Food systems fundamentally influence the environment of the planet, the livelihoods of billions of people (including most of the world’s poor), and the nutrition of every human being. Climate-resilient food systems can serve as catalysts for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, but their current weaknesses are major sources of vulnerability to a variable and changing climate.

 

The workshop will discuss the following questions to elicit discussion and commentary that focuses efforts toward more climate-resilient food systems.

• How can we build upon the remarkable human and institutional capacity in Africa to address the challenge of climate-resilient food systems?
• What are priority research domains within the broader areas of 1) Leveraging New Technology; 2) Facilitating Social Change and 3) Assessing Country Resilience and what are promising areas within these domains?
• Which pathways will most likely lead to impact?

Agenda

8.30-09:00– Registration and Welcome Coffee

09:00-09:15– Agnes Kalibata, AGRA: Welcome and AGRA initiatives in the Climate Resilient Food System space

09:15-09:30– Channing Arndt, IFPRI: Introduction to the Knowledge Lab (Presentation)

09:35-11:00– Leveraging new technology [Chaired by George Bigirwa, Vice President of Program Innovation and Development, AGRA] 

• The potential of Big data (Tim Thomas, IFPRI) (Presentation)
• Technologies for agricultural transformation (Rebbie Harawa, AGRA) (Presentation)
• The potential of bio-innovation (Doris Wangari, PBS Kenya coordinator) (Presentation)
• The role of powering the rural transformation (Claudia Ringler, IFPRI) (Presentation | Video with Claudia Ringler and Channing Arndt)
• The potential of index-based insurance (Berber Kramer, IFPRI) (Presentation)
• Discussion [research agendas; two-way integration of expertise; and pathways to impact]

11:00-11.30– Health break

11.30-12.30– Facilitating social change [chair: Assan Ng’ombe, AGRA]

• Community led resilience initiatives (Jemimah Njuki, IDRC) (Presentation)
• Information, innovation and behavior: powering ICT-mediated extension (David Spielman, IFPRI) (Presentation)
• Working with women for transformational change and resilience (Esther Mwaura-Muiru, GROOTS) (Video)
• Discussion opener: Ruth Meinzen-Dick, IFPRI (Video) [research agendas; two-way integration of expertise; and pathways to impact]

12.30-13.30– Lunch

13.30-14.30– Foresight and assessing country resilience [Chaired by Caroline Mwongera, CIAT]

• Future of Agriculture in Africa (Channing Arndt, IFPRI) (Presentation)
• Climate and energy (Yohannes Gebretsadik, NBI) (Presentation | Video)
• Discussion opener: Boaz Keizire (AGRA) (Video) [research agendas; two-way integration of expertise; and pathways to impact]

 

Full Agenda

This workshop is undertaken as a part of PIM, A4NH, CCAFS and WLE CGIAR Research Programs.