This conference, organised by the Belgian Federal Public Service of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, the Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and Ghent University, is a collective effort to align with the Sustainable Development Goals, offering a unique opportunity to address interconnected global challenges.
The anticipated outcome is not just knowledge but actionable insights—a roadmap towards ensuring healthy diets and better nutrition for all.
Healthy diets for nutrition: are we making progress?
Caroline Bollars, WHO
Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit Sustainable Agri-Food systems
and Fisheries - European Commission, International
Partnerships
Bridget Holmes, Nutrition Officer, FAO
Scaling up effective approaches and policy frameworks
Speakers:
Katharina Beelen, Rikolto, Belgium
Bridget Fenn, Nutrition Research facility
Bruno Gautrais, Head of Unit E2, DG Health and Food Safety,
Accelerating efforts and effective partnerships for healthy diets and
nutrition: what’s needed?
MSc Nutrition and Food Systems Ghent University
Antonia Potter Prentice, Director of Alliance 2015 Generation
Nutrition
Namukolo Covic, Regional Director, East and Southern Africa,
CGIAR
Josep Puxeu Rocamora, European Economic and Social
Committee (EESC) Group I — Employer's, representing the
Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation (FIAB) and
Director-general of the Soft Drinks Association (ANFABRA)
Ambassador Brieuc Pont, Special Envoy for the Nutrition for
Growth Summit, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs - closing remarks
Prof. Carl Lachat, Ghent University - closing remarks
Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) in partnership with the Southern Africa Agri Initiative (SAAI), FANRPAN and AiFarmer
Discover how advancements in artificial intelligence are revolutionizing digitalization efforts within the agricultural sector, unlocking new opportunities for enhanced advisory services and knowledge dissemination.
Gain valuable insights into leveraging AI technologies for sustainable agricultural development and improved livelihoods.
Recording forthcoming
Francois Rossouw Southern African Agricultural Initiative (SAAI) University of Pretoria/Universiteit van Pretoria
André Strauss, CEO of CohesionX the developers of AELA's AI Farmer technology. (Agricultural Extension Language Assistant)
AI Farmer, AELA’s flagship application, represents a significant leap forward in agricultural extension services. Traditional extension programs, while foundational, have faced challenges such as limited reach, especially in remote areas, language barriers, and a one-size-fits-all approach that often fails to address the specific needs of individual farmers.
AI Farmer is designed to overcome these hurdles by providing personalized, accessible, and
actionable agricultural advice through advanced AI technology.
Archana Karanam, an ICT for ARD professional and has been a vital part of Digital Green since 2009
Some key takeaways from the meeting include:
- AI can help address challenges in agricultural extension like limited access, language barriers, limited time/resources for farmers, and more by providing on-demand advice to farmers.
- Both PSI and Digital Green are working on AI platforms to deliver personalized advice to farmers through chatbots and mobile apps. They curate agricultural data and train AI models to answer farmers' questions.
- It's important to have human experts involved to ensure AI responses are accurate, unbiased, and address local farming conditions. Feedback mechanisms also help improve AI over time.
- Value chain actors beyond just producers could potentially benefit from AI extension platforms, though more work may be needed to apply them throughout supply chains.
- Localization of AI systems, including supporting many languages and addressing local terminology, is an ongoing challenge but critical for adoption.
Several studies have indicated that soil organic matter content and nutrients balance can be improved at farm level through proper agronomic practices in mixed farming systems. However, fertilizers are still needed to improve productivity. Off-farm production of safe and affordable organic fertilizers and biofertilizers could provide another pathway for soil health and productivity improvement in Africa.
However, a lack of information and knowledge exists regarding the production, marketing, and utilization of commercial organic and biofertilizers. In fact, many relevant initiatives exist involving various actors such as Farmers' Organizations, NGOs, and SMEs.
With a view to inform policy dialogue addressing the fertilizer crisis and food security challenges, DG INTPA, through DeSIRA-LIFT, commissioned a scoping study on the off-farm production and marketing of organic and biofertilizers in 12 case-study countries in Africa.
In this conference the results of the scoping study was shared and two SMEs shared their experiences regarding the potential of commercial organic and biofertilizer production and marketing.
Carla Montesi, Director INTPA F- Green Deal, Digital Agenda
Bernhard Freyer, Pierre Ellssel and Fortunate Nyakanda, Scoping Study results
Representative from Zim Earth Farms, African producer (Zimbabwe)
Representative from Safisana, African producer (Ghana)
The study address the use and acceptance of organic and biofertilizers, the potential development of these inputs, the marketing systems, the support services (research and advisory services), the national policies and regulatory framework .
Organic and biofertilisers (OFBF) demonstrate strong potential in addressing soil fertility, enhancing crop yields and contributing to the nutrient cycle in Africa.
To unlock Africa’s potential for soil health and agricultural productivity, a holistic approach is crucial.
Support to local and national initiatives on OFBF must be scaled.
Recycling organic wastes can potentially cover 20-40% of an agricultural system’s nutrient requirements.
Positive socio-economic impacts from organic fertiliser use can be realised through centralised or decentralised collection, processing and distribution systems tailored to raw material characteristics and volumes from waste streams, local circumstances and current organic fertiliser dynamics in each country.
Waste-based organic fertiliser production and use can yield various positive environmental impacts.
To overcome cultural and traditional barriers to the adoption of OFBF, initiatives of education and advisory services play a vital role.
Biofertilisers, or biostimulants, cover various products with distinct traits. Additional research is required for a comprehensive understanding and strengthening of biofertilizer impact and use at scale.
Research on OFBF and soil amendments, including biochar and liming, is highly recommended to establish an evidence base on product efficacy.
Waste management regulations exist in almost all of the case study countries. However, the subsequent application and enforcement of these regulations is lacking.
The main objective of this event was to share and discuss the main conclusions of the “AgroEco2050-Senegal” foresight exercise and its implications for sustainable agri-food systems in Senegal.
Jointly implemented by the government of Senegal, CIRAD, ISRA-BAME, FAO and DyTAES, with financial support from GIZ on behalf of BMZ, AgroEco2050-Senegal appears to be an essential initiative aimed at informing long-term visions for Senegalese agriculture.
This collective effort has engaged scientists, farmers, policymakers and institutions to shape the future. AgroEco2050-Senegal aimed to clarify and quantify two different visions of what agriculture, food, nature, employment and well-being could be in Senegal by 2050. One vision was based on intensification of conventional industrial agriculture (IA), while the other was based on scaling up of agroecology (AE). The objective was to compare and understand the implications of these two different paths and to verify their consistency.
This dynamic three-hour event brought together civil servants, researchers, representatives of civil society and the private sector, as well as stakeholders from Senegal and the international community. Through expert advice and stakeholder engagement, the event fostered dialogue, raised awareness and stimulated action towards a sustainable and prosperous agricultural landscape in Senegal.
Co-hosted by the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), and We Mean Business Coalition, the event will delve into key insights from a recently published report series: ‘Future Fit Food and Agriculture’ revealing that US $205 billion per year is needed from the food sector to mitigate half of global food system emissions.
While significant, these costs are manageable for the sector as a whole as they represent less than 2% of total food sector revenues. Industry leaders will discuss the critical role companies play in addressing emissions resulting from agricultural production and land-use changes within their value chains.
Morgan Gillespy, Executive Director, Food and Land Use Coalition
Alex Andreoli, Associate, Sytemiq
Emeline Fellus - Senior Director, Agriculture and Food & Member of the WBCSD Extended Leadership Group.
Owen Bethell - Environmental Impact Lead Global Public Affairs, Nestle
Milindi Sibomana- Chief Agriculture Officer at One Acre Fund Rwanda
Luke Pritchard- Deputy Director, Nature Based Solutions, We Mean Business Coalition
Investment from the food sector of approximately US $205 billion per year between 2025 and 2030 could mitigate up to 9 GtCO2e annually by 2030.
While significant, these costs represent less than 2% of total projected food sector revenues and come with other benefits including access to new and growing markets, some on farm savings and improved supply chain resilience.
This report highlights that the burden of mitigation varies depending on where actors sit along the value chain. A critical challenge is that the costs are currently projected to land most heavily on farmers, who are the least able to pay.
Overcoming this inequity requires companies to reassess how they partner with actors in the value chain, particularly farmers, and how they engage with policymakers to accelerate action.
Businesses setting and implementing ambitious climate and nature strategies today will be better prepared for future sustainability regulation, facing fewer compliance risks and experiencing less disruption in their supply chains.
Ambitious companies can not only leverage established and emerging voluntary standards to get ahead of the game, but they can and should also seize the opportunity to advocate for harmonized standards and regulation, which will accelerate the food sector’s transition to a sustainable future.
This seminar examined Africa's climate and energy futures, shedding light on various scenarios, including the consequences of a global carbon tax and aggressive energy policies, and the transformative effects of transitioning to sustainable practices. It discussed two new reports that examine Africa’s development prospects if countries adopt sustainable energy policies.
Moderator: Ottilia Anna Maunganidze, Head, Special Projects, ISS
Panelists: Dr Jakkie Cilliers, Head, African Futures & Innovation, ISS
Alize le Roux, Senior Researcher, African Futures & Innovation, ISS
Saliem Fakir, Executive Director, African Climate Foundation
Prof Abubakar Sambo, Chairman, Nigerian Member Committee of the World Energy Council
The implementation of differentiated carbon taxes and the pursuit of the Sustainable Africa scenario could offer a path to significant emission reductions and improved economic outcomes. However, the success of these measures is contingent on the continued exploitation of gas resources to avoid energy and financial crises. Africa needs to prioritise adaptation if it wants to ensure the safety of communities and infrastructure amidst the ongoing climate crises.
Africa is experiencing a growing addiction to gas and oil. Yet, in 2023, Africa produced only 6.6% of world energy, which would increase to 8.1% in 2050 - a portion vastly out of balance with its large and growing population and development needs. Energy demand, however, in Africa is less than 5% of the world. The difference between production and demand reflects that the continent has abundant energy resources but exports a significant portion. According to the Climate Action Tracker, around 40% of Africa’s gas production is exported, primarily to Europe, China and India whilst again importing refined products.
The Africa Energy Policy scenario examines the ramifications of diminishing coal and oil productionwithout limiting gas. The analysis indicates that constraints on gas production would create an unmanageable
energy production shortfall for a continent still with very low levels of energy availability.
The scenario includes various mitigation efforts and the expansion in renewables, hydro, and nuclear power
needed to bridge the remaining energy demand gap. The scenario also incorporates carbon sequestration and
enhanced energy efficiency measures to gauge their impact on carbon emissions.
Risk Assessment for Israel Agriculture and Adaptation to Climate
Yael Kachel, Senior Economist - Strategy DivisionSenior Economist - Strategy Division. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Israel - How to Transform Agriculture in The Era of Climate Change – The Role of Government
Marc Perel, Agriculture Meteorologist and co-cordinator of the Agricultural Preparation Committee on Climate Change, Soil Conservation & Drainage Unit Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development - Risk Assessment for Israel Agriculture and Adaptation to Climate
The climate crisis is one of the biggest threats to the global economy and to human wellbeing, already taking its toll and severely affecting our ecosystems, livelihoods and food security. Considered a "desert threshold" country, Israel is expected to face impactful climate changes resulting in extensive consequences for its agricultural and water sectors, among others. In view of these facts, Israel is making important steps to assist its agricultural sector in adapting to climate change, including formulating a quantitative assessment for prioritizing and targeting preparedness policies.
Head of MATC/ Ministry of Agriculture Rep. Israel - A Country on the Frontline of Climate Innovation
Ambassador Gideon Behar, Special Envoy for Climate Change Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel Food Farming in Light of Changing Climate: Challenges and Solutions
Dr Gidon Toperoff, co-cordinator of the Agricultural Preparation Committee on Climate Change Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
This AI-driven growth is expected to impact various sectors across Africa. From agriculture to healthcare, AI solutions hold the promise of increased efficiency, productivity, and innovation.
Agriculture: AI-powered tools can analyse soil and weather data, providing farmers with sadvice for optimising crop yields.
Healthcare: AI can assist with medical imaging analysis, enabling earlier disease detection and improving patient outcomes. In Rwanda and Ghana, AI is already being deployed for this purpose.
Finance: AI algorithms can revolutionise financial inclusion by analysing transaction data to assess creditworthiness and facilitate access to financial services for a broader population. Mobile banking platforms like M-Pesa in East Africa are already leveraging AI for this purpose.
Urban Development: Cities like eThekwini Municipality in South Africa are utilizing AI to become data-driven smart cities, optimizing water management and sanitation services for their growing populations.
This report is dedicated to bilateral and multilateral donors engaging in blended finance, who aim to boost access to commercial finance by agrifood small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The investigation included a series of interviews which explored how donors, philanthropic organizations, public funds and blended capital funds can make their funding effective and act as an incentive for achieving SDG 2.
The report shows the risk appetite of donors and DFIs is on the rise. This is a unique opportunity for donors, DFIs and their beneficiaries in developing countries to make widespread changes by implementing the recommendations of this report.
Four key findings and recommendations are presented from the Donor Platform and Shamba Centre for Food & Climate's 2023 enquiry.
The report’s central message shows the catalytic power of aid. If donors and development finance institutions (DFIs) take higher risks with their grants and lending, every donor dollar has the potential to mobilize four dollars in commercial finance. When this happens, agrifood SMEs will have more financing, domestic lenders will participate, and markets will deliver affordable borrowing prices.
Key finding 1: Blended finance can make the biggest contribution to SDG 2 by focusing on the missing middle: agrifood SMEs seeking finance of between US$50,000 and US$2 million
Key recommendation 1:Donors and DFIs can increase the flow of finance to agrifood SMEs by:
building the agrifood expertise and risk appetite of domestic lenders, including developing an agrifood credit risk assessment scorecard, as proposed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa;
scaling up priority lending programmes and results-based lending incentives for domestic banks, encouraging them to use their own balance sheets to lend to agrifood SMEs;
increasing finance for affordable, indemnity-based, weather-indexed and crop-indexed insurance;
incorporating bookkeeping and accounting skills into SME technical assistance programmes.
Key finding 2: Every dollar of concessional finance can mobilize four dollars of commercial finance; however, whether those four dollars deliver a sustainable development impact will determine if blended finance can bring not only financial additionality but also development additionality.
Key recommendation 2: Donors and the wider blended finance community can expand the pool of blended finance by:
reducing transaction costs related to the exploration, negotiation and conclusion of blended finance transactions;
exploring how donors can provide not only first-loss financing but also lending at commercial rates, where returns on these investments can be ring-fenced for reinvestment into the same or other blended transactions;
continuing to provide grants for technical assistance for SMEs and domestic lenders, as they bring high levels of financial and development additionality;
sharing data, reducing transaction costs and collaborating on cofinancing through the creation of a multi-donor working group, supported by a sustainable finance knowledge hub.
Key finding 3:DFIs are governed by rules that discourage them from taking risks to provide finance that would otherwise not be available from commercial lenders.
Key recommendation 3: Donor governments must provide DFIs with dedicated funds that allow them to:
offer higher-risk loans, such as first loss and mezzanine debt, that have well-defined targets on sustainable food and agriculture;
provide long-term credit lines, guarantees, transaction advice and technical assistance to domestic financial institutions to build institutional knowledge on sustainable agrifood systems.
Key finding 4:More research and data on the performance of agrifood SME loans that originate from donors are a prerequisite for making ODA catalytic.
In 2022, lenders from CSAF primarily directed their lending to cash crop value chains (CSAF, 2023a). Agrifood SMEs and farmers’ organizations involved in coffee, cocoa, cashew nuts, soya beans and quinoa received most of the loans, with only 24 per cent going to value chains of other crops for domestic consumption in 2022. (page 12)
Aceli Africa provides results-based financial incentives to domestic lenders in Kenya, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda. In the absence of these incentives, local lenders would not be lending to agrifood SMEs. The incentives are designed based on lending data from 31 financial institutions, including local banks, international social lenders and members of CSAF. (...) Aceli Africa’s budget for 2020–2025 is US$75 million, more than 50 per cent of which is used to provide incentives. As of October 2023, Aceli Africa’s incentives had supported 1,404 loans totaling US$142 million (60 per cent of loans to first-time borrowers).(page 17)
In September 2023, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, each with a preliminary contribution of US$35 million, launched the FASA Fund to increase financing for smallholder farmers and agricultural SMEs in Africa with financing needs of between US$200,000 and US$5 million. The initial commitments from USAID and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation are expected to attract additional contributions from other donors totaling US$200 million. (...) The US$200 million donor contribution is expected to unlock US$1 billion in commercial financing. (... ) The US$1 billion of commercial financing mobilized is expected to support 500 agrifood SMEs, create 60,000 private sector jobs, benefit 1.5 million smallholder farmers and positively affect about 7.5 million people. (page 22)
Africa Improved Foods is a social enterprise producing affordable fortified foods for pregnant and lactating women and for infants. It was established in 2015 as a joint venture between the Agaciro Development Fund, Royal DSM, FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, the
Department for International Development Impact Acceleration Facility managed by the CDC Group and the International Finance Corporation (FMO, n.d.). (page 25)
The report features case studies on Incofin, Alterfin, and Cordaid Investment Management, three impact investors who were able to successfully turn their gender intentions into action by focusing on the Gender Lens Investing (GLI) strategies most aligned with their business and impact priorities.
Root Capital, in collaboration with Value for Women and CSAF, provided comprehensive GLI training to these three investors as part of the "Strengthening the Livelihoods of Women Smallholders through Investments in Gender-Inclusive and Women-Led Agricultural Businesses project". The project aims to establish a replicable model and evidence base for other donors and investors to adopt GLI practices.
Extracts of this report
Over 65% of women in certain regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia earn their living from the agriculture sector. Yet, women receive only 7% of total agricultural investment. (...)
On average, women-led enterprises experience year-on-year growth rates of 25.7% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) and 45.2% AAGR (average annual growth rate). Gender inclusive businesses experience, on average, year-on-year growth rates of 20.6% (CAGR) and 35.1% (AAGR). (page 6)
The 2023 State of the Sector report shares market insights drawing upon quantitative and qualitative input from 20 financial institutions and provides a deeper analysis of the risks agri-SMEs and lenders face, and how agricultural lenders can respond.
In 2022, CSAF members issued loans totaling $750 million to over 650 businesses across 59 countries. Lenders sustained high volumes of lending following a year of significant growth, though there were large variances across regions, and sustained high additionality despite an increasingly maturing agri-SME finance market.
CSAF lenders disbursed $750M in 2022 to over 650 businesses across nearly 60 countries. (2013–2022: $6.2B)
The sector needs to constantly be innovating new tools, subsidies, and blended finance structures to mitigate those risks and continue to deliver impact for agri-SMEs.
Sub-Saharan Africa remained the largest destination for CSAF member financing, but experienced negligible growth in 2022. (page 17)
Coffee continues to comprise the majority of CSAF member lending activity, reaching an all-time high in 2022
Cocoa lending reverted to 2020 levels, driven predominantly by lower activity in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Macadamia lending. After a couple of years of a steady downward trend, disbursement to tree nut enterprises grew significantly in 2022. Driven primarily by an increase to macadamia processors in Kenya of $16M, nut disbursements returned to 2019 levels.
The Sankalp Africa Summit at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies in Nairobi catalyzed collaborations across the entrepreneurial ecosystem in order to solve global challenges sustainably.
Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A) and Climate Finance and Investment Accelerator Limited (CFIA), in partnership with the African Financial Alliance on Climate Change (AFAC)
Partners such as GIZ, FSD-Kenya, African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership, AGRA, National Research Fund, International Food Policy Research Institute, Tegemeo Institute, Association of Fintechs in Kenya, AGRA, Association of Microfinance Institutions of Kenya, Fertilizer Association of Kenya, Apollo Agriculture, Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Co-operatives, SNBX Capital, contributed to this conference and transformation of the Agricultural sector in Kenya.
The Theme of the event was “Reflecting on the Malabo Declaration and Outlining the new (Post Malabo) Agenda to Build Momentum, Re-invigorate and Consolidate the Gains on CAADP, and respond to Emerging Trends and Dynamics”.
To inaugurate the 2024 webinar series, this webinar gained a deeper understanding of how the community operates and how various stakeholders such as companies, governments, sector groups, and NGOs are addressing the challenge of achieving a Living Income.
The MIP will support strengthening the consortia of Africa based institutions to lead interventions in Africa in several domains including multi-stakeholder partnerships to bring agroecological innovations to scale, using co-learning, co-creation, and multi-stakeholder approach.
Related: 9-10 March 2024. Tunisia. The ANzAR Forum 2023: Agroecology in North Africa Video
The Blue Bioeconomy ERA-Net Cofund will organise a Final meeting in Brussels to mark the end of the ERA-Net. The event will gather science-policy professionals and research and innovation funders to discuss R&I project portfolio management, using a Value Chain Approach and creating synergies among projects.
BlueBio funding partners, policy officers from The European Commission, representatives from relevant HE Partnerships and other institutions will be invited to join the one-day event in Brussels.
This webinar was jointly organised by the SFS-MED Platform with the support of the Jordanian and EU Co-Presidency and the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
Chaired by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, the launch event was the premier drum beat and kick start event towards the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024, that will be held from September 2-6, 2024, in Kigali Rwanda.
VACS was launched in February 2023, in partnership with the African Union, FAO, and U.S. Department of State, with the goal of advancing more climate-resilient and nutritious food systems in Africa. A team of researchers from AgMIP, based at the Climate School, participate in VACS, conducting research to better understand how African opportunity crops can be used to address the challenges that African food systems face under climate change.
Why and how did nutritionists, plant breeders, climate modelers, soil scientists, economists – 60 global experts – decide on these crops.
In this webinar, the panel drew on case studies to identify practical and impactful farmer-centric solutions for building the relationship between healthy soils, regenerative agriculture, and climate-resilient food systems at scale.
The Global EverGreening Alliance, the Government of Zambia, AFR100, African Natural Capital Alliance (ANCA), FSD Africa, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, hosted the world's largest land restoration programming conference, which brought together NGOs, governments, the private sector, technical and scientific experts, and community representatives.
Related: 11 March, 2024, in Lusaka, Zambia. Official launch event of the Agdive 2024 program. Agdrive is an acceleration and investment platform focused on unlocking innovation and investment in Africa’s agro-processing, agritech, and digital agriculture sector. AgDrive is a 12 month innovation and investing ecosystem focused on innovative early stage and growth oriented early stage and growth oriented small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the agro processing, agritech, and digital sectors.
FAO, Biovision, the Food Policy forum for Change and the Agroecology Coalition
learnings from Eastern and Southern Africa summarised in the outcome brief “National Agroecology Strategies in Eastern and Southern Africa: Lighthouses for food system transformation” which was launched during the event
These webinars were the second of the series on how the innovations processes promoted by DeSIRA projects and their organizations, can or should be brough to scale. It targets projects that are coming to an end as well as those that need to start building their exit strategy as part of their theory of change.
For the first time, all key players in agrofood research and innovation from the public and private sector in North Africa erre gathered to exchange experience and design potential joint programs to address the challenges of the region .
North Africa DCAS hybrid training event is co-hosted by GCA, IFAD, AFDB, with the participation of WB and ISDB
The European Commission’s annual flagship research and innovation event brought together policymakers, researchers, stakeholders, and the public to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond through key policy debates, funding and networking opportunities, and dedicated workshops.
Building on the momentum from the UN Food System Summit and recognizing that the 2030 target year of the Sustainable Development Goals is on the horizon, this 5th Global Food Security Conference will bring together science, business and policy to address this need.
11/04 Knowledge centre for global food and nutrition security and sustainable food systems - building a common understanding, supporting better policymakingThe European Commission Knowledge Centre for Global Food and Nutrition Security (KC-FNS) is a one-stop source of curated information on food and nutrition security, and sustainable food systems. It focuses on developing countries. The KC-FNS screens, selects, organises and synthetizes the most recent available knowledge. It contributes to build a common understanding on these challenges, and ultimately to better policymaking. The KC-FNS is organised in nine main topics: SFS, Agroecology, Food Security & Food Crises, Nutrition, Covid-19, Climate Extremes, R&I, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Mycotoxins. Each topic proposes a scientific brief, a selection of news, publications, online resources, and explains major EU and international actions and initiatives.
Worldcafé W1: Food Safety and food security - Moderators: Spencer Hanson and Lise Korsten Food safety is a core driver of food security, but how does it link to other pressures acting across the food system? This world café discusses food safety within the broader ‘one food’ concept, where One Health principles are applied to food systems to understand the human health, animal/plant health and environment health issues associated with food.
Worldcafé W2: The future of urban food systems- Moderators: Ramya Ambikapathi and Lisa Marie Hemerijckx This Worldcafe will discuss major urban challenges affecting social, economic and physical food accessibility, including the role of urban governance in the food system and beyond.
Worldcafé W3: Science as an alibi - Moderators: Koen Deconinck and John Ingram As the world is mobilising to transform food systems, we need to reconcile the need for evidence-based decisions with a robust democratic process. This café invites conference participants to share experiences on how science can be used, or abused, in food systems policy.
Worldcafé W4: When is small farm size a binding constraint to increasing agricultural productivity?- Moderator: Romina Cavatassi (IFAD, Rome) and Ken Giller (Wageningen University & Research) Recent analyses provide a rather shocking picture of declining farm size in many of the most densely-populated regions of Africa, resulting in median farm sizes less than 1 ha. Why is small farm size a problem?
Worldcafé W5: Managing food demand with social innovations- Moderator: Matthew Kessler This café invites participants to share insights and success stories about social and policy innovations (as distinct from technical solutions) that effectively balance production, consumption and distribution.
Worldcafé W6: Global – local food systems - Moderators: Goedele Van den Broeck and Charlotte Janssens After decades of globalisation and increasing international agri-food trade, local food systems are nowadays often promoted as more resilient and sustainable. Food sovereignty and strategic autonomy are in the policy spotlight, after major disruptions in global food supply chains in recent years.
Worldcafé W7: Alternative “meats” barriers and opportunities - Matthew Kessler and Julian Baggini - Cultivated meat is increasingly being presented as the inevitable future of animal proteins.
Worldcafé W8: Divided we fall: Has the food systems debate become too polarized? Moderators: Gerard Govers and Julian Baggini We face a situation in which many key actors do not even talk to each other. There is no greater symbol than this than the UK in January every year where the Oxford Farming Conference (representing the mainstream) and the Oxford Real Farming Conference (representing alternatives) meet in parallel, in the same city, but without any dialogue.
Worldcafé W9: Governance and institutional structures - Moderator: Saher Hasnain This world cafe will focus on developing a deeper understanding of the institutional structures that underpin the governance of food systems and the mechanisms required for resilient, sustainable, healthy, equitable, and future-proof transformation pathways.
