FAO at a the Mediterranean Innovation Agrifood Week

On 27 November 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa and the Office of Innovation, partnered with Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM Bari) to convene the workshop “The Power of Networks for Catalyzing Science and Innovation for Sustainable and Safe Food Systems”. 

The event brought together experts, innovators and practitioners to explore how innovation networks and digital solutions can strengthen food safety and accelerate sustainable agrifood systems transformation across the region, in line with FAO’s e-Agriculture approach to connecting people, data and digital technologies. 

A key outcome of the workshop was the presentation of the Regional Food Safety Research and Innovation Network, designed to link research, innovation and practice, and to promote collaboration, knowledge exchange and scalable digital solutions for safer agrifood systems. 

Participants also heard insights from start-ups and regional incubation initiatives, highlighting common barriers to digital innovation, including funding gaps, limited access to technology and skills shortages, as well as key enablers for success. These discussions fed into an FAO-facilitated Innovation Policy Lab, which examined practical pathways to strengthen enabling environments and foster regional cooperation. 

The workshop reaffirmed the critical role of collaborative networks and digital innovation ecosystems in advancing food safety, supporting evidence-based policymaking and scaling impactful e-agriculture solutions. 

Moderators: Giusy Miuli (CIHEAM Bari); Nevena Alexandrova-Stefanova, Nikola Trendov, Bassel Daher and Karim Amin (FAO) 

 
More information: https://innovationweek.iamb.it/