“ We must do more to achieve the vision and goals we have set for ourselves. ”
H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Chair, AGRF Partners Group

KEY SPEAKERS

WATCH KEY SESSIONS
Presidential Summit,
Youth Townhall
FARMERS FORUM
Investing in Rwanda Deal Room
Resilience & Adaptation
Red Threads 8TH SEPTEMBER
Good Morning AGRF
RED THREADS 10TH SEPTEMBER

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AGRF VIRTUAL SUMMIT 2020
HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

AGRF VIRTUAL SUMMIT 2020 COMMUNIQUE
More than 10,000 delegates – including Heads of State and Government, Ministers, former Heads of State and Government, heads of international agencies, CEOs of global, regional and national business companies, farmers and youth representatives – joined the 2020 AGRF Summit. The Summit confronted Africa’s challenges in driving inclusive agricultural transformation, to address the new challenges caused by COVID-19, to improve the continent’s resilience and to chart a path forward. The Tenth Annual AGRF Summit was held virtually from 8 to 11 September 2020. This was necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The AGRF is the premier platform for leaders from across Africa and around the world to advance concrete plans and to share knowledge in order to tap the enormous potential of agriculture to drive equitable and sustainable growth across the continent. The Summit was hosted under the leadership of His Excellency Paul Kagame, the President of the Republic of Rwanda. AGRA serves as the AGRF Secretariat, with resources and technical support provided by another 26 partners and sponsors under the AGRF Partners Group.
Read the full Communiqué with Decisions and Commitments from the AGRF Virtual Summit 2020.
“ Agriculture is critical, and we must stay the course despite COVID19. We will need better collaboration on fiscal space, and we need to maximize the opportunities around technology, youth, gender and the AfCFTA.
”
H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda

ABOUT THE AGRF VIRTUAL SUMMIT 2020
The 10th edition of the annual AGRF in Kigali Rwanda, saw Heads of State, Government Ministers, Civil Society, and Business Leaders resolve to use the flourishing urban food markets as a launchpad for growing the continent’s agricultural investments into stable businesses.
The AGRF, the world’s premier forum for advancing Africa’s agricultural agenda, drew a large and diverse crowd of more than 10,400 delegates from all over the world to analyze the state of African agriculture under the theme, Feed the Cities, Grow the Continent: Leveraging Urban Food Markets to Achieve Sustainable Food Systems in Africa.
The theme was a call to action to rethink Africa’s food systems in order to deliver a more resilient, better nourished, and more prosperous outcome for all. During the Forum, technical assessments, policy analyses and political discussions reached a new level of consensus that could accelerate the efforts to reach the goals in the Malabo Declaration, and make farming in Africa more productive, profitable, sustainable and inclusive.
During the four-day summit, delegates explored innovative ways to streamline the continent’s agricultural value chains. Until now, traditional hurdles have made it hugely difficult for Africa’s farmers to sufficiently serve the rising urban food demand.
Agripreneurs, youth entrepreneurs and business leaders showcased innovative models, ready for investment and scaling, while scientists, researchers and thought leaders demonstrated ways in which policy amendments and innovative technology could lead to stronger agricultural value chains.
“ We must do more to achieve the vision and goals we have set for ourselves. ”
H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Chair, AGRF Partners Group

PARTNERS

The AGRF Partners Group is made up of 26 leading actors in African agriculture all focused on putting farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economies. Members include: African Development Bank (AfDB), African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), African Union Commission (AUC), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Bayer AG, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), CGIAR System Organization, Corteva Agriscience, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Government of Rwanda, Grow Africa (AUDA-NEPAD), IKEA Foundation, International Development Research Center (IDRC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mastercard Foundation, OCP Group, Rockefeller Foundation, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), Syngenta Foundation, UPL Limited, US Agency for International Development (USAID), Yara International ASA.
The AGRF Secretariat is hosted by AGRA on behalf of partners; itself an African-led institution that works in 11 countries across the continent. The Government of Rwanda serves as a long-term host of the forum, championing its agenda throughout the year and hosting the annual Summit in all even years, i.e. 2020, 2022 and 2024. The Chair of the AGRA Board, also serves as Chair of the AGRF Partners Group.
“ We must not relent in our effort to transform food systems for the benefit of everyone and build stronger, resilient and more sustainable food systems.
”
Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA and Special Envoy to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit

THE AGRF VIRTUAL SUMMIT 2020 PROGRAM
PRE-SESSION
09:30 – 10:45
Traditional Vegetables: Power on Africa’s Plate
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
Agro-Innovation: How Can We Solve Old Problems with New Ideas?
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
Unlocking Sustainable Financing for Africa’s Food Systems through SMEs
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
Food Systems Dialogues – Food Governance Strategies at the National and City Level
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
Agri-Mechanization Solutions via South-South Triangular Cooperation
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
Creating Inclusive Food Markets by Linking Certification and Finance
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
Connecting Youth-Led Innovations to FAO’s Programs in Africa
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
The Key Role of SMEs in Serving Urban Food Markets
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
The Rice Race: Making Self-Sufficiency a Reality in West Africa
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
Transforming Agri-SMEs and Farmer Organizations in Africa
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
Round Table: Sustainable Agricultural Intensification to Feed the Cities and Grow Africa
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
Bridging the Gap between Investors and Governments
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
Scaling for Food Systems Transformation in the PLUS-COVID-19 Era
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
Towards a Gender-Responsive Agricultural Policy Landscape
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
Integrating African Food Systems through the Lens of SME Champions
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
Demand-Driven Transformation of Food Systems in Africa
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
Excellence in Agronomy 2030
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
A Soils Initiative for Africa
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
Rise up together: Women’s Role in Transforming African Food Systems
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
Agriculture Technologies for Feeding Cities
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
Effectiveness of Agri-Business Incubation in Emerging Markets
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
Building the Second African Fertilizer Summit Agenda
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.