Opportunity Crops: A BOLDER Approach to Food Security
“Opportunity crops are nutritious, robust, and environmentally friendly. They are important for local communities and can contribute to resilient, equitable and sustainable pathways for global food security.” – Stefan Schmitz, Crop Trust Executive Director
“Opportunity crops are nutritious, robust, and environmentally friendly. They are important for local communities and can contribute to resilient, equitable and sustainable pathways for global food security.” – Stefan Schmitz, Crop Trust Executive Director
From fonio to jute mallow, lesser-known crops are gaining ground. These opportunity crops are climate-resilient, nutrient-rich and hold untapped potential for more sustainable, diverse and equitable food systems.
Experts congregate at the Crop Trust headquarters in Bonn, Germany, on 9 September 2025 to celebrate opportunity crops and dive into the science, policy, and partnerships behind BOLDER, an ambitious effort to build momentum for opportunity crops in Africa.
Hosted by the Crop Trust with support from the Government of Norway.
Learn more about BOLDER.
Program
13:00 | Welcome & Opening Remarks
- Cody Gildart, Chief Communications Officer, Crop Trust
- Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director, Crop Trust Talk: “Within Diversity; Among Diversity”
13:10 | Setting the Scene: Africa Today, Africa Tomorrow
Dynamic Panel Discussion
- Céline Termote, Senior Scientist and Regional Team Leader for Food Environment and Consumer Behavior, Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
- Mercy Mwambi, Agricultural Economist, World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg)
- Matilda Ntowa Bissah, Scientist, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute (CSIR-PGRRI), Ghana
13:30 | BOLDER Opportunities: Expanding the Value of Crop Diversity
Short talks from BOLDER collaborators on how opportunity crops can strengthen food systems from seed to table.
- Sarah Paule Dalle, Researcher, Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
- Peter Emmrich, John Innes Centre (JIC)
- John Adriko, Director of Research, National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NaFORRI), National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Uganda
14:00 | Opportunity Crops Break
Blind tasting of foods featuring opportunity crops.
14:30 | Food Systems & Opportunity Crops
What are researchers seeing in terms of production trends, markets, and shifts in consumer preferences?
- Mercy Mwambi, Agricultural Economist, World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg)
- Céline Termote, Senior Scientist, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
14:40 | Building the Ecosystem: The BOLDER Process
- Nora Castañeda-Álvarez, BOLDER Project Coordinator, Crop Trust
- Nico Wilms-Posen, Project Coordinator, Power of Diversity Funding Facility, Crop Trust
14:50 | Exploring & Evaluating Crop Diversity
How farmers are working with researchers to test, select and adopt diverse crops using the 'tricot' approach.
- Kauê de Sousa, Scientist, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
- Carlos Houdegbe, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin
- Sognigbe N’Danikou, Scientist, World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg)
15:10 | Collecting & Conserving Crop Diversity
Why urgent collecting efforts are vital to prevent the loss of valuable crop diversity forever.
- Mujuni Sospeter Kabululu, Senior Research Officer, Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority
- Dèdéou Apocalypse Tchokponhoue, Genebank Manager, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin
15:20 | The Future: Building on BOLDER
A look at what’s next: how to build equitable, sustainable food systems with support from national governments and new initiatives.
- Nora Castañeda-Álvarez, Crop Trust
- Nico Wilms-Posen, Crop Trust