Growing the Movement: Scaling Opportunity Crops Through Policy, Partnerships and Investment
This event, alongside the African Food Systems Forum, is convened by the Crop Trust, the African Union Commission and the African Seed and Biotechnology Platform Cluster on Opportunity Crops and Farmer-Managed Seed Systems, with the generous support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland.
As climate change, biodiversity loss, market volatility and geopolitical uncertainty place growing pressure on food systems, crop diversity is emerging as a practical solution for resilience, food security and nutrition, and sustainable development. Now is the time to prioritize the diversification of agrifood systems, with clear and practical solutions that link to evidence to policy making and enhance public-private partnerships. Opportunity crops – also known as neglected and underutilized, or orphan crops – play a critical role by providing a low-input, highly resilient alternative to nutrient-demanding staple commodities like maize and wheat. Crops like fonio, bambara groundnut and amaranth can strengthen climate adaptation, improve nutrition, reduce dependence on external inputs such as fertilizers, and create new opportunities for farmers and local enterprises.
This event will bring together senior representatives from the African Union, governments, research institutions, development organizations, civil society, and the private sector to explore how partnerships, evidence, policy action, and investment can accelerate the integration of opportunity crops into national and regional food systems strategies. Discussions will build on the outcomes of the FAO/FARA Regional Consultation on Opportunity Crops held in Ghana in June 2026, contribute to preparations for the AU Seed Summit in October 2026 and feed into wider engagement at the Rio Convention COPs later in 2026.
Key objectives
- Highlight the role of crop diversity in climate adaptation, economic development, and agricultural innovation
- Identify policy leverage points for integrating crop diversity into national agricultural and food systems strategies
- Strengthen institutional coordination through enhanced collaboration under the ASBPP Working Group on Opportunity Crops
- Enable partnerships by identifying synergies among ongoing initiatives and exploring pathways to scale impact through national policy processes, including the domestication of the CAADP Kampala Declaration
- Catalyze investments by showcasing opportunities for public and private financing, including the experience of the Power of Diversity Funding Facility as a model for collaborative investment and partnership
Agenda
07:45 | Welcome, networking and breakfast |
08:30 | Opening remarks |
08:40 | Keynote Dr. Sayed Azam-Ali - Chair of the High Level Panel of Experts -Food and Nutrition Security of the Committee on World Food Security |
08:50 | Panel discussion: National agri-food policies and priorities for scaling opportunity crops |
09:25 | Partnerships for opportunity crops |
09:35 | Entry points for investments |
09:45 | Closing Remarks |
