Introductory Remarks:

• Vimlendra Sharan, Director of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Liaison Office for North America (FAO) (Video)

Report Highlights:

• Andrea Cattaneo, Senior Economist, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (Presentation | Video)

Panelists:

• Paul Dorosh, Director, Development Strategy and Governance, IFPRI (Video)
• Francisco H.G. Ferreira, Senior Adviser, Development Research Group, The World Bank Group (Video)
• Louise Fox, Chief Economist, USAID (Video)
• Astrid Jakobs de Pádua, Minister Counselor, Food and Agriculture, German Embassy (Video)

Moderator: 

• Rob Vos, Director of Markets, Trade and Institutions Division, IFPRI  (Video)
• Q&A Video

One of the greatest challenges today is to end hunger and poverty while making agriculture and food systems sustainable.  The 2017 edition of FAO’s The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) presents strategies that can leverage the potential of food systems to become the engine of inclusive economic development and rural prosperity in low-income countries. 

It analyzes the structural and rural transformations now under way, and examines the opportunities and challenges they present to millions of small-scale food producers. It shows how an “agroterritorial” planning approach, focused on connecting cities and towns and their surrounding rural areas, combined with agro-industrial and infrastructure development can generate income opportunities throughout the food sector and underpin sustainable and inclusive rural transformation.

This is easier said than done. Eminent panelists will critically discuss the report’s findings and assess how feasible the proposed directions for inclusive rural transformations are.