Food systems change, even ‘transformation’, has been highlighted as a way to accelerate adaptation and mitigation in agriculture. As the focus shifts from ambition to implementation, key questions remain about how to tangibly implement food systems change. Yet many of the necessary building blocks have already been identified and trialed through research-for-development projects. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research will share what we have learned about implementing food systems change in a context of climate change, showcasing a panel of speakers from partnerships we have supported in Africa and in the Pacific. Young scholars from the Pacific will prompt us to be honest and ambitious, leading us in an open discussion about how we can all accelerate the implementation of food systems change.