The FAO's Office of Innovation (OIN) is proud to announce the release of the joint FAO-CIRAD Global Foresight Synthesis Report

The FAO's Office of Innovation (OIN) is proud to announce the release of the joint FAO-CIRAD Global Foresight Synthesis Report "Harvesting change: Harnessing emerging technologies and innovations  for agrifood systems transformation".

This is the first ever foresight report on emerging technologies and innovations in the agrifood systems. This study, employing foresight methodologies such as horizon scanning, scenario building, and strategic foresight, aims to address the knowledge gap surrounding emerging agrifood technologies and innovations across different time horizons—ranging from 2030 to 2050 and beyond.  

The report identifies trends, drivers and triggers of change, thus providing a toolbox to accelerate the pace of needed innovations and builds scenarios about plausible technological futures to stimulate reflection, inform policy choices and call to action. It highlights that responsible use of technologies and innovations require renewed research and policy agendas, repurposing of investments and capacities, democratizing access to science, technology and innovation, implementing real time feedback mechanisms for monitoring, evaluating and learning, and harnessing co-innovation approaches. 

 “In an era of polycrisis, single-lane solutions are unlikely to work. What's required is a multi-lane highway of collaborative efforts,  marrying technology with policy, & innovation with tradition. This report is a timely guide" 

Vincent Martin 
Director, FAO Office of Innovation