Over four days, the Forum will feature plenary dialogues, deep-dive thematic sessions, hackathons, innovation pitches, exhibitions, and interactive breakout events to connect frontier knowledge with real-world action.
HEM Lesego Chombo Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs of Botswana, talked about Africa's food heritage and how the Government of Botswana is supporting a youth program to give financial support to young entrepreneurs in revitalizing so called forgotten foods - during the Global Youth Forum Opening Ceremony See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgSbCr1Ua28 1:46:06Extracts of the programme
14/10 Opening Session
The Opening Session featured a dynamic blend of high-level keynote speeches and TED-style talks from global leaders and interactive panel discussions exploring plausible STI futures. This format aims to inspire participants, set the stage for collaboration, and provide a clear vision for leveraging science and innovation to transform agrifood systems. The session will be enriched by opportunities for audience interaction, fostering a shared understanding of key challenges and pathways for progress.
Keynotes
- Beth S. Crawford - Chief Scientist
- Mariangela Hungria - Mariangela Hungria is a Brazilian agronomist and microbiologist noted for pioneering work on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and the use of beneficial microorganisms in tropical crops.
- Rokiatou Traoré - a Malian entrepreneur dedicated to combating desertification, climate change , and food insecurity. She is the founder of Herou Alliance, a social enterprise that empowers women and youth through a sustainable agroforestry value chain in Mali. Her vision is to plant 10 million high-value trees and create a network of millions of women producers by 2030, driving both economic opportunity and environmental restoration. Recognized globally, she is a UNCCD Land Hero, ICESCO Peace Ambassador, World Economic Forum ecopreneur. Rokiatou also serves as a UNFCCC climate negotiator with the African Group of Negotiators, amplifying African voices in climate action.
- Sjoukje Heimovaara - Since July 2022 President of the Executive Board of Wageningen University & Research.
- Philippe Mauguin - President and CEO of INRAE, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment.
Panel
- Emmanuelle Soubeyran - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine specialised in animal health, veterinary public health, crisis management, and One Health, with extensive experience in addressing animal health issues at both national and international levels.
- Bram Govaerts - Director General of CIMMYT
- Anna Koivuniemi - Since 2023, Anna Koivuniemi leads the Google DeepMind Impact Accelerator, an organization that accelerates the social impact of Google DeepMind's technologies.
- Tinotenda A. Mhiko - Chief Executive Officer of the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) in Zimbabwe and the 2024 African Food Prize Laureate.
15/10 From silos to cooperation: shifting Science Technology & Innovation paradigms for sustainability transitions
A FAO & CIRAD report identifies crucial Research and Innovation Paradigm Shifts (RIPS) like biomimicry and technology convergence, but highlights a critical gap: highly impactful, collaborative approaches such as open innovation and citizen science are less likely to emerge without deliberate action.
- Dorn Cox - Dr. Dorn Cox is farmer, researcher, founder and director of OpenTEAM (Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management). Dorn is also a co-founder of the FarmOS software platform, the GOAT (Gathering for Open Ag Tech) and Farm Hack community, and is active in the soil health movement.
- Rainer Kattel - Rainer Kattel is Professor and Deputy Director at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. He publishes widely on innovation policy, governance, and management, with research spanning public sector capabilities, digital transformation, and urban governance.
- Stéphanie Leyronas - Stéphanie Leyronas joined AFD in 2000. For nine years, she was responsible for appraising and monitoring water and sanitation programs financed in a number of countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and was subsequently appointed Deputy Director of AFD’s Water and Sanitation Division in 2010.
- Julia Ninahuamán - Julia Ninahuamán is a community leader and president of the Pachacámac Network of Community Kitchens (REDOPA) that supports more than 1,800 vulnerable families. Born in Cusco and living in Manchay, Lima, she founded the Villa Jesús community kitchen during the pandemic.
- Peter Taylor - Peter Taylor is Professorial Fellow and Director of the Institute of Development Studies, UK. Previously he was Director, Strategic Development at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, and led the Think Tank Initiative.
- Vijay Kumar Thallam - Vijay Kumar Thallam is Executive Vice Chairman of the Indian non-profit Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) and an Advisor on Agriculture to the Government of Andhra Pradesh. In his 42 years of Government Service, he has spent more than 30 years in leading large scale community mobilization and promotion of livelihoods of rural women, tribal communities and farmers. Since 2015, he has been leading the climate resilient, A.P Community managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme. The APCNF programme had in 2025 enrolled 1.2 million farmers in the State to transit to natural farming. He was the Vice Chair (Productions) of the Champions Network for the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021. The APCNF Programme was a joint winner of the Euros 1 million, Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, 2024.
Below extract of the presentation of Vijay Kumar Thallam has some technical hick-ups
15/10 Scaling Together: FAO’s Evolving Role in Innovation for Impact
This session explores the evolution of FAO’s approach to scaling innovation, from early field-level practices to a strategic, systems-based framework. Through the presentation of the Scaling Approach Paper, the session will highlight FAO’s catalytic role in enabling scale. It will conclude with a forward-looking discussion on the Scaling Coalition and how FAO and its partners can work hand in hand to scale innovation for greater impact.
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