QUITO, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean met on Wednesday to map the pathway to transform the region's agri-food systems during the 37th session of the Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The conference, convening in Ecuador's capital Quito, brings together ministers of agriculture from all 33 countries in the region, along with FAO officials led by Director General Qu Dongyu.

At the opening ceremony, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso said the importance of the event is to find joint solutions to major challenges facing the region.

Stressing LAC's key role, Qu said, "the food you produce and export will influence the nutrition of hundreds of millions of men, women and children within and beyond the shores of this prodigious land."

The conference aims to support countries move toward more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, said Qu.

The hybrid event, which began on Monday with preliminary meetings and ends on Friday, will discuss the rise in hunger and malnutrition, as well as the hike in food and fertilizer prices.

Other topics to be addressed are the impact of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic in the region. And the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031 for the region will be determined.