09:30 – 10:45

Organizer: World Vegetable Center

Ensuring a healthier Africa demands a smart, sustainable food system to deliver diets rich in nutritious, plant-based foods. Traditional vegetables can contribute to food systems that nourish people, not merely feed them. Africa is home to a large number of plant species with the potential to invigorate the continent’s horticultural value chain – yet these traditional vegetables remain untapped and underutilized.

Traditional vegetables support nutrition-sensitive agriculture under climate change. They generally are more nutrient-dense than most commercial vegetable crops, have lower water requirements, are adapted to poor soils, and have higher resistance to pests and diseases. The biodiversity of traditional vegetables is endangered by displacement with high-energy staple crops. Most traditional vegetables are not registered in national catalogues, lack promotion and support for their use, and lack conservation infrastructure. Success stories like African eggplant, okra and amaranth show research and breeding can convert underutilized traditional vegetables into commercially successful crops. Other traditional vegetables could take a similar path if research unlocks their potential for income generation and nutrition for the benefit of local resource-poor populations.

09:30 – 10:45

Organizer: Israeli Government

Explore the opportunities for collaboration between Israel and African countries in implementing new approaches and technologies to traditional value chains in order to increase productivity and improve sustainability. Israeli agricultural innovators will provide insights into the unique problem-solving mindset that enables both food and nutrition security and thriving export markets. This session will highlight the importance and complexity of introducing new solutions and technologies to traditional value chains and agricultural practices, including the required steps from all stakeholders to achieve a value chain approach to problem-solving.

A panel will present select projects in African countries, discuss the growing opportunities, and analyze their experience of introducing agro-innovation to African markets for traditional value chains in order to increase productivity and improve sustainability. Expanding collaboration between Israeli and African companies and organizations will be explored to achieve a sustained agricultural transformation and economic growth.

09:30 – 10:45

Organizers: AFEX, SAFIN and AGRA

Ensuring a healthier Africa demands a smart, sustainable food system to deliver diets rich in nutritious, plant-based foods. Traditional vegetables can contribute to food systems that nourish people, not merely feed them. Africa is home to a large number of plant species with the potential to invigorate the continent’s horticultural value chain – yet these traditional vegetables remain untapped and underutilized.

Traditional vegetables support nutrition-sensitive agriculture under climate change. They generally are more nutrient-dense than most commercial vegetable crops, have lower water requirements, are adapted to poor soils, and have higher resistance to pests and diseases. The biodiversity of traditional vegetables is endangered by displacement with high-energy staple crops. Most traditional vegetables are not registered in national catalogues, lack promotion and support for their use, and lack conservation infrastructure. Success stories like African eggplant, okra and amaranth show research and breeding can convert underutilized traditional vegetables into commercially successful crops. Other traditional vegetables could take a similar path if research unlocks their potential for income generation and nutrition for the benefit of local resource-poor populations.

Partner Event

11:00 – 12:45

Organizers: FOLU & EAT with support from SUN Movement; GAIN (Urban Governance for Nutrition), Alliance: Bioversity-CIAT

Building the food system of the future requires dialogue. Join the conversation with a food systems dialogue that will directly input into the AGRF Forum. Views of diverse actors will be explored to help establish the key ideas about governance strategies at the national and city level.

Pre-registration required.

11:00 – 12:45

Organizers: AGRA and IFAD

The goal of the session is to strengthen South-South Cooperation in transferring and increasing adoption sustainably the mechanization experience and technology from Global South countries to priority African countries, to accelerate farmer-led mechanization, increase productivity and promote agricultural transformation. The joint session showcases the collaboration between IFAD, AGRA and IFPRI; through SSTC, to disseminate solutions and technologies in Africa and Asia that engage the private sector in support of rural and urban development. With a focus on increasing agricultural production and productivity, these technologies will impact rural smallholder farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises, women and youth, governments and development partners.

The output of the webinar is to raise

• Promote solutions and create awareness.

• Showcase innovative private sector driven rural solutions in Agri mechanization and input systems;

• Discuss the applicability and scalability in African countries;

• Discuss the challenges encountered in the eco-system and expectations for the future;

• Broker partnerships among public and private sector to increase adoption and scale up the solutions;

• Discuss key interventions required from governments, multi-lateral organizations and NGOs to create an enabling environment;

• Leverage South-South Triangulation Cooperation to exchange knowledge and broker partnerships; and• Scale up innovative solutions.



11:00 – 12:45

Organizer: International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

The objective of the event is to stimulate a policy dialogue among actors involved in access to finance for agricultural producers in Africa, especially in Least Developed Countries, to identify financial models for sustainable and resilient agricultural production, as well as its enabling polices and mechanisms.

The dialogue among financial service providers, government representatives, producers and standards setting bodies will explore how sustainable agriculture practices through certification can be leveraged as tools to potentially mitigate financial risk and enable producer access to finance.

The dialogue will discuss:

1) Best practices from selected innovative investment cases in African certified agricultural producers

2) Investors’ requirements, risks and opportunities to grant finance to sustainable agricultural producers

3) How certification can be leveraged to mitigate financial risk and to build farmer resilience

11:00 – 12:45

Organizers: FAO/CTA and GenAfrica

FAO (in partnership with AGRF and CTA) is organizing “a Digital Agri-food systems Matchmaking Event: Connecting youth-led innovations to FAO’s programs in Africa”. The event will bring together different technical Units of FAO, partners, and young innovators in digital agriculture, for interactions on areas of common interest and, most importantly, for initiating discussions on concrete partnership opportunities, and possibly conclude deals.

Main objectives include:

(a) To exchange information on food systems development programs of FAO (and partners) in Africa as well as on youth-led agricultural innovations.

(b) To discuss potential areas of collaboration and partnership in promoting youth-led digital innovations for the transformation of food systems in Africa; and

(c) To provide a matchmaking platform/marketplace for FAO, its partners and young innovators.

11:00 – 12:45

Organizer: COLEAPCP, AKADEMIYA2063, European Commission (DG International Cooperation and Development), PAFO

This panel will discuss new opportunities for the agri-food sector and the value chain actors offered by rapid urbanization, population growth, regional integration processes and free trade agreements in the continent. Private sector companies and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the drivers of economic growth in Africa. SMEs source directly from millions of farmers across the continent and operate along the value chain providing multiple services (processing, transport, packaging, transport…). They employ millions of people, including women.

This panel will share various experiences and successes from policy, research, finance and private sector experts. It will focus on the investments and changes needed to strengthen quality and safety in the food reaching urban centers. It will showcase innovative solutions in key areas of the value chain, including finance, technology and knowledge.

11:00 – 12:45

Organizer: UPL and GIZ

This panel will discuss new opportunities for the agri-food sector and the value chain actors offered by rapid urbanization, population growth, regional integration processes and free trade agreements in the continent. Private sector companies and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the drivers of economic growth in Africa. SMEs source directly from millions of farmers across the continent and operate along the value chain providing multiple services (processing, transport, packaging, transport…). They employ millions of people, including women.

This panel will share various experiences and successes from policy, research, finance and private sector experts. It will focus on the investments and changes needed to strengthen quality and safety in the food reaching urban centers. It will showcase innovative solutions in key areas of the value chain, including finance, technology and knowledge.

11:15 – 12:45

Organizer: Agribusiness Market Ecosystem Alliance (AMEA)

African SMEs (the Hidden Middle) are dynamic but how can they generate inclusive, sustainable food systems if most Farmer Organisations (FOs) are not professional or bankable? AMEA argues there are currently insufficient drivers for FOs to reform and create value for their members. However recent investments in new business models and financial facilities creates a window of opportunity to develop a system which incentivizes and supports FO’s to become viable businesses. AMEA will make 5 proposals for how this system should be developed and you will tell us whether you agree.

13:00 – 14:00

Organizer: Commission on Sustainable Agriculture Intensification (CoSAI)

Innovation in sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) supports the profound changes needed in rural and urban food systems. Taking a question-based approach, the session will explore: What are the rural-urban links that need to be strengthened to sustainably feed African cities? What will future agricultural systems in Africa require in terms of innovation in SAI, given rapid urbanization? How can innovation best be supported to achieve the priority environmental objectives of SAI in Africa? What are the perceived priorities for the major investors in innovation in SAI, and how may they need to change? What are the major policy constraints to generating and adopting innovation in SAI, and how can these be overcome?

The panel will answer questions and includes leaders from the new global Commission on Sustainable Agriculture Intensification (CoSAI) which promotes innovation to rapidly transform food and agricultural systems in the Global South.

13:00 – 14:00

Organizer: TBI

This session, under the Chairmanship of the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, connects insights from agribusiness and investors with perspectives from government leaders and technicians. The objective is to identify key impediments and explore what is needed to accelerate direct investment in large agriculture and food ‘flagship’ and ‘greenfield’ projects, that can generate economic growth, improve local and regional food security and jobs, and provide export opportunities. The session aims to:

1) Make clear the information and enablers private investors and value-chain actors need from governments to make an investment commitment

2) Understand governments’ priorities for large scale investment projects in the agriculture and food sector, and what they are doing to accelerate private-sector investment into these large state projects

3) Identify key impediments on both sides, and explore what additional information and actions are needed to unblock these

15:00 – 16:45

Organizers: Agriculture and Rural Development Working Group of the Scaling Community of Practice, Syngenta Foundation, USAID, AfDB and CGIAR

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of global and national food systems, but also created unexpected opportunities for local organizations and technologies to quickly fill the gap, including agile small and medium-scale enterprises, data-powered digital tools for agriculture, and empowered local leaders and organizations. These experiences of innovation and adaptation in response to COVID-19 are relevant to the larger challenges facing African food and agricultural systems to become more resilient, environmentally sustainable and deliver more healthy diets.

This session will explore how scaling principles and Covid-19 experiences can help inform a pivot from recovery to broader systems change and transformative impact at scale. Public and private sector leaders will discuss the lessons and opportunities presented by Covid-19 for their organizations, announce major action commitments to accelerate scaling up in African agricultural systems, and discuss priorities for research, policies and actions going forward.

15:00 – 16:45

Organizer: African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD)

Women play a critical role in feeding cities through their roles in production, aggregation, marketing, and processing. Yet, from limiting access to resources and information to supporting small food processors to access finance, information and markets, government policies play an important role in either enabling or constraining women’s success in the sector.

This session explores the ways that gender-responsive agricultural policies can and have an enabling effect in building more inclusive agriculture and food systems. Extending beyond merely addressing how government policies can enhance women’s contributions in agricultural systems, the session also focuses on strategies to increase women’s participation in developing and implementing agricultural policies.

15:00 – 16:45

Organizer: AfDB

The overall objective of the session is to start telling the African food system and agriculture value chain stories with the voice of the shapers and movers on the ground – SMEs. We will assemble the voice of those SMEs categorized in production, post-harvest, logistics, storage and cold chain solutions, processing, and ag digitalization to co-create roadmaps that would paint the picture of an accelerated transformation. The session would also have analytics and infographics so that participants are able to visualize the key statistics around the current food system, the step changes and transformed food system in the next 5 years and 10 years.

The outcome would be to REIMAGINE the transformation of the food system, specific enablers for step-change and identified priority policy actions, as articulated through the voice of Champion SMEs that make up key value chains. Messages would be conveyed to the conveners of AGRF as input into the longer journey towards the Food Systems Summit.

15:00 – 16:45

Organizers: Rockefeller Foundation and IDRC

Over the past five decades, global food systems and human dietary patterns have changed substantially, with shifts from traditional diets predominantly composed of healthier, minimally processed foods towards modern diets laden with unhealthy processed foods. This situation is contributing to rising global malnutrition (specifically, obesity), exacerbating environmental degradation, and perpetuating social and economic inequities, particularly in low and middle-income countries.

The objective of this session is to explore how research can be leveraged to build healthy, equitable and sustainable food systems in Africa through demand-driven policies and interventions. The session will also provide a platform for the International Development Research Centre and The Rockefeller Foundation to announce a new research partnership titled “Catalyzing Change for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems”.

15:00 – 16:45

Organizers: BMGF, USAID, BMZ, DFID, NORAD, DGD and IITA

The session aims to discuss progress with the Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) 2030 initiative to the private and public sector stakeholder community interested in the sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems. It will seek demand from public and private partners around the EiA 2030 R4D agenda, including initiatives led by AGRA and explore linkages between EiA 2030 and other initiatives operating in the agronomy-at-scale space. Finally it will receive feedback from the stakeholder community, including investors, on key thematic areas for integration in EiA 2030.

17:00 – 18:00

Organizers: ASARECA, FARA, AFAAS, RUFORUM and Colorado State University

Africa has suffered a secular decline in the health of its soils. This decline has substantially reduced agricultural productivity across the Continent and threatens food security and global environmental sustainability. The deterioration of soil quality and loss of arable land has enormous consequences for economic growth and human well-being—particularly for Africa’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Despite advances in soil science, and the achievements of many soils projects, programs and institutional frameworks, success in reversing decline in soil health has been fragmented and local in nature. Progress at scale has been elusive. The session will build upon considerations presented in a recent briefing note posted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (Considering a Soil Initiative for Africa, January 2020  – https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/sites/default/files/report_soils-initiative-africa_20200131.pdf).

This session will consider the urgency of addressing soil degradation in Africa at scale. It will discuss important building blocks for doing so – and identify gaps and challenges to achieving a scaled response. The session will present the substantial economic consequences of inaction and will review some of the ongoing efforts to improve soil health on the Continent, while considering opportunities for concerted action. Panelists will examine the types of strategy, investment, collaboration, and technical support needed for farmers and their partners at every level to raise the health and productivity of Africa’s soils to improve the future of rural livelihoods and Continental food security. The session will conclude with a Call to Action by the AUC for a Soils Initiative for Africa.

17:00 – 18:00

Organizer: CGIAR Gender

Moving forward on agriculture in Africa and achieving sustainable, productive food systems hinges on establishing gender equality.

This requires changing the norms and policies that favor men today to include women’s preferences, realities and ambitions. First, because women have a right to the same opportunities and the same benefits from agriculture, natural resources and food production as men. Second, because only when women are able to participate, on equal footing with men, in the urgently needed transformation of food systems will we be able to sustainably defeat hunger and produce enough, and good enough, food under the ongoing climate emergency.

Join the newly established CGIAR GENDER Platform for this launch event, which will seek feedback on select research priorities and aim to establish diverse partnerships so that we, together, can advance a portfolio of promising, practical, useful solutions for gender equality in agriculture.

17:00 – 18:00

Organizers: TAAT, IITA, AfDB, BMGF, ICRISAT, ICARDA, IITA, CIMMYT, ICIPE, IFPRI, FARA, NARES, IWMI, ILRI, AfricaRice, WorldFish, AAFT and Private Sector

Through a well-organized technology delivery framework, The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) directly contributes to “Feeding the Cities” through the accelerated deployment of proven high yielding, drought tolerant, climate-smart and nutrient-rich crops improved breeds of livestock, fish production, and linking farmers to markets for sustainable agricultural transformation. The Program is promoting nutrient-rich commodities, and engaging youths and women across all value chains. 

The event shall begin with keynote addresses on African agricultural transformation and addressing the role of TAAT within that. This will then be followed by examples of success stories on the ground, coming from cassava and wheat program value chains.  The discussions will highlight what TAAT brings to a country and how technologies and partnerships are helping farmers across agro-ecological zones of the Continent to feed Africa.

17:00 – 18:00

Organizer: Consortium for Innovation in Post-Harvest Loss and Food Waste Reduction (Rockefeller Foundation; Iowa State University)

Effective urban food markets must achieve two goals to serve Africa’s future: to provide essential food supplies and to be economic engines for growth. Excessive PHL is a chronic symptom of ineffective food supply chains. While improved technologies can reduce loss, sustained implementation of such tools has been disappointing. Dynamic SME-based food systems are needed to achieve sustained, scaled adoption. Based upon field research and experience, including the recent YieldWise Initiative, this session will document catalytic actions needed to accelerate SME engagement in food value chains. Initiative within and across the public, social and private sectors will be emphasized.

17:00 – 18:00

Organizers: AAP / ReNAPRI – IFDC, AFAP and APNI

The session is envisioned as an important consensus-building step in the Abuja II Fertilizer Summit framework, an African Union initiative spearheaded by AAP/ReNAPRI and IFDC to develop a broad coalition of support for promoting sustainable agricultural productivity growth and resilience in Africa. In the end, feeding Africa’s cities will require sustainable agricultural productivity and resilience. Growing research evidence shows that greater use of organic and inorganic fertilizers and attention to sustainable soil health management are essential elements of holistic strategy for raising agricultural productivity in sustainable ways. The keynote speaker will lay out this vision and strategy to guide the Abuja II framework to raise fertilizer use rapidly and sustainably in Africa and to achieve sustainable agricultural transformation in the region.

The Abuja II Summit will guide African governments to leverage growing urban markets to address the challenge of low agricultural productivity through improved soil health.