement, they called, among other things, for better access to water, energy, infrastructure, knowledge and risk management, as well as for stronger political participation by young people in agriculture.

Further information on the conference and its outcomes is available in the 2026 Final Communiqué and the 2026 Young Farmers’ Statement.