Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture

Abu Dhabi, 3-5 February 2014

 

This was the first of a planned series of meetings around new innovations in agriculture and the role they may play in meeting agricultural needs. Directly supported by the Government of Abu Dhabi, hosted by the City of Abu Dhabi and in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture was launched in February 2014.  With the support of over 20 Foundation Partners, the inaugural GFIA hosted over 3,200 participants, to show how game-changing technologies can feed the world.

 

GFIA is a major international exhibition, trade fair and conference, focused on how technology is employed to produce more food, sustainably, whilst using fewer resources. The event also brought together those involved in the fight to rid the world of poverty and malnutrition through the advancement of agriculture in developing countries, in particular in the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa regions.

 

Presentations included plenary discussions of the role played by agricultural science in meeting future food needs, including a presentation by CGIAR CEO Frank Rijsberman on the work of the CGIAR on technologies for hot dry ecosystems, such as redesigning the ‘architecture’ of rice and wheat from C3 to C4 photosynthetic pathways to obtain more efficient photosynthesis, the use of ‘fertilizer trees’ and reduction in aflatoxins by use of biocontrol agents.

 

‘Upstream’ research was also presented in regard to meeting growing demands for meat. Mark Post at the University of Maastricht is exploring the development of beef tissues from stem cells, as a radical and less resource-demanding alternative to what is regarded as unsustainable growth in the livestock industry. This report was followed by related work on 3D printing of tissues from such materials. The presenters consider that as such production scales up and as livestock production costs rise, it will become cost-competitive with livestock beef production.  An interesting contrast was provided by the talk by Allan Savory on use of a grazing approach, mimicking wildlife behavior, to reverse desertification. Such presentations raised many challenging new ethical questions about the price societies are prepared to pay for their increasing demand and consumption of animal protein, whether in environmental degradation or in acceptance of new food sources and new approaches to address these challenges.

 

Bill Gates, by video, also addressed the implications of economic growth and changing expectations, as well as the challenge of addressing the poorest sectors of society – and, as most of the world’s poor are involved in farming, the need to invest in agriculture. He highlighted the implications of the digital revolution on agricultural systems and the need for another agricultural revolution to sustainably meet future needs.

 

Other plenary discussions covered the themes of increasing agricultural investments and the e-agriculture revolution, both of which are themes of major importance for GFAR stakeholders. The meeting also entailed many opportunities for networking and exchange among the many participants, around exhibition booths, side events and roundtable discussions. The latter elements were, however, of somewhat mixed success in a very full agenda. 

In the concluding sessions, GFAR Executive Secretary Mark Holderness moderated plenary discussion of the role of non-governmental organizations in channeling investment and driving the uptake of innovations. Speakers from Cargill, FARA, Concern International, Acumen Pakistan, Climate Change Capital and the One Acre Fund in Kenya debated what was required of public-private partnerships in agricultural investment, to ensure that they achieved their anticipated returns on the investments made and for them to reach and benefit the poor.  This dynamic discussion showed the linkages to be had between initiatives and actions that, at first sight, may appear to come from very different positions.

 

Opportunities explored included: integrating research in development processes; the innovation platforms pioneered by FARA through the Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme; the use of digital technologies to reach small farmers with advice; measures to increase fertilizer access and availability; measures to attract private capital, such as nucleus farm schemes based around large private capital infrastructure investments;  and measures to particularly strengthen the role of women and benefits and returns to rural women. The Panel concluded that there were very many opportunities for positive links between development NGOs and private investments, but that these required clear agreement on shared objectives from the outset and that the need was not just for technologies, but also an appropriate enabling environment for these to reach the poor.

 

Following the event, direct discussions with the Conference organizers have explored possible future links between GFAR and GFIA. These include in particular i) using the GFIA event as a means of reaching large numbers of private sector and innovation participants as a contribution to the dialogue processes of GCARD3 and ii) linkage to secure further investment in the proposed IFAD-GFAR-FAO international Facility for agricultural innovation and its capacity development processes. GFAR has been invited to become a founding partner in the GFIA process.