FAO Science and Innovation Forum 2023: Science and innovation for climate action

Book excerpt: This comprehensive report provides an overview of the objectives, speakers, and outcomes of each session of the second edition of the FAO Science and Innovation Forum (SIF) 2023. The SIF, a pivotal component of the annual flagship World Food Forum, unfolded from 18 to 20 October 2023 at FAO headquarters. Centered around the theme of leveraging science and innovation for the transformative enhancement of agrifood systems in the context of climate action, the Forum fostered discussions aimed at identifying concrete actions. It served as a platform for strategic deliberations on the nuanced ways in which science, technology, and innovation contribute to vulnerability, impact, and capacities, crucial for reshaping agrifood systems and bolstering climate action. Noteworthy attendance marked the event, with a total of 8 967 registrants, comprising 4 000 in-person participants and 7 153 virtual attendees representing diverse global backgrounds. The Forum featured the insights and perspectives of nearly 150 speakers drawn from academia, research, business, government, non-governmental organizations, farmers' organizations, young entrepreneurs, and Indigenous Peoples. These experts actively contributed to the discourse through engaging roundtables and panel discussions.