AfDB, Varsity hold confab on African agriculture

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Purdue University are organizing the Scale Up Conference on Agricultural Innovations.

The conference holding from September 25 to 27 is to address how to shift agricultural innovations from research institutions into the developing world, particularly Africa.

The Scale Up Conference will bring together hundreds of individuals and organizations engaged in the introduction, diffusion, and adoption of agricultural innovations that have the potential to reach millions.

Bank President Akinwumi Adesina will be the keynote speaker at the conference.

Together with Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development Jennifer Blanke, Adesina will meet with university management and other stakeholders on partnership opportunities, including the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative, being steered by the Bank.

TAAT is a knowledge- and innovation-based response to the recognized need for scaling up proven technologies across Africa.

“This will be the first multi-day conference on this topic that includes presentations, panel discussions, case studies, and breakout group discussions to help conference participants develop a thorough understanding of how to scale up agricultural innovations to reach millions,” said Indrajeet Chaubey, Associate Dean and Director of International Programs for the College of Agriculture at Purdue University.

Dozens of speakers who have implemented scale up processes in agricultural landscapes will participate.

“In the College of Agriculture we work to develop solutions to real world problems while also finding methods to realistically deliver and grow these technologies,” said Karen Plaut, the Dean of the College of Agriculture. “The Scale Up Conference is about taking those technologies and applying them in the developing world.”

Participants are expected to gain an understanding of successful, sustainable large-scale implementation. Researchers, implementing organizations, the business community, governments, policymakers and the donor community will come together to discuss best practices for scaling up agricultural technologies.

For more than 60 years, Purdue University’s College of Agriculture has led and managed large agricultural research and development projects. In addition to a long history of significant agricultural innovations, the university has produced three World Food Prize laureates.

The African Development Bank Group is the premier development finance institution in Africa with a mandate to spur sustainable economic development and social progress in the continent, thereby contributing to poverty reduction.

The African Development Bank’s authorized capital of around $US 100 billion, is subscribed to by 80 member countries made up of 54 African countries and 26 non-African countries.