Description
The overall food security situation remains a major concern in Asia and the Pacific, home to 60% of the world’s population. The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating pre-existing challenges to food security such as climate change impacts, disaster risks, shrinking natural resources and degrading environments, changing demographics and labor profiles, and infrastructure deficits, among others. These challenges, along with evolving impacts of COVID-19, underscore the need for rethinking of actions to recover, rebuild and strengthen resilience of food systems. These can include innovative, nature-based, and integrated solutions not only to transform and build food system resilience, but also achieve a climate-smart and green rural recovery.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its partners are organizing the Asia-Pacific Rural Development and Food Security Forum on 22–24 March 2022 to bring together innovators, experts, and thought leaders to:
- Rethink the future of agriculture amidst complex and evolving challenges;
- Explore new research, innovations, and technologies that can help build nature-positive food systems; and
- Forge partnership and collaboration to mobilize finance for innovation, research, and business to promote food and nutrition security in the Asia and Pacific region.
Discussions focus on the future of food and agriculture; digital technologies for agriculture; pathways to sustainable and inclusive food systems; intersectoral approach to nutrition security; and financing green, resilient, and inclusive agriculture, and future, and other cross-cutting issues.
Three deep-dive sessions are also organized to discuss critical issues on integrated rural-urban development, urban farming as a potential window for fresh and nutritious food, and alternative proteins to meet the growing global demand.
Objectives
The forum specifically aims to:
- Discuss ways to rethink food system transformation, while considering effective models of governance and collaboration, to meet the continuing demand for safe, nutritious, and affordable food;
- Describe the role of digital technologies in transforming food systems to offer increased profits for farmers along the value chain highlighting policy interventions, public-private partnerships, financing, infrastructure development, and capacity development, among others;
- Identify the benefits of climate-smart approaches and practices across crop, fish and livestock production considering nature-based solutions and the One Health approach;
- Share on-the-ground experiences, lessons learned, and case studies on best practices to collectively work together on what can be done in terms of policy interventions, regulations, financing, food production innovations, and others to promote nutrition security;
- Presents innovative approaches to mobilizing finances for smallholder farmers with emphasis on the role of multilateral development banks, public development banks, blended financing, community-led financing, natural capital financing, and knowledge sharing on green valuation, eco-compensation, and digitizing supply chains;
- Discuss in-depth the issues, challenges, lessons learned, and solutions to emerging and yet critical issues on rural-urban integrated development, urban farming, and alternative proteins; and
- Identify key takeaways and next steps.
Activities
The forum will offer the following sessions:
- Leaders’ conversation—Leaders from ADB developing member countries, private sector, and development agencies discuss the imperatives to change the future of food and agriculture amidst several complex and evolving challenges to meet the demand for food and nutrition;
- Technical sessions—Stakeholders and experts, including ADB Management and staff share on-the-ground experiences, lessons learned and best practices on innovating rural development and agriculture; promoting the right production pathways; forging intersectoral approach to nutrition security; and financing green, resilient and inclusive agriculture, and future;
- Deep dive sessions—Participants take part in the in-depth discussions on issues, challenges, and lessons learned from on-the-ground experiences on rural-urban integrated development, urban farming as an emerging source of safe and nutritious food, and alternative protein sources;
- Knowledge showcase and partnerships—Key knowledge product(s) that share research findings and project experiences are showcased, while new partnerships are highlighted; and
- Actions and recommendations—The forum highlights key takeaways from the leaders’ conversations and technical sessions to inform next steps and way forward
Target participants
The forum provides a platform for the following stakeholders to participate in the discussions:
- Government and intergovernmental organizations in the Asia and Pacific region;
- Multilateral development organizations;
- Civil society;
- Private sector;
- Farmers;
- Youth;
- Agripreneurs;
- Academe; and
- Research and development community.
Resource speakers
How to register
Registration is closed.
Costs
Attendance to #RDFS2022 is free of charge.
Event organizers / partners
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Rural Development and Food Security (Agriculture) Thematic Group, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB