22 November, 2017 - 24 November, 2017
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The regional meeting on agricultural biotechnologies in Sub-Saharan Africa will take place from 22 to 24 November 2017 in the AU Conference Centre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This FAO meeting will be hosted and co-organised by the Government of Ethiopia.

Background

On 15-17 February 2016, FAO convened the international symposiumonThe Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition at FAO Headquarters, Rome. The aim of the symposium was to explore the application of biotechnologies for the benefit of smallholders in developing sustainable food systems and improving nutrition in the context of climate change.

During the symposium, the importance of bringing the dialogue from the global to the regional level was highlighted by participants. In closing, the FAO Director-General concluded: “We intend to bring the debate to a regional perspective. We want to hear from governments, farmers and researchers of all regions about their needs and concerns regarding biotechnology”. FAO is therefore organizing four regional meetings worldwide throughout 2017-2018.

Participants in the meeting will be representatives of governments, intergovernmental organizations and non-state actors in the region. The term ‘non-state actors’ refers to civil society organizations; private sector entities (including philanthropic foundations); academia and research institutions as well as cooperatives and producer organizations.

Presentations:

• The state of agricultural biotechnology applications, capacities and enabling environment in sub-Saharan Africa
• The state and application of biotechnology for the production of veterinary vaccines and diagnostic tools
• Enabling environment, capacities and Agricultural Biotech application in West Africa
• Current Status of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Molecular genetic diversity of African orphan crops: The case of Ethiopia
• DNA timber tracking tools and a conservation strategy for African mahogany (Khaya sp.)
• A review of the use of biotechnology in aquaculture and fisheries
• National capacity building initiatives for biotechnology development: The case of Ethiopia
• The ACBF and its role in capacity building in science, technology and innovation
• Public access to information and democratic decision making: The case of Water Efficient Maize in Africa (WEMA)
• Strengthening rural advisory services in Africa, with perspectives on agricultural biotechnologies
• A global perspective on agri-biotechnology research in Africa
• Role of agricultural biotechnologies in addressing food and nutrition security challenges in Africa: Perspectives from the Agricultural Research Council, South Africa
• Application of biotechnology tools for rapid cultivar development and deployment: The case of cassava and maize
• Using biotechnology to bridge the productivity gap: A case study of application in livestock and fish
• Case studies on applications of biotechnology to tilapia and catfish in Nigeria
• Application of biotechnology in forest tree breeding: A case study of breeding Melia volkensii for drought tolerance in Kenya
• Metagenomics in food safety: what’s the added value? Case studies from the livestock sector in Tanzania and Uganda
• The Aflasafe Initiative, developing biocontrol products to reduce aflatoxin contamination in maize and groundnuts across Sub-Saharan Africa
• The use of biotechnologies in post-harvest handling and management in the fishery sector
• Development and deployment of climate resilient maize in sub-Saharan Africa through integration of novel tools and technologies
• Africa in a changing global climate: The need for rapid diagnostic tests to deal with emerging fish disease challenges
• Analysis of genetic diversity of the African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) to improve its strategy of conservation and breeding in the face of climate change
• Use of biotechnology tools to combat Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Africa
• Investors in agricultural biotechnologies and priorities
• How to ensure the resources allocated to agricultural biotechnologies are used to meet the needs of farmers
• The importance of private sector investments in agricultural biotechnologies in Sub-Saharan Africa
• African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC): A public-private partnership for enablement of African plant scientists through development of open source genomics resources for promoting food and nutritional security in Africa through orphan crops
• Public-private partnerships for effective and efficient agricultural technology transfer to smallholders in SSA: The AATF experience
• A case study of cooperation between Brazil and Ghana in the development of biofertilisers for grain legumes in northern Ghana
• A regional research and training platform for innovative plant breeding in West Africa
• The role of intellectual property rights in enabling or impeding the application of agricultural biotechnologies
• Overview of the work and achievements of the NEPAD-ABNE
• Perspectives on intellectual property rights and regulation of agricultural biotechnologies
• Status of agricultural biotechnology and biosafety in Sudan