Scaling-up the potential of agroforestry for resilient and productive agrifood systems
12.30-14.00 | Special joint event of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) and Committee on Agriculture (COAG) on Agriculture-Forestry Linkages
Roma (Italy), Hybrid Event, 07/12/2023

FAO is organizing an event on agriculture-forestry linkages jointly with the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) and the Committee on Forestry (COFO) during the 174th Session of the FAO Council (4-8 December 2023).
Agroforestry is gaining renewed attention and importance within global policy processes today, including from FAO Members, as it can provide many solutions to global challenges. Agroforestry can enhance livelihoods in rural communities, increase food security and nutrition, generate income and alleviate poverty, help protect and sustainably manage natural resources and biodiversity, and build resilience to climate change. Despite its longstanding history and recognition of its benefits, there remain barriers in scaling up agroforestry for widespread investment, adoption, and implementation. Broader support for agroforestry, at both the policy and technical levels, is required.
This event will highlight the potential of agroforestry as a cross-cutting solution for sustainably transforming agrifood systems. It will showcase experiences of FAO Members and discuss ways to address, together, the barriers to agroforestry uptake.
Interpretation will be available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
Agenda
Moderator: Maria-Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General of FAO
12.30-12.40 | Opening remarks QU Dongyu, Director-General of FAO |
12.40-12.50 | Agroforestry's contribution to the COFO - COAG collaboration on agriculture and forestry linkages and Intersessional Roadmap towards COFO 27 and COAG 29 Julie Emond, Chairperson of COAG (Canada) and Guenter Walkner, Chairperson of COFO (Austria) |
12.50-13.00 | Keynote presentation Michael Taylor, Award-winning silvopastural farmer (Australia) |
13.00-13.10 | Technical presentation on FAO’s agroforestry work Elaine Springgay, Forestry Officer - Agroforestry, NFO, and Ivan Landers, Agricultural Officer, NSP |
13.10-13.15 | Short video Agroforestry GIAHS site, Mount Kilimanjaro |
13.15-13.55 | Panel discussion Brazil – Daniel Peter Beniamino, Director of the Department of Rural Environmental Management Policies, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Germany / Zambia – Lars Weise, Project manager, GFA Consulting Group, Promotion of Agroforestry in Zambia Lebanon - Chadi H. Mohanna, Director of Rural Development and Natural Resources, Ministry of Agriculture Philippines – Ray Thomas Kabigting, Supervising Forest Management Specialist of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources |
Floor interventions | |
13.55-14.00 | Closing remarks Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of FAO |