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 Cultivating change with innovation and technology at Expo Doha Qatar 202327.11.2023Agrobiodiversity and innovation took centre stage at a dynamic workshop in the Italian Pavilion at Expo Doha Qatar 2023 on 22 November 2023. This workshop, organized by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), showcased new technologies and innovative initiatives focused on agrobiodiversity. Speakers provided concrete examples of how technology can address food insecurity, especially in densely populated and soil-scarce areas, while protecting the environment, building resilience, and creating equitable food systems. His Excellency Paolo Toschi, the Ambassador of Italy to Qatar and EXPO 2023 Commissioner General, kicked off the event with welcoming remarks and an expression of support for the Mountain Partnership (MP). He underlined the importance of biodiversity and Italy's commitment to innovation to combat climate change. In a symbolic gesture of goodwill, Ambassador Toschi gifted Italian soil to the participants to emphasize the critical role of soil health. Italy, a founding member and main donor organization of the MP, has been crucial for championing political support for the mountain agenda. Sara Manuelli, the Communications and Outreach Officer of the MPS, stated, "Italy's contribution and commitment to promoting political support for the mountain agenda within international agreements and processes has been instrumental.'' Carlo Murer, Value Chain and Marketing Expert at NaturaSì, took the stage to present two key MP initiatives – Mountain Partnership Products (MPP) and the Business Incubator and Accelerator for Mountains and Islands (BIA) – and their role in promoting agrobiodiversity and equitable food production and distribution systems. Carlo said, "Food system is a matter of public interest. Food must be understood as a commons and as a human right, not as a commodity." Other speakers included Clementina Pinzón Rodríguez from Ecobubble.it, Francesco Sottile from Slow Food, Fabio Attorre from the Botanical Garden of Rome, Sapienza University. They presented innovative tools and examples of how the new technologies and processes can transform agricultural landscapes into more efficient and sustainable systems, such as the web-based application for complex land monitoring, Earth Map. Tina Mittendorf, Senior Facilities Management Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), showcased FAO's Rooftop Garden Initiative as an example of its corporate environmental responsibility programme which includes new water-saving technologies. Among the participants were students from the course "GROW – Agrobiodiversity in a changing environment", which focuses on the importance of biodiversity in agriculture, especially to enhance cropping and farming systems' resilience and adaptability to climate change. The GROW course is part of the MPP initiative which is financially supported by Italy. The workshop was organized thanks to an invitation from ICE, who holds the pavilion. The ICE offers insights and support around scientific themes connected to agrobiodiversity and food production. Organized in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome, Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research (PAR), the GROW course was first held in 2018 in Rome at FAO Headquarters and has since become an annual course of the MP, having trained over 130 students from 55 different countries to date. Main partners include Slow Food International, NaturaSì, IFOAM-Organics International, and the Italian Development Cooperation. Photo by Sara Manuelli |
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