Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Science and Innovation Forum 2024

16 - 18 October 2024
. The third edition of the Science and Innovation Forum (SIF 2024) of FAO -  theme Inclusive Science and Innovation for Agrifood Systems Transformation, Leaving No One Behind, under the umbrella of the World Food Forum (WFF), together with the Global Youth Forum and the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum. This year’s theme is aligned with the WFF 2024 overall theme of Good Food for All for Today and Tomorrow.

This year’s notable participants include Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and two Nobel Laureates - Michael Kremer (Economics) and Carlos Nobre (Peace).

The forum’s technical sessions were organized around three critical themes: 
  1. Biotechnologies: Exploring the latest advancements and applications in biotechnology to enhance agricultural productivity, resilience, and sustainability.
  2. Community-Driven Innovations: Highlighting grassroots innovations and community-led initiatives that drive transformation of local and regional agrifood systems.
  3. Digital Agriculture: Examining the role of digital technologies, such as precision farming, Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence, in revolutionizing agricultural practices and improving supply chain efficiencies.
    * see event: 15/10 Harnessing data and innovation for Africa’s agrifood transformation
Below video was embedded to start with the presentation of Nobel Laureate - Michael Kremer (Economics) 

Reports launched


The opening day of SIF 2024 witnessed the launch of two reports: 


FAO’s Office of Innovation is working with CIRAD and other partners on an FAO Chief Scientist initiative on foresight on pre-emerging and emerging agrifood technologies and innovations, aligned with UN 2.0 and The Future of Food and Agriculture 2022: engaging all key actors of agrifood innovation systems in the foresight on pre-emerging and emerging technologies and innovations (PETIAS) to better prepare for alternative futures, feeding it into anticipatory action, and convening the global community for constructive multilateral dialogue and knowledge exchange. 
  • The aim is to support policymakers, investors and innovation actors in their approaches and decision making.
  • The study assesses a selection of technologies and innovations, which potentially could be of paramount importance in addressing agrifood challenges until 2050, as well as the most important trends and drivers that will influence the emergence of agrifood PETIAS and their triggers of change, including some regional aspects and stakeholders' perspectives. 
  • The goal is also to build plausible future scenarios for the evolvement of the PETIAS and innovation process governance in the future with the time horizon of 2050 to inform future-oriented policymaking.
  • The report is built with inputs from a multistakeholder Delphi survey, online and in presence workshops with experts and stakeholders, the FAO FSN Forum, as well as regional foresight exercises (Latin America and Central Asia and Caucasus).

17/10 programme


Inclusive AI to drive agrifood systems transformation 

Green Room / UNWebTV | Zoom Event

In this session a FAO staff member made a comparison between ChatGPT, chat.Mistral.ai and Gemeni.

Below video starts automatically @ 38:06. It includes an easy trick to import the transcribed text of the  conversation of the panel (as TXT document) to make a summary based on a prompt



Highlight:

Launch of 3rd round of Accelerator Mentorship Programme for Women-led SMEs in Africa


The event launched the third round of jointly-led FAO-IAFN initiative: Accelerator Mentorship Programme for Women-led SMEs in Africa. The initiative fosters 50 female entrepreneurs (mentees) across Africa, offering them mentorship from panel of experienced women entrepreneurs in the agrifood sector from around the globe. It contributes to more productive, sustainable and innovative agrifood systems by addressing social, economic, environmental and gender considerations.
  • Maurizio Martina Deputy Director-General, FAO 
  • Abebe Haile-Gabriel Assistant Director-General, FAO 
  • Carlos Watson Chief, Private Sector, FAO 
  • Caroline Wanjiru Mambo Chief Executive Officer, Wedgehut Foods Limited, Kenya
  • Elizabeth Kabakoyo Founder Glowish Agro Solutions, Uganda

    Glowish Agro Solutions is a social enterprise that increase agricultural productivity through theproduction of Eco organic fertilizer from agricultural waste that have improved agricultural productivity to small scale farmers in Uganda. We collect agricultural waste, cassava remains, and also banana peelings from community/farms to a production unit where it is turned into liquid biofertilizer. Our enterprise lies in the creation of regenerative solution, committed to fostering agricultural sustainability through innovation and social impact. Our journey began with an aim of providing 100% organic fertilizer, creating a regenerative solution that not only benefits the environment but also transforms the rural communities.

  • Robynne Anderson Secretary General, IAFN International Agro Food Network
    "Although we only trained 500 women, at the end we benefit 500,000 people)
  • Zainab Lawal Gwadabe Chief Executive Officer The Seed Project Co Ltd

This session discussed how rural communities can be engaged as leaders of innovation agendas and co-developers of solutions and empowered to engage the other stakeholders necessary to operationalize and scale their solutions for more sustainable agrifood systems.
  • Gabriela Quiroga Director of Strategic Partnerships, AgriCord, Belgium 
  • Eric von Hippel Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 
  • Gina Lucarelli Team leader, Accelerator Lab Network, UNDP 

    See PAEPARD blogpost Timbuctoo : Linking agricultural innovation to start-up accelerators

  • Astou Camara Director, BAME/ISRA, Senegal

    Santés & Territoires : La santé comme levier de développement dans le cadre de la transition agroécologique, living labs (Sénégal, Bénin, Laos et Cambodge.)
    Co-financé par l’AFD et l’Union Européenne (programme DeSIRA) et doté d’un budget de 6 millions d’euros (2021 - 2026)

  • Boniface Gomes Bangladesh Association for Sustainable Development (BASD) 
  • Gissela Davila Cobo Director general, CIESPAL - Centro Internacional de Estudios Superiores de Comunicación para América Latina, Ecuador
  • Isaac Muhofa Senior Venture Builder ROOTICAL, Uganda

    Example Garden Fresh: Annet Dianah Nannono: Garden Fresh develops natural solutions to extend shelf life in fruits and vegetables, in order to replace the use of harmful agrochemicals. Garden Fresh provides a solution to prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by developing natural alternatives that prevent rotting and slow the ripening process.

  • Nzwaki Adonisi Moderator Impact Network Coordinator & Innovative Finance Specialist, WAI - Women in Africa Investments Group South Africa

    WAI (2024) WAI Group Impact Report - Women in African Investments # 51 pages

    Women in African Investments Group (WAI Group),
    founded in 2017 by Elizabeth Howard, is a network of over 250 senior female investment professionals and ecosystem builders who are shaping the investment industry in Africa. - 
    backing investment models that are designed by and for women in Africa. 

  • Srinivas Mangipudi Artist Director Arts & Applications, Socratus Collective Wisdom Corporation 
  • Aurelie Toillier Moderator for interactive part Scientist in Agricultural Innovation Systems, OIN, FAO


Two innovation stories and their pathways to scale were illustrated
  • Hlami Ngwenya Moderator GFRAS
  • Adesuwa Ifedi Senior Vice President of Heifer Africa 
  • Iddo Dror Programme Leader Impact at Scale Team, CGIAR 
  • Isabel Guerrero Director, IMAGO Global Grassroots 
  • Ivan Stefanic Programme Manager for food chain technologies, novel & sustainable food, EISMEA 
  • Juan Moreno Director, Procasur Megha Desai Senior Coordinator, Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) Mohamed Manssouri Director of Investment Center, FAO 
  • Paul Harrison Director, Office of Agricultural Policy, Bureau of economic and business affairs, US Department of State

14 - 18 October Exhibition


SIF 2024 EXHIBITION Inclusive Science and Innovation for Agrifood Systems Transformation, Leaving No One Behind FAO Atrium | Zoom Event

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