Science Forum 2018 (SF18), Win more, lose less: Capturing synergies between SDGs through agricultural research, will be held from 10-12 October 2018 in Stellenbosch, South Africa. SF18 is organized by the CGIAR’S Independent Science and Partnership Council (ISPC) and co-hosted by the South African Agricultural Research Council.
The objective of SF18 is to identify substantial interactions between the Sustainable Development Goals (both positive and negative), the role of agricultural research in augmenting synergies and managing trade-offs, and the ensuing implications for the science-policy interface. Results will contribute to the discussion of developing research themes and frameworks in CGIAR.
The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides an aspirational and practical roadmap for action by all countries for achieving long-lasting sustainable development outcomes, while ensuring that no one is left behind. Agriculture lies at the heart of this agenda with an essential, multifunctional and catalytic role to play. While at a global level agriculture has delivered substantial gains in terms of increased food supplies, it has been less successful in generating the full range of social, economic and environmental benefits needed to realize Agenda 2030. To achieve these multiple benefits, it is necessary to reposition agriculture in the overall food system and which must be undertaken in the context of the complex and rising set of challenges facing the sector. These include pressures from a growing and urbanizing population, changing dietary patterns, natural resource depletion and climate change, as well as novel opportunities offered by technological and institutional innovations.
