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Introducing the Agrifood Systems Technologies and Innovations Outlook

2022










FAO. 2022. Introducing the Agrifood Systems Technologies and Innovations Outlook. Rome.




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    FAO’s Office of Innovation is working with partners on an FAO Chief Scientist initiative on Foresight on emerging agrifood technologies and innovations, aligned with the UN 2.0 process and the FOFA 2022: engaging all key actors of agricultural innovation systems in the foresight on emerging technologies and innovations to better prepare for alternative futures, feeding it into anticipatory action, and convening the global community for constructive dialogue and knowledge exchange. The aim is to support policymakers, investors and innovation actors in their approaches and decision-making. The study assesses a selection of technologies and innovations, which potentially could be of paramount importance in addressing agrifood challenges until 2050, as well as the most important trends and drivers that will influence the emergence of agrifood technologies and innovations and their triggers of change, including some regional aspects. The goal is also to build plausible future scenarios for the evolvement of the emerging technologies and innovations in the future with the time horizon of 2050 to inform future-oriented policymaking. The report is built with inputs from a multistakeholder Delphi survey and online workshops with experts.
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    Linking agrifood SMEs to innovation for sustainable food systems: the role of multi-stakeholder approaches
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    During this webinar, organized by the SFS-MED Platform and held on 13 October 2022, stakeholders from across the Mediterranean shared practical experiences of university-business cooperation, successful cases of innovation adoption and transfer, innovative pathways of capacity development, as well as provocative thoughts from investors and farmers. Panelists and speakers discussed about the needs and challenges that agrifood SMEs and farmers are experiencing in linking with innovation, and investigated possible pathways for transformation, leveraging the added value of multi-stakeholder approaches to promote the uptake of innovation. Moreover, the webinar allowed strengthening collaboration among the different partners and stakeholders shaping the agrifood ecosystem, that are essential to enable SMEs and farmers with solutions, tools and best practices. The discussion was instrumental in demonstrating that linking agrifood SMEs to innovation is key for a sustainable future of the Mediterranean food systems, where SMEs and small-scale producers are empowered as economic actors and agents of change for a blue, green and circular food system transition. There is a need for an interactive innovation ecosystem based on a multi-stakeholder collaboration process that is open and inclusive, where new technologies and organizational processes are co-designed by all food systems actors. To this effect, science diplomacy is a powerful tool to ensure that scientific knowledge is effectively shared and adequately translated to be used by non-scientific stakeholders, leveraging co-creation and win-win solutions through alliances that engage all shores of the Mediterranean on a level-playing field. Moreover, innovative capacity building and training programmes are instrumental in developing the human capital necessary to address skills mismatch between graduates and employment demand from the agri-business sector, enhancing the innovation chain through new professional profiles. Finally, sustainable finance and new financial mechanisms can be unlocked to enhance SME access to affordable innovation and technology. Business incubators and accelerators promote a change of mindset that can lead SMEs to embrace innovation by adopting new business models, matchmaking innovators and co-founders, and inspiring ideas.
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    Gene-editing technologies represent a promising new tool for plant and animal breeding in low- and middle-income countries. They enhance precision and efficiency over current breeding methods and could lead to rapid development of improved plant varieties and animal breeds. However, as for any new technology, they have their merits and demerits. There is, as yet, no international consensus regarding if and how gene-edited organisms should be regulated, and whether their release would fall under the regulatory framework of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity. This science- and evidence-based Issue Paper on gene editing and agrifood systems presents a balanced discussion of the most pertinent aspects of gene editing, including the consequences for human hunger, human health, food safety, effects on the environment, animal welfare, socioeconomic impact and distribution of benefits. Intrinsic ethical concerns and issues of governance and regulation are addressed, and the roles of the public and private sectors, alone and in partnership, are summarized. Various scenarios are also presented for how gene editing might be used in the future to help transform agrifood systems.

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