2Blades, USAID, and BIO Host Panel Discussion at World Food Prize to Strengthen Innovation Chain for Smallholder Farmers
Des Moines, IA – On October 29, 2024, 2Blades, USAID, and BIO hosted a special panel event focused on empowering smallholder farmers by enhancing the Agricultural Innovation Chain. Titled "Strengthening the Innovation Chain for Agriculture: Bringing Private Sector Efficiencies to Food Security," the discussion was part of the World Food Prize Norman E. Borlaug Dialogue and examined how to improve efficiencies that connect innovations in the lab to growers and consumers across the globe.
You can watch the entire discussion by clicking here.
The event brought together leading voices from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to share experiences, challenges, and insights on the successful demonstration of innovations that can benefit smallholder farmers. Rob Bertram, Chief Scientist at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), moderated the event that featured the following panelists:
Marc Ghislain, Deputy Director for the Global Biotech Potato Partnership
Margaret Karembu, Director, ISAAA-AfriCenter
Stella Salvo, Head of Breeding Partnerships for Smallholder Farmers, Bayer Crop Science
Sofia Tesfazion, Director of Resource Mobilization, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
Kamil Witek, Group Leader, 2Blades at The Sainsbury Laboratory
Smallholder farmers are crucial to achieving global food security, yet many still face barriers to accessing high-quality seeds tailored to their environmental conditions and needs. The discussion centered on how to strengthen the Innovation Chain to ensure safe, effective, and sustainable solutions reach smallholder farmers at the speed and scale needed to advance food security and sustainable production systems.
Sofia Tesfazion, Kamil Witek, and Stella Salvo participate in the discussion
“The panel discussion helped to identify best practices for uniting research institutions, private sector expertise, and leveraged resources to create a system that’s more connected, efficient, and capable of meeting the demands of food security," said Diana Horvath, President of 2Blades. "Streamlining the delivery of more resilient seeds and other innovations that meet smallholder needs is a key part of boosting food security. We must ensure that all farmers have access to the tools they need to thrive.”
The session’s theme aligned closely with BIO’s mission of creating stronger pathways for agricultural technologies and policies that uplift farmers and communities. “BIO was proud to support this important discussion at the World Food Prize,” said Sylvia Wulf, Interim Executive of BIO’s Agriculture and Environment Center of Excellence. “We believe that by connecting research and innovation to real-world solutions, we’re better positioned to empower smallholder farmers and address the global challenge of sustainable food production.”
The discussion was held during the 2024 World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa. Heralded as the Nobel Prize for food and agriculture, the World Food Prize brings together researchers, scientists, policymakers, business leaders, and farmers to recognize and honor achievements that advance human development with a demonstrable increase in the quantity, quality, availability of, or access to food through creative interventions at any point within the full scope of the food system. This year’s World Food Prize honored Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin and Dr. Cary Fowler for “their extraordinary leadership in preserving and protecting the world’s heritage of crop biodiversity and mobilizing this critical resource to defend against threats to global food security.” They both were instrumental in the creation of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. You can read more about their work here.
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2Blades
2Blades is a non-profit, agbiotech company that creates solutions for crop losses by advancing cutting-edge scientific discoveries into demonstrated resilience in the field. Through strong partnerships along the Agricultural Innovation Chain, we help both commercial and smallholder farmers protect their harvests while using less land, water, and chemicals. For over 20 years, 2Blades has achieved effective resistance against some of the most devastating and intractable pathogens of soybean, potato, wheat, corn, and other crops. With our unique dual-market business model, we bridge public and private sector resources to maximize the success and accessibility of agricultural innovations, creating a more resilient, sustainable, and productive global food supply. 2Blades is headquartered in Evanston, IL, with research labs in Norwich, UK and St. Paul, MN.
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
BIO is one of the world's largest advocacy organizations representing biotechnology companies, academic and research institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related entities across the United States and over 30 other countries. BIO's Agriculture and Environment Center of Excellence focuses on advancing the bioeconomy to tackle societal challenges such as climate change, food security, and national security. We work collaboratively with government and industry stakeholders to foster trust in biotechnology, streamline regulatory and approval processes, and enhance market access to innovative biotechnologies.
About U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
On behalf of the American people, we promote and demonstrate democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world. In support of America's foreign policy, USAID leads the U.S. Government's international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance.
Our objective is to support partners to become self-reliant and capable of leading their own development journeys. We make progress toward this by reducing the reach of conflict, preventing the spread of pandemic disease, and counteracting the drivers of violence, instability, transnational crime and other security threats. We promote American prosperity through investments that expand markets for U.S. exports; create a level playing field for U.S. businesses; and support more stable, resilient, and democratic societies. We stand with people when disaster strikes or crisis emerges as the world leader in humanitarian assistance.