Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2017

19-21 January 2017. Berlin. The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is an international conference that focuses on central questions concerning the future of the global agri-food industry. It is held every year in January during the International Green Week (IGW).

The GFFA is organised by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in cooperation with GFFA Berlin e.V., the Senate of Berlin and Messe Berlin GmbH. The political highlight of the GFFA is the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference, which takes place in the Weltsaal of the Federal Foreign Office. With 65 ministers at the last summit, this is the world’s largest conference of agriculture ministers.

At numerous events the three-day forum offered representatives from the worlds of politics, business, science and civil society an opportunity to share ideas and agree on a different key topic of agricultural policy each year. 

Under the title “Agriculture and Water – Key to Feeding the World”, the forum discussed:

• what role agriculture, as a large user of water, can play worldwide in the sustainable stewardship of water as a valuable resource and in maintaining water quality, 
• how it can be ensured that agriculture has access to water, and hence can provide the global population with food, given the increasing competition over water usage and how agriculture can contribute its considerable potential regarding the use of water towards political processes at international level.

Extract of the programme:

• Innovative regional and national approaches to efficient water use in agriculture in Africa (Organiser: German-African Business Association; Co-Organiser German Agribusiness Alliance)
• Meeting the Twin Challenges: Food security and water management (Organiser: European Commission): Phil Hogan, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development will host this ministerial level debate. This panel focuses on an active engagement with all participants and the audience with the aim of identifying appropriate policy responses and best practice examples in view of tackling enormous global challenge of water and sustainable agriculture.

Related:

22 January 2017. Berlin Meeting of G20 agriculture ministers in Berlin.

By adopting the communiqué of the 9th Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference, the participating Ministers from 83 states and representatives of the European Commission and international organisations such as the FAO undertake to lobby for a sustainable stewardship of water.

This year, the Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference was held for the ninth time during the Global

Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) – the Berlin World Food Conference. The GFFA is the world's largest Agriculture Ministers' Summit. At the invitation of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture Ministers from across the globe discuss vital issues for the future of the global agri-food sector. The motto of this year's conference was "Agriculture and Water – Key to Feeding the World".

In their final communiqué, the Agriculture Ministers reaffirm their will to ensure a sustainable use of water resources, whilst identifying four central challenges: reducing the risks of water scarcity, curbing water pollution, managing surplus water and safeguarding adequate access of agriculture to water. 

By adopting the GFFA final communiqué, the Agriculture Ministers commit to pro-actively support the implementation of Agenda 2030 and call for communicating the GFFA at UN level as agriculture's contribution to a successful implementation of the Agenda 2030.