CONFERENCE THEME AND SUB-THEMES

Conference theme

Agricultural development can be slow and uneven, often not reaching the people who are most vulnerable and in pockets of deep, entrenched poverty. It is further hindered by climate change, which disproportionally affects agriculture and threatens the achievement of SDG targets on food security and poverty. In order to achieve food security, increase productivity, alleviate poverty among rural communities, build resilience to climate change and other stresses, and reduce agricultural emissions, a complete transformation in agriculture is needed over the next decade, going beyond business as usual and piecemeal short-term projects.

The overarching theme of the 5th conference, ‘Transforming food systems under a changing climate’, takes cognizance of the need for transformation and aims to build the knowledge base needed to support the transformation required.

Conference sub-themes

The conference will focus on 6 interlinked sub-themes, which are the key elements of agricultural transformation :

1

Empowering farmer and consumer organizations, women and youth

Collective actions by farmers and consumers are key to driving transformational change in food systems. At the same time, actions are needed to create conducive enabling environments that encourage producers, business owners, researchers, investors and policy makers to innovate in ways that promote gender equality and opportunities for youth. This sub-theme focuses on lesson learning from actions that build capacity and empower farmers, consumers, women and youth and their networks as part of the efforts to drive demand-driven solutions.

2

Digitally enabled climate-informed services

Agriculture is behind many sectors in the application of information and communication tools. This sub-theme focuses on addressing this gap, and generating lessons for application of digital tools, disruptive technologies and big data, in extension, early response systems and adaptive safety nets.

3

Climate-resilient and low-emission practices and technologies

Technologies and practices which enhance resilience and enable farmers to take low emissions development pathways are crucial, and the focus of this sub-theme is to identify emerging innovations and lessons from their application, including innovative ideas for scaling up technologies and practices.

4

Innovative finance to leverage public and private sector investments

This sub-theme focuses on mobilizing the finance needed to drive a food systems transformation, identifying financial mechanisms to de-risk private capital (for example, blended finance), including incentives for technology uptake.

5

Reshaping supply chains, food retail, marketing and procurement

This sub-theme takes cognizance of the need for system-wide actions to drive transformation, and focuses on reshaping supply chains from farm to fork, including new models of business-to-business coordination, new diets and consumer choices and efforts to manage food loss and waste.

6

Fostering enabling policies and institutions

This sub-theme recognizes the central and complementary role that enabling policies and institutions play to support transformation. The focus will include innovative approaches to policy design and implementation, land governance and reforms, and trade rules, among others.

1. Empowering farmer and consumer organizations, women and youth

Collective actions by farmers and consumers are key to driving transformational change in food systems. At the same time, actions are needed to create conducive enabling environments that encourage producers, business owners, researchers, investors and policy makers to innovate in ways that promote gender equality and opportunities for youth. This sub-theme focuses on lesson learning from actions that build capacity and empower farmers, consumers, women and youth and their networks as part of the efforts to drive demand-driven solutions.

2. Digitally enabled climate-informed services

Agriculture is behind many sectors in the application of information and communication tools. This sub-theme focuses on addressing this gap, and generating lessons for application of digital tools, disruptive technologies and big data, in extension, early response systems and adaptive safety nets.

3. Climate-resilient and low-emission practices and technologies

Technologies and practices which enhance resilience and enable farmers to take low emissions development pathways are crucial, and the focus of this sub-theme is to identify emerging innovations and lessons from their application, including innovative ideas for scaling up technologies and practices.

4. Innovative finance to leverage public and private sector investments

This sub-theme focuses on mobilizing the finance needed to drive a food systems transformation, identifying financial mechanisms to de-risk private capital (for example, blended finance), including incentives for technology uptake.

5. Reshaping supply chains, food retail, marketing and procurement

This sub-theme takes cognizance of the need for system-wide actions to drive transformation, and focuses on reshaping supply chains from farm to fork, including new models of business-to-business coordination, new diets and consumer choices and efforts to manage food loss and waste.

6. Fostering enabling policies and institutions

This sub-theme recognizes the central and complementary role that enabling policies and institutions play to support transformation. The focus will include innovative approaches to policy design and implementation, land governance and reforms, and trade rules, among others.

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