FAO looks to innovation in agriculture with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

11 February 2020, Rome - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu discussed the importance of innovation in agriculture when he met Rodger Voorhies, the President of Global Growth and Opportunity, at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Rome.

The Director-General briefed Voorhies on the current Desert Locust upsurge in the Horn of Africa and the threat it poses to food security in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and other countries, when they met at FAO headquarters on Monday.

Qu invited the foundation to work with FAO on supporting innovation not only in science and technology, but in also changing how people approach their work.

Voorhies said that the foundation would work closely with FAO on data and digitalization, as well as strengthening the policy support function of FAO. The foundation also looks forward to working closely on food systems and nutrition outcomes.

Qu also discussed FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which aims to create "matchmaking" between donors and recipients to support tailor-made assistance for the world’s most vulnerable, and Voorhies suggested around 10 countries in Africa that could be priorities for this initiative.