FAO is hosting a moderated e-mail conference from 4 June to 1 July 2012 on "Ensuring the full participation of family farmers in agricultural innovation systems: Key issues and case studies". Agricultural innovation systems (AIS) are systems of individuals, organizations and enterprises that bring new products, processes and forms of organization into social and economic use to achieve food security, economic development and sustainable natural resource management. AIS include a multitude of potential actors, such as producer organizations, research organizations, extension and advisory services, universities and educational bodies, governments and civil society organizations, co-ordinating bodies, individual farmers and farm labourers, and the private sector (including traders, processors, supermarkets etc.).

 

The conference is open to everyone, is free and will be moderated.

The document aims to provide information that participants will find useful for the e-mail conference. The first Section of the document explains why FAO is hosting the conference. In the second one, definitions are provided for some key terms that are likely to be used throughout the conference. Section 3 presents some of the key issues that were identified at the FAO Expert Consultation (that took place 19-21 March 2012 in Rome) as having a major impact on whether family farmers can benefit from agricultural innovation systems. Section 4 provides specific guidance to participants about the questions that they should address in the conference, while the last section contains references, abbreviations and acknowledgements.