Growing the Movement: Scaling Opportunity Crops Through Policy, Partnerships and Investment

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

Time	Item	Speaker
7:45-8:30	Networking and Breakfast	Moderator
8:25-8:30	Welcome	Moderator
8:30-8:40	Opening Remarks	H.E. Moses Vilakati Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union
8:40-8:45	Opening Remarks	Kordula Mehlhart Head of Division, Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
8:45-8:50	Opening Remarks	Isabella Rae Agriculture and Food Systems Lead Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland
8:50-9:00	Keynote	Dr. Sayed Azam-Ali Chair of the High Level Panel of Experts - Food and Nutrition Security of the Committee on World Food Security
9:00-9:05	Remarks and Reflections	Cristina Miranda Gozálvez Head of Unit, European Commission – DG International Partnerships
9:05-9:30	Policy	Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh (tbc) Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development of the Republic of Kenya Dr. Ndashe Kapulu Director, Ministry of Agriculture of Zambia Dr. Clement Adjorlolo Head of Agriculture and Rural Transformation, AUDA-NEPAD
9:30-9:45	Partnerships	Dr. Wole Fatunbi Ag. Director of Research and Innovation, FARA Dr. Julia Sibiya VACS Capacity Development Lead, CIMMYT Dr. Julian Ramirez-Villegas Principal Scientist on Climate Impacts, Alliance Bioversity & CIAT
9:45-9:50	Entry Points for Investments	Dr. Kindie Tesfaye Fantanye Head of Climate Adaptation, Sustainable Agriculture and Resilience, AGRA
9:50-9:55	Closing Remarks	Crop Trust
9:55-10:30	Open Networking