WEBINAR: FAO-Italy: Promoting collaborative agricultural research for sustainable agri-food systems

9 June 2020. FAO Webinar. “Promoting collaborative agricultural research for sustainable agri-food systems for achieving Agenda 2030”.

FAO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in July 2018 with the Italian Research Institutions: the National Research Council (CNR); the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA); the National Agency for New Technologies, Renewable Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA); and the Italian Institute for Environmental Research and Protection (ISPRA). 

The overarching objective of the cooperation between FAO and CNR, CREA, ENEA and ISPRA is the promotion of sustainability at large in the context of joint efforts for achieving the Agenda 2030. This cooperation also promoted the secondment of staff and researchers from the developing countries to work with Italian Research Institutes.

As part of the joint work plan, there were number of joint activities successfully completed, including the research work of the visiting scientists to ENEA from Burkina Faso, Republic of the Congo and Cameroon. To promote communication initiatives aimed at enhancing the impact and visibility of the activities undertaken in the context of this MoU, FAO’s Research and Extension Unit (AGDR) and ENEA organized a webinar on “Promoting collaborative agricultural research for sustainable agri-food systems for achieving Agenda 2030”.

• Video recording forthcoming
• Link to the program

This webinar focused on the results of the research work carried out by the visiting scientists from Africa to ENEA in the field of microbiome application for sustainable agri-food systems. The webinar will be an opportunity for all partners of the MoU to briefly share their reflections and programmes and to promote interactive discussion on the topics of presentations. 

Speakers:

• Ambassador Vincenza Lomonaco Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN Organizations in Rome
• Selvaraju Ramasamy is Head of the Research and Extension Unit of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He leads FAO’s efforts in Agricultural Research and Extension and activities on strengthening of Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS); improving the agricultural extension and advisory services (EAS), knowledge sharing and out-reach of innovative agricultural technologies and practices. His work also focuses on strengthening partnership with International Research and Forums of Extension and Advisory Services
• Massimo Iannetta is Research Director at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Renewable Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA). Since 2015, he is Head of the "Biotechnology and Agro-industry" Division. From 2010 to 2015, Head of the Technical Unit "Sustainable Development and Innovation of the Agro-Industrial System". The ENEA Initiatives in supporting the Sustainable Agri-food systems: ENEA–TWAS Research Training Fellowships Programme 2018-2020 
• Wêndé-M'Minèré Léon Nitiema, Biochemist-Microbiologist and PhD in BiochemistryMicrobiology-Biotechnology, is a researcher at the Plant Virology and Biotechnology Laboratory of the Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA), in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Antifungal activity of local plants extracts against seed-borne fungi in Burkina Faso 
  Related: The Standards and trade Development Faclity (STDF) of the World trade Organisation (WTO) is funding the research project in Burkina Faso – Addressing aflatoxin challenges in maize for export and domestic markets.  
  REDUCTION OF AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN MAIZE IN BURKINA FASO
• Lydie-Stella Koutika is a Soil Scientist (CRDPI), Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo. She obtained an engineer degree in agronomy (Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy) and a PhD in soil science (Université Nancy I, currently Université de Lorraine, France). Soil organic matter, C and P dynamics in the mixed-species plantations of Acacia and Eucalypts in the Congolese coastal plains 
• Alex Dimitri Tchuenchieu Kamgain Cameroon, Center for Food and Nutrition Research of the Institute of Meidcal rtesearch and Medicinal Plans Studies of Cameroon. Optimization of the antimicrobial efficiency of low thermal treatment of fruit juices in combination with natural aroma compounds. 
• Annamaria Bevivino is the Head of the ENEA Laboratory for AgriFood Sustainability, Quality and Safety, Biotechnologies and Agriculture Division, Department for Sustainability, and Professor of AgroFood Microbiology, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome.Microbiome application for sustainable food system: from field to food quality and safety.
  See:  SIMBA (Sustainable Innovation of Microbiome Applications in Food System) is a European innovation project, funded through Horizon 2020, which provides a holistic and innovative approach to the development of microbial solutions to increase food and nutrition security, in particular focusing on the identification of viable land and aquatic microbiomes that can assist in the sustainability of European agro- and aquaculture.

Contributions 

• Antonio Moretti National Research Council (CNR), Italy - The economic impact of aflatoxins in Africa.
• Lorenzo Ciccarese Italian Institute for Environmental Research and Protection (ISPRA), Italy 
• Raffaella Zucaro Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Italy