High Level Panel at EDDs: Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Trade for Inclusive Growth.

Promoting sustainable agriculture and trade for inclusive growth: Addressing inequalities through private sector development and investment (European Development Days, Brussels, 19 June, 14:30-16:00, Room: A1)

Organisers: Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), ACP Secretariat, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) / GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), Panafrican Farmers Organisation (PAFO).

Promoting innovative sustainable agricultural business models in developing countries, and in Africa in particular, can strengthen national and regional economic development and contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Sustainable impact investments in food production and trade can create decent jobs through new transformative partnerships. The potential of trade and business cooperation is key to support the development of agri-food enterprises  and fully maximise trade and enhancing new markets in regional and global value chains. Inclusive and remunerative models which address the inequality factors across the value chains need to be shared and upscaled. New skills development able to match the market needs in value-addition products, blending facilities and innovative solutions to scale up are needed. 

Key areas which will be discussed at the High-Level Panel will include:

- Understanding the main drivers of inequality in our food system - Highlighting the potential for inner-African trade able to promote greater inclusiveness and highlighting good practices fostering inclusive agribusinesses - Promoting financial inclusion benefiting the producers, SMEs and value chain actors in developing countries - Recommending concrete actions to address the most pressing inequalities along the chain which inform policy and practice.

Speakers: Patrick Gomes, Secretary-General ACP Secretariat; Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, Rural Development, Food Security, Nutrition at Europeaid, European Commission; Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary General, UNCTAD; Zhi Yong Heng, Principal/Head of Trade Finance & Special Situations Group, TLG Capital; Mwala Mooto, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mooto Cashew Suppliers Ltd, Zambia; Concepción Blanco, Head of Sustainable Finance Solutions, BBVA Microfinance Foundation; David Laborde, Senior Researcher, IFPRI.

The findings from the report of the Task Force for Rural Africa (TFRA), the yearly Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor (AATM) by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CTA, BMZ and GIZ will feed the debate.