CTA International Forum: Unleashing Science and Technology and Innovation for Food and Nutrition Security.

Abstract

The 2014 CTA international forum on “Unleashing Science, Technology and Innovation for Food and Nutrition Security: Developing a Road Map” with a special focus on Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) was the first event of its kind. It brought together leading ACP and EU scholars, senior scientists/researchers/academicians, policy-makers, development practitioners, innovators, farmers and private sector representatives to deliberate on these interlinked issues which have national and global significance. The Forum covered four strategic issues: novel pathways for agricultural innovation; optimising resources (human and physical); the enabling policy and institutional environment; and the way forward. Several associated issues namely; research and development (R&D), higher education (HE), extension and innovation within the wider national innovation systems were also considered. Participants acknowledged that while there is a growing body of scholarship on science, technology and innovation (STI) for food and nutrition security (FNS), there is little attempt to identify good practice and customise these developments to improve implementation and increase investments; public and private, in the local and national context. The discussions were dynamic and valuable contributions were made for advancing the FNS agenda along three thematic intervention areas which were clustered in a transformation-response-support framework.