Join us for IFDC’s upcoming symposium, “Future Proofing: Unified Action for Soil Health and Food Security,” on November 4 at KIT Institute located at Mauritskade 64, 1092 AD Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The health of our soil is fundamental to achieving sustainable agriculture, ensuring food security, and preserving our environment. As global challenges intensify, collaborative efforts and innovative solutions are more essential than ever.
Registration is now open to join this significant event that will convene leading experts from various fields, including agriculture, policy, innovation, and finance, to discuss and strategize on enhancing soil health and sustainable practices.
We look forward to seeing you at KIT Institute in The Netherlands on November 4, 2024. You can also join us virtually to engage in impactful conversations and contribute to shaping a sustainable and food-secure future.
Register now and see the full agenda below.
This event will be held in English.
Netherlands Symposium Agenda – November 4, 2024
Morning Sessions
Welcome Address
Time: 9:15-9:30 AM
Speaker
Henk van Duijn, IFDC President and CEO
Keynote Panel “Advocating for Soil Health”
Time: 9:30-10:30 AM
Now is the time to advocate for soil health if we are to eradicate human hunger and poverty while preserving current biodiversity and restoring land currently under cultivation. Soil health is the central focus of reducing hunger, poverty, inequity – and restoring soil health is key.
Speaker
H.E. Reinette Klever, Netherlands Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Aid
Facilitator
Dr. Alain Sy Traore, Director Agriculture and Rural Development of ECOWAS
Coffee break and Networking
Time: 10:30-11:00 AM
The coffee break provides an excellent opportunity for participants to engage with one another. Pick up a cup of coffee and meet our IFDC staff to discuss the work we do to develop better technologies, catalyze farm productivity, strengthen markets, and enable impact.
Panel: “Transforming Food Systems: The Answer Lies Beneath Our Feet“
Time: 11:00 AM-12:30 PM
How can the nations of Africa sustainably produce enough nutritious food to feed its communities while improving soil health at the same time? As the continent’s population is set to double by 2050, there is great urgency for creating a clear path of action for sustainable change. But it can be done if we all work together to support the implementation of the 10-Year Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan. Hear from frontline experts on the concrete action needed to tackle these challenges.
Panelists
- Dr. Andre Bationo, Africa Food Prize winner
- Josephine Okot, Victoria Seeds Ltd. Founder and IFDC Board Co-Chair
- Dr. Richard Rugendo, Kevian Kenya Ltd. Managing Director
- Dr. Zachary Stewart, USAID Production Systems Specialist and U.S. Diplomat
- Ivo Demmers, Netherlands Food Partnership Executive Director
Facilitator
Dr. Oumou Camara, IFDC Vice President of Programs
Lunch
Time: 12:30-1:30 PM
Please enjoy a networking lunch.
Afternoon Sessions
Breakout Sessions: “Future Proofing: In Support of the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan“
Time: 1:30-3:00 PM
Join one of five ongoing Working Groups that will spend the afternoon session workshopping real, implementable solutions. These groups will focus on the concrete, achievable actions that the global community can take to support the member states of the African Union in the wake of the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit, to improve soil health and food security.
Expected output: The five working groups will identify actions that can be taken to remove barriers that key actors within the food system face.
Breakout Group 1: Producers and Consumers
Group Focus and Details
Explore the key challenges, opportunities, and resources that producers and consumers of food bring to the table, in the context of the five themes of the workshop.
This group will be led by an organization with expertise in understanding the needs of farmers, having directly worked with them on knowledge transfer and capacity-building programs. They will be supported by a representative of ECOWAS whose knowledge of agri-value chains brings insights into consumer and producer-level risks and opportunities.
Breakout Group 2: Private Sector
Group Focus and Details
Outline the private sector’s contribution, needs, and strengths in the context of the workshop themes.
This group will be led by a global organization with expertise in connecting the private sector to consumers at the last mile, with extensive market systems experience. They will be supported by a private sector leader from the agriculture and food sectors who can highlight the private sector’s needs from other stakeholders, while discussing resources they can deliver.
Breakout Group 3: Government/Enabling Environment
Group Focus and Details
Explore policies, regulations, schemes, and institutional arrangements to address the workshop themes.
This group will be led by a representative from the Government of the Netherlands who can bring insights into the strategic vision of the administration’s ODA programs, supported by a global philanthropic organization with experience of providing technical assistance to countries.
Breakout Group 4: Research & Innovation
Group Focus and Details
Draw up the key innovations, technologies, and research questions that can aid the workshop themes.
This group will be led by an innovative leader in the agriculture sector with a track record of carrying multiple products through the innovation lifecycle. They will receive the support of an academic institution with experience of studying soil health and food security issues across Africa.
Breakout Group 5: Financial Sector
Group Focus and Details
Outline the private sector’s contribution, needs and strengths in the context of the workshop themes.
This group will be led by a global organization with expertise in connecting the private sector to consumers at the last mile, with extensive market systems experience. They will be supported by a private sector leader from the agriculture and food sectors who can highlight the private sector’s needs from other stakeholders, while discussing resources they can deliver.
During the breakouts, the working groups will present their findings to a hybrid group of in-person and online participants and facilitate a rapid workshop to further refine ideas, ratify the selected actions, and discuss the next steps to implement a plan of action.
Coffee Break and Networking
Time: 3:00-3:30 PM
A second opportunity to meet IFDC experts and learn more about the Center’s work to develop better technologies, catalyze farm productivity, strengthen markets, and enable impact.
Plenary: Charting a Bold Course for Plants, People, and Planet
Time: 3:30-4:45 PM
We come back together to share the work we have started. One leader from each working group will take the stage to share concrete outputs from the breakout sessions.
Facilitator
Dr. Leigh Winowiecki, Soil Systems Scientist; CIFOR-ICRAF Theme Leader, Soil and Land Health; Co-lead of the Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH); and IFDC board member.
Closing Remarks
The session closes with a summary of the plenary and invitation to continue working toward a food-secure future.
Time: 4:45-5:00 PM
Dr. Rudy Rabbinge, Chair of the World Agricultural Forum
