Commissioner Mimicain Rome to discuss agricultural innovation to achieve the SDGs

During this "International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers", the Commissioner will emphasise how agricultural innovation and private investment can change lives in rural communities by creating jobs and growth – and get us closer to achieving the SDGs. The Commissioner will notably outline how, from a development perspective, the EU's vision for innovation supports inclusive and sustainable transformation in rural areas, adapted to local conditions. In addition, he will highlight the "Development Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture" (DeSIRA) initiative, which is aimed at addressing climate change in the context of research and innovation. The Commission launched this initiative last year. The Commissioner will also emphasise how new innovative financial instruments launched by the Commission can help encourage sustainable private investment in agri-food systems as a further means of driving rural transformation. During his mission to Rome, the Commissioner will also sign three contracts at a joint ceremony with the three Rome-based agencies: the FAO, the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. In a nutshell, they address: (i) the root causes of gender inequalities in rural areas and empowering women (€5 million); (ii) investment support to enable sustainable private investments in agri-food systems with a strong development impact (€4 million); and (iii) global food security governance for achieving the SDGs (€3 million).