Forum for the Future of Agriculture

14 April 2026. Brussels. Forum for the Future of Agriculture (ForumforAg) Annual Conference

The 2026 Forum for the Future of Agriculture (ForumforAg) Annual Conference consisted of live broadcasts, moderated panel discussions and dialogues, interactive interventions, networking opportunities and exhibitions, live in Brussels and online.

Extracts of the programme

Session 2: How can we finance and accelerate the transition on the ground?

• Kurt Vandenberghe, Director-General, DG CLIMA, European Commission
• Panel session
• Michael Brückner, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, Munich Re Investment Partners GmbH
• Harvey Locke, President, Harvey Locke Conservation Inc; Vice Chair for Nature Positive, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas
• Lauren M. Phillips, Director of Partnerships and UN Collaboration, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Martin Stuchtey, Founder, The Landbanking Group
• Kurt Vandenberghe, Director-General, DG CLIMA, European Commission
• Moderator: Rose O’Donovan, Chief Editor AGRAFACTS

Session 4: How will AI redefine what’s possible for a profitable, climate-smart, nature-positive agri-food system?

• Jessica Agnew, Director of the GAP Initiative and Managing Editor of the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Report, Virginia Tech
• Martin Clough, Head Digital, Collaboration & Sustainability, Crop Protection Research, Syngenta
• Justin Rose, President, Worldwide Agriculture & Turf, Small Agriculture and Turf Care, Europe, Africa, and Asia, Deere & Company
• Ethan Soloviev, Chief Innovation Officer at HowGood
• Moderator: Stephen Sackur, International Broadcast Journalist

15 April. ATIO at the 2026 Forum for the Future of Agriculture

The Agrifood Systems Technologies and Innovations Outlook (ATIO) initiative of FAO provides a global perspective on the technologies and innovations shaping agrifood systems. ATIO is a partnership-driven, evidence-based initiative that connects the end-to-end science, technology and innovation (STI) lifecycle. Backed by science, driven by evidence and powered by partnerships, the initiative brings together knowledge across research, policy and practice to support more coherent innovation pathways.

Through its flagship report series and the development of the ATIO Knowledge Base, the initiative synthesizes global evidence on emerging technological and innovation trends, maps evolving agrifood innovation ecosystems and examines the enabling environments required to support their adoption and scaling. By informing strategic decisions on investment and policy, ATIO strengthen the science–policy and society interface through its federated Knowledge Base on global innovations.

Bresciani F., Chuluunbaatar, D., Aji, A., Pesce V. 2025. Agrifood Systems Technologies and Innovations Outlook (ATIO). Use cases analysis for the ATIO Knowledge Base: personas, content needs and search journeys Rome, FAO. 28 p.

A multi-stakeholder dialogue explored how the ATIO Knowledge Base can be leveraged to improve access to technologies and innovations can be made more accessible, relevant and applicable to small-scale producers, agrifood actors and grassroots innovators. The discussion will examine how ATIO contributes to the translation of global knowledge into local impact, with a focus on levelling the playing field between formal and grassroots innovation actors and strengthening pathways for collaboration.

• Barron Joseph Orr – Chief Scientist, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
• Katie McRobert – President, Australian Farm Institute
• Leonard Mizzi – Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA)
• Megha Desai – Sr. Coordinator, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)
• Saskia Visser – Strategic Partnerships & Opportunity Development Lead, CLIMATE-KIC
• Tiina Huvio – Executive Director, Food and Forest Development Finland
• Estefania Puricelli – Secretary, International Agri-food Network Secretary
• Taru Haapaniemi – Member of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, European Commission