World Pulses Day 2024 | Pulses: nourishing soils and people
12.30-14.00 (CET) | Sheikh Zayed Centre
(Italy), Hybrid Event, 08/02/2024
This year, the #WorldPulsesDay campaign will raise awareness about pulses as key to healthy soils and people with the theme “Pulses: nourishing soils and people”.
Production of the people’s food relies on soils. Healthy soils not only provide the basis of food security but also provide the minerals needed to avoid malnutrition, growth stunting and other nutrient deficiency related illness such as anaemia. Therefore, pulses not only provide food for humankind but also keep soils healthy.
The global celebration, set to take place on Thursday 8 February, 12.30-14.30 (CET), will offer a unique opportunity to highlight the role of pulses as a sustainable option for diversification of agricultural production systems contributing to healthy soils, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems in a changing climate and environment.
Agenda
| Section A: Opening and keynotes Moderator: Marcela Villarreal, Director of the Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division | |
| 12.30-12.35 | Introduction |
| 12.35-12.40 | Opening remarks by QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO |
| 12.40–12.45 | Keynote address by SHINDO Mitsuaki, Minister Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative to FAO, Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Rome |
| 12.45–12.50 | Keynote address by Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit - European Commission, Directorate F, DG International Partnerships |
| 12.50–12.55 | Keynote address by Jens Busma, Head of Agriculture and Rural Development Division, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) |
| 12.55–13.00 | Keynote address by Vijay Iyengar, President, Global Pulse Confederation (GPC) |
| Section B: Technical presentations Moderator: Chikelu Mba, Deputy Director, Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP), FAO | |
| 13.00–13.20 | Presentation of the book “It’s Soilicious cookbook” by Anneke Trux, Head of Global Programme “Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security”, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) |
| 13.20–13.30 | Pulses for improving soils in Latin America by Cecilia Baginsky, Associate Professor, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Chile |
| 13.30–13.40 | Enhancing nutrition with pulses by Julianne Curran, Vice President of Market Innovation, Pulse Canada |
| 13.40–13.50 | Pigeon pea: The perfect pulse for nutrient-depleted soils of Africa by Damaris Odeny, Principal Scientist, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) |
| 13.50–13.55 | Q&A session |
| 13.55–14.00 | Closing Remarks by H.E. Fatimata Cheiffou, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Niger and Chair of the World Pulses Day Steering Committee |