Aerospace technology for food systems

Wednesday, 26th July, 9:30-10:30

In an era of growing global population and increasing environmental challenges, the transformation of agrifood systems has become a pressing need. To meet the needs of a rising global population, global food production will need to be expedited by an estimated 70% by 2050. The convergence of space technology and agriculture could bring new solutions to address these critical issues, as it holds a unique potential to revolutionize our approach to food production, distribution, and management, with concrete impact on the control and optimization of our agricultural production processes, supply chains and agrifood systems. In this process, a multi-stakeholder approach which foster public-private partnerships can be pivotal.

While space technology offers immense potential for transforming agrifood systems, there are several key issues that need to be addressed to implement it correctly and be able to leverage its use to its maximum efficiency. These include infrastructural gaps, costs and accessibility, and proper regulatory frameworks. Stakeholder collaboration among various actors, such as policymakers, farmers, private sector entities, and international organizations, is vital for addressing these challenges.

The session will focus on the following questions:

What are the challenges and barriers that stakeholders from various sectors - both public and private - face with regards to integrating space technology into agrifood systems, and what are the potential solutions, strategies, and innovative tools to address these challenges?
What are the best strategies to assure that space technologies reach the "last mile" - the smallhold farmers - thus concretely producing benefits to the entire agrifood production and distribution chains?

The session will provide a platform to concretely discuss the challenges and barriers associated with integrating space technology into agrifood systems, allowing to participants to identify policy gaps, propose regulatory frameworks, and suggest incentives to encourage the adoption of space-based solutions. A signifcant testimony will come from both partcipant member states, international organizations and representatives of the private sector.