BIAC hosts event on the role of science and technology in
greening the economy with agriculture
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Ms. Caroline Henshaw from Dow Jones and the Wall
Street Journal, and Sir Gordon Conway from Imperial College
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Paris, 6 September 2011 – On the occasion of the
FAO/OECD Expert Meeting on Greening the Economy with Agriculture,
5-7 September 2011 in Paris, BIAC took the initiative to host a
side-event in the form of a luncheon panel discussion on the role of
science and technology in greening the economy with agriculture.
This event was generously sponsored by BIAC’s Associate Expert Group
member, Croplife International, and successfully contributed an
outside perspective to the discussions in the FAO/OECD Expert
Meeting.
The panel discussion, moderated by Ms. Caroline Henshaw, journalist
for Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal, focused on the role of
science and technology in helping farmers in both developed and
developing countries to increase production sustainably while
adapting to climate change and other challenges. 80 distinguished
experts from government, farming, business and scientific
communities from all over the world participated in this event.
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| Ms. Alice Kachere, from Malawi, and Dr. Mike Bushell,
from Syngenta |
Panellist Sir Gordon Conway, from Imperial College London,
emphasised that technologies need to be “appropriate”, meaning that
they need to be accessible, sustainable and productive, so that high
outputs can be generated from low inputs. Meanwhile, Ms. Alice Kachere, a
smallholder farmer from Malawi, highlighted the importance of
imparting knowledge and training to smallholders through education
and extension programmes. Dr. Mike Bushell, Syngenta, stressed that
a mosaic of different solutions shall be necessary, and that both
public and private investment is necessary for boosting research and
development.
This event marked an important contribution on the road to Rio+20,
in which agriculture is emerging as one of the key sectors in
efforts to “green” the world’s economies and reduce poverty. Over
coming months, the BIAC Food & Agriculture Committee shall review
OECD plans for further work on green growth and agriculture, and
agriculture shall form an important focus in BIAC’s forthcoming
International Business Green Economy Dialogue to be held on 14
November in Paris.
To watch a recorded version of the event,
please click on the following link:
http://online.wsj.com/video/feeding-a-growing-global-population/E437B1E8-4D66-4148-AF42-E821DE45EA54.html. Please contact Jonathan Greenhill at the BIAC Secretariat for any
further information.
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