How do you turn complex, interconnected food system challenges into stories that mobilize action at scale?

Join Dharini Parthasarathy for a deep dive into the role of strategic communications in advancing food systems transformation. From leading global campaigns across 160+ countries with Climate Action Network to shaping narratives at the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, Dharini has worked at the forefront of climate and food communications, translating complexity into clarity and urgency.

This conversation will explore how to craft compelling narratives that bridge science, policy, and lived experience and how to align diverse actors, from philanthropies and NGOs to policymakers and grassroots communities, around a shared sense of purpose. We’ll unpack the tools behind effective communications strategies, from opinion pieces and media engagement to digital storytelling, convenings, and network-wide campaigns.

Drawing on experience across UN climate negotiations, global summits, and regional initiatives in South Asia, Dharini will also share how communicators operate in high-stakes, fast-moving environments balancing long-term narrative building with rapid response and crisis communications.

From shaping global discourse to elevating underrepresented voices, this session will examine how communications can influence policy, shift power, and accelerate systems change.

For communicators, advocates, and system builders, this is an opportunity to understand how narrative strategy can move food systems transformation from the margins to the center of global action and why storytelling is a critical lever in building a more just, resilient, and sustainable future.