Support to Global Agricultural Innovation Agenda and Forum

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

FAS’s mission is to create economic opportunity for American agriculture by expanding global markets. FAS collaborates with U.S. regulatory agencies, land-grant universities, and private sector organizations to eliminate or reduce technical barriers encountered by exporters of U.S. agricultural products to partner countries through the use of trade capacity building. FAS engages foreign governments to establish science-based trading systems that are consistent with U.S. policies and objectives, World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations, and international norms established through bodies such as the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO), as well as international standards-setting bodies such as Codex Alimentarius (Codex), International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and the World Animal Health Organization (OIE).

Agricultural production of crops, livestock, forestry or aquaculture is becoming a highly technical and an ever-changing industry. Increasingly it is crucial for government officials engaging in governing bodies of international organizations to better understand the importance of agricultural sciences, safe food production, and continuous research. Scientific principles and emerging technologies in the agriculture and forestry and learn how such science and technologies can play a substantial role in providing solutions to tremendous challenges.

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) seeks to partner with Purdue University to organize one or more focused events having the components of a high-level agriculture bioscience and innovation dialogue, knowledge sharing side-events, and showcasing opportunities on science and technology.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES

Sharing knowledge and showcasing agriculture technology and innovations transforming food systems around the world and providing technical foundation on a full spectrum of tools.

PURPOSE: Focused events bringing together agribusiness, food brands, producers, investors and entrepreneurs sharing knowledge, fostering learning, and exploring collaboration with international organizations and their member nations to bring science, innovation, and transformative solutions to the food system and fast-track these to the field. Shared agricultural knowledge covering digitization and automation, crop protection and bio-based inputs, animal nutrition and health, genetics and precision breeding, supply chains, food systems for future generations, sustainable intensification in the field, ecosystem services. Ideally the Forum themes will cut across all dimensions of the production and the supply chain – from crop, forestry, fishery or livestock production to the management of inputs and resources, to organization and supply chains.

Through presentations in virtual or in-person events, technical experts and in-country officials can speak on private-public partnerships, promote the benefits of building technical capacity and scaling. Government representatives from can present on relevant aspects of innovation that are well aligned with related thematic areas. Each virtual event is expected to include a diverse and broad audience.

OUTCOMES: The events under the forum will contribute to:

•       strengthening awareness and support for inclusive sustainable innovative approaches and agricultural technologies in such areas as the provision of technical advice to governments, technical and development assistance, and knowledge sharing at global, regional and country levels;

•       promoting and validating scientific methods and best practices for agricultural innovation and technologies; and

•       contributing to fine-tuning and strengthening of programmatic activities of international organizations to support inclusive innovations and agricultural technologies in such areas as the provision of technical advice to governments, technical assistance, and knowledge sharing.

KEY THEMES: Forum events should emphasize recent advances, and the beneficial effects of scientific and technological tools, as well as showcasing what is commercially available or about to become available as inputs for agricultural production, supply, and distribution. Possible key thematic areas of focus to be featured in these events, later agreed by USDA and the implementing partner for each event, can be:

• Innovative Agricultural Platforms
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• AgBioScience Entrepreneurs, Small-Medium Sized Farming Operations
• Farmers and Key Customers for New Technology Developments
• Soil Health
• Crops, Animals, Precision Breeding and Biology
• Supply Chain Insights
• Agriculture Digitization and Big Data
• Automation, Robotics, Conventional/Protected/Vertical Farming
• Mapping the Impact of 21st Century Agriculture
• Determinants of Innovation Investments for a Better World
• Accelerating the Super Evolution of Agriculture
• Evidence-based, Country-led/owned initiatives to accelerate agricultural transformation
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• FORUM COMPONENTS:

• Virtual and in-person events
• High-level segment and forum panel sessions
• Side-Events
• Science and Technology Fair (Parallel Program Presentations)
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• POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIPS:

• Institutions within the U.S. Land-Grant University (LGU) System
• International Organizations / Foreign Public Entities
• Private Sector Entities
• Non-governmental Organizations and Foundations
• International Research and Academic Institutions/Universities
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• OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES: Innovations featured in the events should be inclusive of tools in the toolbox; they must be underpinned with science and evidence for benefiting farmers in their efforts to produce more food with less resource inputs. Just as American farmers are adopting innovations and science that originate from outside the United States, any relevant innovations are preferred, for example: GE Bt Eggplant Varieties.

Education

• Public and state institutions of higher education