As well as the more obvious events, such as the Regional Forum in Spain, the Forum has also been busy behind the scenes in other areas to particularly support our Call to action and maximise networking opportunities. In this short update, Mark Titterington explains some of the recent activities

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Recognition for Congressman Lahood

In June, Mark Titterington, the Co-Founder and Director of the Forum for the Future of Agriculture, was back in Washington D.C. to present U.S. Congressman Darin Lahood of Illinois, with one of our prestigious neck-ties, which are reserved for those key speakers and contributors to the Forum’s program. This presentation was made in recognition of the Congressman’s role in hosting the Friends of the Countryside delegation who visited Washington in February. Congressman Lahood hosted a reception on Capitol Hill as well as a tour of Congress for our group.

From left to right: Mark Titterington, Co-Founder and Director of the Forum for the Future of Agriculture and Darin Lahood, US Congressman of Illinois

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Forum for Ag partnership with GFFPI grows

The Global Forum for Farm Policy & Innovation, (GFFPI) which has been established by the Forum for the Future of Agriculture together with our partners the U.S. based Farm Foundation, Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute and the Australian Farm Institute, continues its strong development in 2023.

In June, Mark Titterington, the Forum’s Co-Founder and Director, joined the Farm Foundation’s Annual Summit in Chicago, where he hosted a session with Aidan Connolly, President and CEO, of AgTech Capital, and author of The Future of Agriculture. They discussed topics ranging from the digitisation of agriculture, to gene-editing, financial incentives for eco-system services, and the role of global and regional policy and regulation in enabling a more resilient and sustainable agriculture.

Mark then joined the other partners in GFFPI at the Australian Farm Institute’s Conference in Adelaide, at the start of July, as well as making a series of field visits to grain and livestock producers in South Australia.

Commenting on the visits, Mark said, “I’m always energized by the passion and can-do attitude of farmers and land managers wherever I go and this was equally true of those I met and discussed with in Australia. Like everywhere else, they are trying to build and sustain profitable businesses whilst responding to the sustainability challenges. I was particularly struck by just how important data is in their decision making as well as having access to the right tools and infrastructure, such as rural broadband, and the right market incentives to do the job. It’s equally that access to skilled labour, following the Covid pandemic, is a very acute challenge for them as well”

Above (from left): Tyler McCann, Managing Director of The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute; Shari Rogge-Fidler, President and CEO of Farm Foundation; Mark Titterington, Co-Founder and Director of the Forum for the Future of Agriculture; Richard Heath, Executive Director of the Australian Farm Institute

To learn more about the AFI Conference, you can listen to Mark’s podcast interview with their Chief Executive, Richard Heath or read a short summary of the podcast.

Both of these events have laid the groundwork for a major GFFPI workshop, which is expected to take place in the autumn at the OECD in Paris, on the role that trade plays in developing sustainable agriculture around the world.

 

Mark Titterington
Senior Adviser, Strategy & Partnerships, Forum for the Future of Agriculture