AfDB, Varsity hold confab to scale-up African agriculture

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and
Purdue University are organizing the Scale Up Conference on Agricultural
Innovations from September 25-27, 2018.

 

The conference 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.