FoodFIRST conference “Team up with African Agripreneurs”

1 June, 2018. Utrecht, Netherlands. FoodFIRST conference “Team up with African Agripreneurs”

• Read the "Focus Document"
• Programme pre-event Thursday 31 May 2018 (invitation only)
• Programme conference Friday 1 June 2018
• Recommended Readings

The expansive growth of African cities poses serious food security problems. However - this event took another perspective on the same issue:

Mr. @KwesiAttaKrah from @IITA_CGIAR shares 

insights from their Youth Agripreneurs program 

during the Youth workshop #FoodFIRST #TeamUp2018

• The booming urban markets provide crucial business opportunities for those African farmers and agri-food entrepreneurs (agripreneurs) that are able to supply the urban consumers with fresh and healthy food, such as vegetables, fruit, poultry, dairy products and meat.
• The challenge, then, for Dutch Diamond actors - government, research institutions, business and civil society organisations - is to perceive and connect to this opportunity, establishing partnerships through which their multiple assets for reinforcing rural-urban linkages and improving the food chain can be deployed in the most effective way.

Extracts of the programme:

Josefa Sacko,  José Graziano da Silva,
HRM Viktoria de Bourbon de Parme
Photo credit: PAEPARD

photo credit: PAEPARD

Keynote speeches: 

• José Graziano da Silva, Director-General FAO
• Louise Fresco, President of the Executive Board WUR
• Josefa Sacko, AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture
• Gilbert Houngbo, President IFAD
• Reina Buijs, Deputy Director-General for International Cooperation at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1 Silent revolution – Organized farmers taking the lead
Farmers are no longer only cheap producers of commodities and a next generation cooperatives has shaken off the burden from the past and is in the lead of a transformation of rural areas. A “silent revolution” is taking place where entrepreneurial farmers and agri and food professionals are establishing competitive, market oriented cooperative companies, often under the radar of NGO’s or governments.

2 Private sector coalitions to feed African cities
The workshop discussed the added value of Dutch international companies and SMEs in feeding cities in Africa.The focus is on increasing investments of Dutch companies in Africa, realizing that collaboration with knowledge institutes, education, NGOs and governments is often beneficial.

3 Critical capital for African agri-food entrepreneurs
Starting point is research that was conducted in the last quarter of 2017 on how to facilitate investments in agri start-ups and early growth SMEs in Africa. Together with experts and participants explored and brainstorm about innovation and partnerships needed to take investing in the African agri-food sector to the next level.

4 Youth and agripreneurship
Africa’s rapid population growth of youth is increasingly becoming a key priority on the development agenda. In this session, the Food and Business Knowledge Platform, the Young Expert Programmes (YEP) and AgriProFocus focused on youth and agripreneurship and youths's contribution to agricultural transformation.

Sustainable food systems & agripreneurship--what role for the AU-EU Partnership and the Climate Funds? Panel Discussion facilitated by ECDPM:
Clarification of the debate and proposal of solutions by European and African stakeholders, around policy and investments for more sustainable food systems (SFS) and climate-smarter agriculture (CSA), through relevant policy processes in Europe, Africa, and the AU-EU and global levels in support of agripreneurship.

• Ann Tutwiler, Director General of Bioversity International
• Bruce Campbell, Director CCAFS: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
• Hans Hoogeveen, Dutch FAO Embassador 
• The Agricultural Counselor of the Dutch Embassy in Kenya