Over $4 billion of development funding represented at GFIA 2014
Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture to host over 20 NGOs: Gates Foundation, FAO, CGIAR and Aga Khan Development Network all confirmed for Abu Dhabi event.
Funding helps to develop agricultural research
The Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture has confirmed the participation of over 20 major NGOs in the event, to be held in Abu Dhabi from 3-5 February. The latest announcement underlines GFIA’s status as a truly global event bringing together the best ideas, top international experts and key policy-makers from the public, private and non-profit sectors.
The Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation has been confirmed as GFIA’s Global Development Partner, while CGIAR, a global partnership of 15 organisations engaged in research for a food secure future, is confirmed as GFIA’s Global Research for Impact Partner. The Aga Khan Development Network, a group of private, international, non-denominational development agencies, will also be participating.
GFIA 2014’s NGO Pavilion brings together more than 20 NGOs, ranging from the world’s largest private foundation to smaller organisations with a specific local and regional focus in sustainable agriculture projects across the MENA region and Sub-Saharan Africa. All will have a key role to play in ensuring that the technologies showcased at GFIA can be put to practical use increasing agricultural productivity in developing countries.
As GFIA’s Global Development Partner, the Gates Foundation is advising GFIA on agricultural development projects around the world, particularly those with a focus on applying innovation in developing regions.
CGIAR is a vital partner for GFIA, with Dr Frank Rijsberman, CEO of CGIAR, delivering a Keynote Speech. Almost 10,000 CGIAR staff and 15 Research Centres around the world generate and disseminate knowledge, technologies, and policies for agricultural development and poverty eradication in developing countries, producing a veritable goldmine of critical research data. Since 2012 CGIAR’s Open Access initiative has meant that access to this information is available to anyone and completely free.
A third major NGO, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), has also confirmed its participation. AKDN is a group of private, international, non-denominational development agencies that work to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa.
Some of the other NGOs include specialists like Acumen, One Acre Fund and Mercy Corps, all taking part in GFIA with papers at the conference as well as a presence in the NGO Zone.
Acumen helps to build financially sustainable organizations that deliver affordable goods and services that improve the lives of the poor. One Acre Fund invests in farmers in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi, offering a comprehensive “market in a box” solution that includes microloans, training and harvest sales. Mercy Corps’ innovative Agri-Fin Mobile service uses mobile technology to provide small-scale farmers with localised financial services, market information and agricultural expertise.
José Graziano da Silva, the Director General of the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has recently been quoted as saying that ‘working with the private sector is about benefiting from [their] dynamism, innovation and entrepreneurship at the global, regional and national level.’
Mark Beaumont, GFIA Project Director, agrees: “NGOs are crucially important to the development of agriculture, especially in developing areas. All three sectors – public, private and non-profit – will have to work together if we are to be able to feed 9 billion people by 2050. That will require unprecedented levels of sharing of best practices and pooling of resources. GFIA is a vital platform for this interaction and collaboration.”
For more information and to register please go to the GFIA website http://www.innovationsinagriculture.com/
