CGIAR @ AGRF 2021
African Green Revolution ForumSeptember 6–10, 2021
CGIAR has a long history of working with local partners in Africa to develop research and innovations to building farmers' resilience and nourishing vulnerable populations in the face climate change and other complex challenges
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Date
06.09.21 > 10.09.21
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Time
12:00 am > 12:00 am
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Location
Virtual
- Registration
The African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture forward.
This year’s AGRF Summit will explore the pathways and actions needed to accelerate this process and steer the continent towards food systems that:
- deliver sufficient and nutritious food
- do not impact the environment negatively
- create sustainable, dignified jobs, and shared prosperity for Africa.
At AGRF, CGIAR will highlight its contribution to science, research, innovation, and partnerships that are creating more sustainable and resilient food systems in a climate crisis across Africa and look to the future of CGIAR science on the continent through the 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy and Portfolio Prospectus.
Key events and activities
| Date and Time (EAT) | Event | Details |
| Monday, Sept. 6 11:15 am to 1 pm |
One CGIAR side event: Science & innovation for sustainable and resilient food systems in Africa | The session will discuss how research and innovation help small-scale producers become more resilient to climate shocks; explore opportunities for upscaling initiatives on climate-smart farming practices to increase production of nutritious food crops and animal products; promote scientific evidence, climate-smart solutions, and innovative finance; and highlight partnerships that support climate-resilient livelihoods.
Read the event summary: CGIAR Priority Interventions to Accelerate the Uptake of Research to Rebuild and Strengthen Africa’s Agriculture in the Face of Climate Change |
| Monday, Sept. 6, 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm | One-Health Approach for Building Resilience;
Convener: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) |
The platform-streamed event aims at discussing the opportunities, strengths and main hampering factors for the implementation of the One Health approach (OHA) in the Africa. Major human and animal disease threats and related costs; the importance of OHA and slow rollout in Africa; the means to catalyze the adoption and implementation of the OHA in Africa and the role of governments, UN and donor organizations in supporting and promoting it will be assessed. The prospect for establishing a multi-stakeholder regional/sub-regional platform to discuss emerging issues around human and livestock diseases, raise awareness on the correct use of antibiotics will be proposed. |
| Monday, Sept. 6, 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm | Technology brokerage for a resilient food system in Africa;
Convener: Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) |
As Africa tackles the COVID-19 pandemic, hunger and malnutrition lurk around Africa menacingly. With its population edging towards 2 billion by 2050 amidst relentless urbanisation and climate change, Africa’s ability to feed itself is at great risk unless it strengthens its food systems as an integral part of efforts to Technologies for African Agricultural Multiple centers
recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to build resilience. At the core of Africa’s food security challenge is productivity. African agriculture is often uncompetitive and results in around a third of calories consumed in Africa being imported from outside the continent. Recent successes in implementing the African Development Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy via the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme reveal that increased investments in innovative technologies and brokerage can boost agricultural productivity, with important results for the overall strength of food systems. The side event on “Technology brokerage for a resilient food system in Africa” will provide vistas on the efficacy of technology brokerage in building resilient food systems. |
| Monday, Sept. 6, 2:30 pm to 4:15 pm | Forging resilient food systems with smallholder farmers and Agri-SMEs;
Convener: HarvestPlus |
In this side event, we will highlight the urgent need to support practical, proven, scalable approaches to engaging and empowering those who make up the backbone of African agriculture and food systems: smallholder farmers and agri-food SMEs. We will go beyond high-level discussions of food systems transformation to hear from those “on the ground” about what works, what does not, and what our priorities should be. The session will feature videos about three ready-to-scale strategies tailored to smallholders and SMEs (including biofortification) and interactive breakout groups facilitated by experts on each strategy. |
| Monday, Sept. 6, 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm | Rehabilitating acid soils for food security in Africa;
Convener: Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) / International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) |
In line with the theme of AGRF 2021 on forging pathways to recovery and resilient food systems, this side event will give evidence on how rehabilitating acid soils is important for improved productivity and resilient food security. It highlights the status of the acidic soils and the impact on the productivity on the continent and especially in East Africa. Furthermore, it identifies constraints on the production, distribution and use including the policy aspects but also solutions/lessons from different countries and stakeholders. The outcome of the event will be recommendations for advocacy and actions from private sector and Government in terms of investments and policy Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) / International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) CIMMYT
reforms to stimulate production and use of quality lime for resilient and sustainable food systems for our continent. |
| Tuesday, Sept 7, 11:00 am to 12:45 pm | Parallel Workshop (Gender): Equitable Livelihoods for Women through Innovative Financing and Climate Adaptation | This equitable livelihoods workshop will narrow in on the themes of innovative financing and strengthening women’s climate resilience and adaptation, by highlighting how innovative financing is contributing to gender equality and women’s empowerment across the continent and the need to scale these initiatives through commitments from financial institutions for the benefit of all women in agriculture. As we gear up for COP 26 and the race to net zero, the session will also explore mechanisms for ensuring women shape and lead climate adaptation plans. For food systems transformation to occur at a global scale, we must recognize that Africa is not at par with the rest of the world and financing is critical for African women to catch up and be part of this transformation. The session will call for action and draw commitments from financial institutions, governments, private sector players, development partners and other stakeholders to increase financing for women in agriculture, including climate finance. |
| Wednesday, Sept 8, 11:00 am to 12:45 pm | Parallel Workshop Resilience & Adaptation: Building Agricultural Resilience to Multiple Shocks and Risks | Food insecurity and poverty in Africa are primarily driven by multiple shocks and risks that include conflicts, climate extremes, and disease outbreaks, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This session will identify and share global experiences in resilience building and showcase best practices in addressing vulnerability and risk in Africa. A platform for policy debate and influence for reducing agricultural risks and vulnerabilities will be developed. |
| Wednesday, Sept 8, 6:15 pm to 7:00 pm | Insights: The Path to Resilience; priorities towards 2030 | Closing out the day, Insights is a moment for voices with diverse points of view to comment on the day’s activities and bring their insights to the Program. Reflections at end of each day bringing together the varied tracks into common themes and results |
| Thursday, Sept 9, 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm | Participatory Events: Accelerating Resilience and Recovery through One Health | The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the complex inter-linkages between human, animal, and environmental health into stark relief, especially in Africa. Here, rapid and intense population growth will burden the environment as cities expand; demand for food increases; and people, wildlife, and livestock are put in ever closer proximity, increasing risks of zoonotic disease emergence and transmission. Taking a “One Health” approach, or addressing the challenges that emerge where human, animal, and environmental health intersect in a multisectoral, multidisciplinary way, will be critical to pandemic recovery and building resilient food systems. CGIAR, through an emerging portfolio of research initiatives as well as ongoing work including its COVID-19 Hub, is engaged with partners at the forefront of this effort. This session will provide a lively glimpse into some of that work and engage scientists with audience members to identify solutions for some of the biggest health and food security challenges facing Africa today. |
| Thursday, Sept 9, 6:15 pm to 7:00 pm | Insights: Are we walking the path to change? | Closing out the day, Insights is a moment for voices with diverse points of view to comment on the day’s activities and bring their insights to the Program. Reflections at end of each day bringing together the varied tracks into common themes and results |
| Friday, Sept 10, 11:00 am to 12:45 pm | Parallel Workshops – AgTech & Digitalization
Accelerating Digital Innovation for Africa’s Food Systems’ Resilience |
Although COVID 19 has worsened the existing fault lines in Africa’s food and agriculture sector, it has also accelerated a digital revolution that has fast-tracked the continent’s progress in creating more efficient, equitable and environmentally friendly ways to feed the continent’s populace and the globe. To build on this digital transformation opportunity and the rapid integration of digital and innovative technologies within every stage of the agricultural value-chain, it would be important for innovators to ensure that all these innovative solutions address the incidence of needs of African farmers, agribusinesses, policy makers and researchers involved. This session will focus on concrete outcomes to increase the innovation sustainability of digital solutions for African Agriculture. |
| Friday, Sept 10, 2:00 pm to 3:45 pm | Walking the Path: Commitments Framework | The pathways to transformed food systems demand more vision, resources, creativity, and energy. Collectively we must better align the nutritional needs of our people with the livelihoods of our rural population and fate of our planet. Putting this into action takes will. It also demands accountability. Hear from those working in the Deal Room to fund new entrepreneurship in Africa; those who are investing in the infrastructure to develop our continent; those who providing nutrition in new ways; and the innovators who are leading us to better resilience. This is the future of food systems and arriving there before 2030 is essential. |
Virtual Exhibition Videos
