I am invited to the Agro Food Innovation Forum, Innospace Bern, to contribute with a keynote speech entitled “Developing Adaptive and Innovative Capacities in and around Food Systems”, with a specific focus on “Scaling deep and scaling out: cross-governance design of Food Systems”.

This year’s thematic focus of the forum is “Perspective Matters”, changing perspectives and the hurdles of a transformation in the agro-food sector.

My contribution will look at systemic interventions in this sector, scaling deep and scaling out, embracing emergence, uncertainty, and how we can enact such.

What are ideas for systemic approaches to food and agriculture? Where are the pitfalls?

What granularity of ecosystems should we look at? What size makes sense? Community? Region? Valley?

What about the “Prisoners of Geography” dilemma, whjich refers to how geographic, climatic, and environmental factors limit or influence agricultural and food production. This concept, drawn from the idea that geography can constrain human development and choices, implies that certain regions are restricted by their natural environment, making it difficult for them to adopt transformative changes in agriculture and food systems.

I am curious to participate in the discussions.