In the margins of the ForumforAg Annual Conference, a smaller but no less significant conversation took place on 15 April, hosted by the Committee of the Regions, to “unbox” the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Agri-Food Systems Technologies and Innovations Outlook Knowledge Base (ATIO-KB).

The ATIO Knowledge Base is intended as a dynamic, open-access platform that curates and structures agrifood innovations, bring- ing together data, indicators and real-world use cases. Yet the purpose of the event was not to describe the tool, but to interrogate its potential: could such a platform meaningfully accelerate innovation in agriculture, and under what conditions? What distinguished the discussion was not simply diversity of opinion, but diversity of experience. Participants ranged from grassroots organisers to international policymakers, from sustainability scientists to those working directly with farmers across very different systems.

Across contributions, a consistent theme emerged: the constraint on agricultural innovation is not a lack of ideas, but a lack of connection. Megha Desai of SEWA spoke to the persistent divide between grassroots innovation and the ‘formal’ system, where recognition, validation and scaling pathways are often limited. Others echoed the need to make locally developed solutions more visible and accessible, particularly where they have already demonstrated impact.

Tiina Huvio highlighted the striking commonality of challenges faced by farmers in very different contexts. The opportunity, she suggested, lies in enabling these farmers to learn from each other’s lived experience: not only their successes, but also their failures and adaptations along the way.

If the event reinforced the importance of connection, it also underscored the urgency. Leonard Mizzi of DG INTPA described the current environment facing European farmers not as a “perfect storm,” but as “a raging inferno of tsunamis and cyclones.” Geopolitical instability is disrupting supply chains and access to key inputs such as fertiliser, while impending changes to the European Union’s CAP from 2027 introduce further uncertainty around public support. In this context, innovation is not optional – it is essential, but also increasingly risky.

In an Australian context, farmers operate in a similarly volatile environment, shaped by exposure to global markets and acute climate variability. Droughts, floods and bushfires – sometimes within the same season – demand constant adaptation. Innovation, in such systems, is not a strategic choice but a condition of survival.

Against this backdrop, the discussion turned to a more fun- damental question: what enables innovation to be adopted at scale? The answer, repeatedly, was trust. However, trust is not uniform. For farmers, confidence in a new technology or practice is grounded in tangible evidence – seeing what works in the paddock, under real conditions, and understanding the risks involved. Policymakers, by contrast, are more likely to look for alignment with broader objectives: environmental outcomes, productivity gains, or social benefits that justify policy support.

Central to this is the concept of de-risking. Several contributors emphasised that accelerating innovation is not about eliminating failure, but about making risk more visible, manageable and shared. Farmers are willing to take risks – but only when those risks are understood and supported.

Here, the ATIO KB could play a practical role. By clearly documenting what is working, who is involved, and how innovations have been developed and adapted over time, the platform can provide a clearer line of sight for others seeking to adopt similar approaches. Just as importantly, it can normalise the role of iteration and failure as part of the innovation process, rather than something to be concealed. The real value of the ATIO-KB will depend not only on the information it contains, but on its ability to connect people, build trust, and reduce the perceived risk of change.

In a period defined by uncertainty, the need for practical, credible pathways to innovation has rarely been greater. The ATIO-KB is an ambitious attempt to meet that need. Its impact will ultimately be determined by whether it can translate connection into confidence, and confidence into action.

To watch the full session, find out more about the speakers, or view the agenda click here.