Climate change and food security: digital workshop

The Digital Workshop titled “Climate change and food security: What new technologies can do to improve resilience for small farmers” will be held on 13 April at 15:00 (UTC+1).

The workshop will mainly draw attention on the relationship between Climate Change and Food Security by focusing on small farmers being at the forefront to overcome related challenges.
Farmers are also the main target group who could offer a sustainable solution to food security as an alternative to the prevalent agro-industrial model, which is deeply rooted in the Mediterranean region. Following the COP21 Forum in Paris, the relationship between Climate Change and Food Security needs to be further explored. In particular, new models and practices needs to be identified as feasible and sustainable solution. Innovation, in the forms of new technologies is often cited as providing new avenues for agriculture.
But what new technologies can do to improve the resilience of small farmers to climate change? Yet, what kind of new technologies could be applicable within the small farmer communities to reach the level of resilience desired to overcome the challenge of Climate Change in correlation with Food Security.

The Digital Workshop will invite the following guest speakers:

Eng. Do’a Zayed, Project Manager at UAWC
Do'a Zayed, agronomist, is project coordinator at the Union of Agriculture Work Committees (UAWC), where she heads a Seed Bank that distributes safe seeds throughout the Middle East. She has directed many projects on the themes of food security, food access and sustainable livelihoods. She has been researcher on biodiversity at Hebron University. UAWC (member of La Via Campesina) was established in 1986 in response to the vulnerable socio-political circumstance of farmers in the early eighties, whose interests were directly harmed. The Union, founded as a non-profit organization by a group of volunteers and agronomists, depended in its early days on volunteers completely. Now, the UAWC has 114 employees in the West Bank and Gaza strip who are committed to empower small farmers, both men and women, as well as their families, and strengthen farmers' resilience on their lands in an agricultural and public developmental framework at the public level.

Dr. J. Dorra Fiani, President & Founder of the Knowledge Economy Foundation (NGO)
Mrs. Fiani is a multi disciplinary expert combining hands-on experience of project management of multiple projects over 30 years of experience in strategic marketing and business development for a large number of institutions and corporate. Specialized in the B2B market through the launch of innovative business information services, SMEs supply chains and multiple sectoral surveys in Egypt and overseas. This included in particular a large range of programs in the Agribusiness sector together with the set-up of a related network of business relations and associates in Europe and the Arab countries. Investing her extensive business development knowledge, entrepreneurship skills and expertise in information systems design and management, Mrs. Fiani established with a group of leading experts an NGO, Knowledge Economy Foundation, to develop programs combining development goals to business cycles. This approach, inspired by successful models in other developing countries, is based on the extensive usage of knowledge management and dissemination using ICT tools and focused on the agriculture sector. Extended knowledge of the ICT sector through the “content management” activity of the company and the launch of the regional franchise of “Kompass”, the leading B2B web database worldwide, in addition to the creation of new services such as credit reporting and rating of companies, innovative business and financial publications and specialized B2B web sites Mrs. Fiani is an expert in designing “public private partnership programs” of which a partnership with the Ministry of State for Administrative Development, whereas the company created the first SMEs web business and investment guide uploaded on the government portal. Managed a large number of business development projects (both joint ventures and commercial agreements) among European and Egyptian and Arab investors, which spanned from the identification of the most suitable partner (s), to the promotion of the project, to assisting in setting the financing, to managing and following the project till contract signature.

Dr. Nicola Colonna, Researcher at ENEA
Agronomist, PhD, researcher at ENEA, Italy, in the Biotechnologies and Agroindustry Division, currently Head of the Agrifood Sustainability, Quality and Safety Lab. He was involved in many national and international projects dealing with  the relationships between energy, environment and agri-food production. ENEA is the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development. It’s the second major Italian research organization, with around 2700 staff employees distributed in its 9 research centers all over the national territory. The Agency’s activities are mainly focused on Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy Sources, Nuclear Energy, Climate and the Environment, Safety and Health, New Technologies and Innovation, Electric System Research.

Ms. Daniela Finamore, Campaign Officer at FOCSIV
Daniela Finamore works at the Policy and Campaign Office in FOCSIV, where she has been a National Civil Service Volunteer. Specialized in International Agricultural Policy, she is involved in policy and campaigning mainly in agricultural and climatic issues. She also deals with research and institutional relations at the Center for Economic Development and Social Change. FOCSIV – Volontari nel mondo is the biggest Italian Federation of voluntary service Christian organizations, working to promote a “one world” consciousness and to carry out programs of co-operation with the South of the world. The Federation counts at present 73 organization members, with a membership base of 5.300 people, 398 groups and over 30.000 supporters. Since 1972 FOCSIV is involved to contribute to the struggle against every form of poverty and marginalization; to the affirmation of human dignity and human rights; to protect and promote human rights and the growth of communities and local institutions. 

The digital workshop will be organized through a video-call and will last for 1h.00: bookmark this page to follow the livestream!

How to get involved:

You can follow the discussion by accessing the streaming here. You can interact with the participants in the call through our social media channels (TW and FB) using the hashtag #FoodClimate or through the comment system found at the bottom of this page where they can post comments, questions, and raise issues to be discussed.
You can also send us your questions in advance! Need help? Contact us at agora@medspring.eu

Here is a short video to promote the digital workshop! Watch and share it!