Financial Flows in the Agrifood Sector in the Global South

5 - 8 December 2022. CGIAR Economist Roundtable Event - Financial Flows in the Agrifood Sector in the Global South 

This CGIAR event included a panel hosted by The Economist on ‘Financial Flows in the Agrifood Sector in the Global South.’  The consultative roundtable was moderated by a senior researcher from The Economist with the aim of exploring how to scale up innovations in agrifood systems and understanding the drivers of the financial flows in the sector.  

Recent investments in agricultural R&D have dropped by 10% since 2012, yet the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that the current global food crisis is the largest in modern history, with as many as 828 million people going to bed hungry every night. The latest IPCC report estimates that climate change is expected to put 183 million additional people at risk of hunger by 2050; and at the same time, the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2022 confirms that the global food security environment continues to deteriorate in recent years.  

• Welcome by Ms. Lotte Pang, CGIAR Managing Director, Communications and Outreach
• Framing Remarks by Dr. Marco Ferroni, Chair, CGIAR System Board
• Keynote speech by Mr. Josphat Gathiru Muhunyu, Agriculture Secretary, State Department for Crop Development & Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries & Cooperative, Nairobi, Kenya
• Presentation of updates from the High-level Advisory Panel – by Dr. Namanga Ngongi
• Spotlight conversations  moderated by Ms. Temina Lalani-Shariff, CGIAR Regional Director, South Asia

Climate adaptation and mitigation innovations 

Dr. Aditi Mukherji, CGIAR Director, Climate Change Impact Area Platform
Dr. Roberto Lenton, Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska

Perspective on Nutrition Innovations 

• Dr. Shakuntala Thilsted, Global Lead, Nutrition and Public Health, WorldFish
• Dr. Nomindelger Bayasgalanbat, Senior Technical Specialist, Social Inclusion – Nutrition, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Regional Office for East and Southern Africa

Approaches – Abidjan II Agreement – Action Plan 

The session covered three issue areas. The first two spotlight sessions outlined technologies that have been developed or are in the pipeline to tackle key challenges, and what is needed to get these technologies to smallholder farmers. The discussion covered how to roll out tools to smallholder farmers, focusing developing the whole food systems (rather than parallel approaches), South-South cooperation, and inclusion – specifically strengthening the voice of women in research and facilitating women to acquire assets.

• Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
• Dr. Harold Roy-Macauley, CGIAR Managing Director, Regions and Partnerships, and Director General, AfricaRice

Pre-recorded speech – Dr. Juergen Voegele, Chair, CGIAR System Council and Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank

Scaling innovations in agri-food systems 

The moderated discussion with the Economist outlined emerging data and evidence on financial flows into agriculture, and the importance of scaling financial flows, what can be achieved through additional finance and what is at stake without it. The session provides an opportunity to outline a clear and compelling call to action: additional investment is urgently required.

• Dr. Claudia Sadoff, CGIAR Executive Managing Director
• Dr. Johan Swinnen, CGIAR Managing Director, Systems Transformation, and Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
• Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, Chairman and Chief Executive, FAYODE
• Dr. Nompumelelo Obokoh, CEO, South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) and Vice Chair, CGIAR Independent Science for Development Council
• Prof. Ramesh Chand, Union Minister of State, NITI Aayog

Partners presentations and acknowledgments