The fifth edition of the FAO Science and Innovation Forum (SIF 2026) will be held from 12 to 16 October 2026 under the umbrella of the World Food Forum (WFF), together with the Global Youth Forum and the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum.
This year offers a unique opportunity, as the overarching theme of the World Food Forum, and World Food Day is Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.
This theme reflects the importance of harnessing science, technology and innovation to build agrifood systems that are more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. It highlights how forward-thinking on enabling access to life-changing innovations, combined with traditional knowledge and inclusive approaches, is critical to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient, diverse, safe, and nutritious foods, while safeguarding the planet for future generations.
In line with FAO’s 2026–2027 biennial theme, Fostering Innovation for Food Security and anchored in the FAO Science and Innovation Strategy, SIF 2026 will reinforce FAO’s collective and collaborative efforts to transform agrifood systems through science and innovation.
Crop Trust engagement
Growing the future: botanic gardens as agrifood allies
Wednesday, 14 October 2026 | 17:00 - 18:30 | Plenary Hall (A-335 INT)
The world’s botanic gardens hold living germplasm collections and botanical knowledge that connect plant sciences to humanity, particularly to plants that form our agroecosystems and are the core of the diverse diets and foods we eat. This session looks at how that connection can be strengthened, particularly through closer ties between horticultural sciences and botanic gardens, and through peer-to-peer learning among botanic gardens in developing countries, many of which remain an underused resource for dietary diversity and food security. It will consider how botanic gardens can do more to safeguard and promote opportunity crops, wild and foraged species, and crop wild relatives that sit outside mainstream food systems, and how plant diversity can feed into nutrition and food programs. FAO is already engaging with the botanic garden community globally, particularly on the conservation and sustainable use of food plants through the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants.
At the session, a new initiative will be launched: an FAO Global Network on Botanic Gardens for Food Security, Dietary Diversity & AgriFood Systems Transformation. Experts will consider how stronger links between botanic gardens, agricultural gene banks and agrifood stakeholders can better support conservation and food security and will explore potential for botanic gardens advancing dietary diversity and food security. Governments, botanic garden directors, scientists and conservation practitioners will share their knowledge and experiences on botanic gardens as key allies for food security in this interactive session.
Speakers:
- Dr. QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
- Godfrey Magwenzi, Deputy Director-General, FAO
- Prof. Charles Spillane, Chief Scientist, FAO
- H.R.H. Princess Basma bint Ali, Princess and FAO Goodwill Ambassador, Kingdom of Jordan
- Ms Ma. Shiela Anunciado, Program Manager for Food Security and Nutrition and Food Systems, Asia International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR)
- Dr Carly Cowell, Secretary General, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)
- Dr Colin Khoury, Global Conservation Lead, Global Crop Diversity Trust and Project Manager, Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants, New York Botanical Garden
- Ms Charlotte Lusty, Head of Seed Collections, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Dr Sognigbé N'Danikou, Scientist, Traditional Vegetables Conservation and Utilization, World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg)
- Mr Andrew T. Mushita, Executive Director, Community Technology Development Organisation (CTDO)
- Prof. Ryutaro Tao, Vice President, Dean of the Faculty and Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University
Watch live:
