The African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), considered to be the world’s most important forum for African agriculture, draws stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to move African agriculture forward.
This year’s Forum will focus on digital agriculture innovations, leveraging digital transformation to drive sustainable food systems in Africa. CGIAR will showcase the work of its Research Centers in the realm of five global challenges: sustaining food availability, living within planetary boundaries, promoting equality of opportunity, creating jobs and growth and securing public health.
Crops to End Hunger
At AGRF, CGIAR will unveil an important initiative that will change the future of food security with the potential for a big impact in Africa – making AGRF the perfect stage for the introduction of the Crops to End Hunger initiative.
Crops to End Hunger (CtEH) is a CGIAR initiative to accelerate the development, delivery and wide-scale use of a steady stream of new crop varieties that meet the food, nutrition and income needs of both producers and consumers, respond to market demands and provide resilience to pests, diseases and new environmental challenges arising from climate change.
CtEH features demand-driven crop improvement that is focused on “product profiles”. Using market research, crop breeders benefit from greater awareness of the characteristics and traits of new varieties preferred by farmers, consumers and others along the value chain.
Delivery of varieties is through partnerships and linkages to seed systems in-country, in which national regulatory agencies take responsibility for the registration of new varieties. Various public agencies, community organizations and private seed companies undertake the multiplication, distribution, promotion and sale of varieties to farmers.
Modernization of the breeding programs is being led by CGIAR’s Excellence in Breeding Platform (EiB).
Prioritization of crops by specific geographies based on projected impacts on poverty reduction and nutrition, for example “cowpea in West Africa,” is an integral dimension of the modernization effort. To be effective each crop breeding program will need to establish critical mass for product development and rigorous metrics for success: means to regularly measure genetic gains and the rate of varietal turnover in farmers’ fields will be required.
Key Events and Activities
Tuesday 3 September
Side Event: CGIAR’s “Crops to End Hunger” Announcement at AGRF
13:30-15:20, Meeting Room 1
Invitation Only
CGIAR will present this important initiative that will change the future of food security with the potential for a major impact in Africa – making AGRF the perfect stage for the introduction of the CtEH initiative to a larger audience.
Wednesday 4 September
Presidential Summit: Advancing the Continental Agenda, partners committments
14:30-17:30, Auditorium
Elwyn Grainger-Jones, Executive Director, CGIAR System Organization
CGIAR has a vital role to play with partners to transform agri-food and land systems in the face of the climate emergency, to empower and benefit low-income producers and consumers who are most at risk.
