On June 23, in Nairobi, Kenya, Virginia Tech’s Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Initiative and its partners will host a hybrid event, “Accelerating Agricultural Productivity Growth in East Africa: Agenda for Urgent Action,” to identify tailored actions for all scales of agriculture in the critical region.
In the day-long session, attendees will find specific actions that can be taken in the next 12 to 36 months to accelerate agricultural productivity growth and enhance sustainability and resilience in East Africa, a region that shows promise for helping bolster global food and nutrition security.
An initiative of Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ CALS Global office, the GAP Initiative will facilitate the event, convening speakers and attendees from across government, industry, universities and the research community, producers, development agencies, and civil society. The event will include global, national, regional, and location representatives.
Speakers include global and regional leaders in agriculture and policy, including:
- Tony Fernandes, deputy assistant secretary, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.
- Karen Hulebak, former chair, Codex Alimentarius Commission.
- Jehiel Oliver, CEO, Hello Tractor.
Live stream
Representatives from African Agricultural Technology Foundation, Bayer Crop Science, Corteva Agriscience, Egerton University, Farmer Input Promotions Africa, International Livestock Research Institute, Tanager, Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development, and Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
This event is co-sponsored by MSD Animal Health, Egerton University, and CALS Global. CALS Global has a long-term relationship in East Africa through its partnership with the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture and Agribusiness Management at Egerton University in Kenya. MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co. Inc., is the global animal health business unit of MSD.
“We are delighted to have MSD Animal Health and Egerton University as partners for this event,” said Tom Thompson, associate dean and director of CALS Global. “During the last five years, we have collaborated with Egerton to find sustainable solutions for accelerating agricultural productivity growth in East Africa. As we look for more ways to enable thriving communities across the globe, we look forward to expanding our partnerships with Egerton, MSD Animal Health, and all of our GAP Initiative supporting and consultative partners.”
The in-person event will also be live streamed on the GAP Initiative website from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. East Africa Time (2:30 a.m.-6 a.m. EST). The GAP Initiative is supported by its supporting partners: the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Bayer Crop Science, Corteva Agriscience, John Deere, The Mosaic Company, and Smithfield Foods.
The GAP Report’s Consultative Partners are: ACDI/VOCA, Farm Foundation, HarvestPlus, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, International Potato Center, New Markets Lab, Purdue University, Sasakawa Africa Association, Sehgal Foundation, Supporters of Agricultural Research Foundation, Tanager, and the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska.
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