Agricultural Research for Development Conference 2019, Agri4D

Registration to the conference has closed, but you are welcome to attend the plenary sessions and keynote speeches held in the Aula.

Find conference booklet here

According to the FAO, there is more than enough food produced in the world to feed everyone. However, close to 1 billion people are hungry or undernourished. In order to feed another two billion people in 2050, food production will need to increase by 50 % globally. At the same time, about 1.5 billion suffer the effects of malnutrition being overweight or obese.

To improve food security and nutrition, the role of the small-scale farmers in the South and particularly in Africa will be crucial. Assisting a transformation of the small-scale farming systems to produce more and the development of value addition opportunities for small scale farmers will be crucial. Agenda 2030 focuses on eradicating poverty by 2030, and on “Leaving no one behind”. A crucial focus must be the rural poor who depend on agriculture and related services for their livelihoods.

We will face a tremendous pressure on these small-scale farming systems to produce more, and the question will be how to do this in a sustainable manner, and at the same time supporting those not able or ready to transform. The key challenge is therefore on how to raise productivity, while protecting the environment and supporting those losing out social support systems.

It is in this complex context that Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Swedish International Agriculture Network Ini­tiative (SIANI) are organising the Agri4D Conference 2019 that will take place at SLU, Uppsala on 25-26 September 2019. The main aim of the conference is to promote knowledge exchange for improved sustainability and resilience in food systems.

Keynote speakers

• Lennart Olsson. Lund University. LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
• Fred M. Dzanku. Institute of Statistical, Social & Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana
• Rohana Subasinghe
. Aquaculture Management and Conservation Service
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department
• Eric Malezieux. Director Agroecological functioning and Performances of horticultural systems research unit (CIRAD)
• Laura Hammond. SOAS Food Studies Centre, University of London
• Aslihan Arslan. Senior Research Economist, Research and Impact Assessment Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• Anne Larson. Center for International Forestry Research.
• Moses Osiru. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), former member of RUFORUM; member steering committee AgriFoSe2030