GFFA 2019 – Overview of the most important events

“Agriculture Goes Digital – Smart Solutions for Future Farming”
Digitalisation can help make agricultural production worldwide more efficient and, at the same time, more environmentally and climate-friendly. Digital solutions enable us to use means of production such as fuels, fertiliser and pesticides more economically and in a more targeted manner, to detect animal diseases earlier and to achieve greater transparency for consumers. They open up easy and cost-effective access to advisory services and market information.

Summary of Results 2019
Programme 2019

74 ministers of agriculture from around the world and twelve high-ranking representatives of international organisations met in the Weltsaal of the Federal Foreign Office and adopted a joint political communiqué on digitalisation in the agricultural sector.

Communique GFFA 2019
Statement of the Young Farmers

“The fight against hunger will play a central role in the years to come.” Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel attended the GFFA for the first time and addressed approx. 70 ministers and invited guests, as well as a large number of media representatives.

The German Chancellor at GFFA 2019
Speech by Chancellor Merkel at the meeting of the
Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin on 18 January 2019

Download the press release

Kick-off Event „Agriculture Goes Digital – Smart Solutions for Future Farming“.

The opening event was held to mark the official start of the discussions between high-level experts of the global agri-food sector from politics, industry, science and civil society that took place from 17th to 19th January 2019. The kick-off event has given an introduction to the topic, outlining its manifold aspects and paving the way for the discussions hosted by the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in cooperation with the Berlin Senate, Messe Berlin GmbH and the GFFA Berlin Association.

A total of 15 expert panels were held at the GFFA, each with around 150 participants. The different perspectives and focuses of the GFFA theme of “Agriculture Goes Digital – Smart Solutions for Future Farming” were highlighted and debated in depth. The expert panels were organised by national and international organisations, associations, diplomatic and consular missions and ministries of agriculture, universities and research institutes.

The two high-ranking High Level Panels featuring international experts has given international organisations the opportunity to present their work on the GFFA theme of “Agriculture Goes Digital – Smart Solutions for Future Farming” to up to 500 guests and to discuss possible solutions and challenges. For the GFFA 2019, the European Commission and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) were chosen as hosts by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The international organisations presented the findings of the discussions at the Conference of Agriculture Ministers on 19 January 2019.

SideEvent WTO “Out of the deadlock – new visions for Agricultural Trade”

Facing the global challenges of food security and zero hunger (e.g. as defined by SDG 2), inclusive trade and competitiveness are identified as fundamental pillars of a sustainable and resilient agricultural sector. Local conditions differ among countries and regions leading to differing specializations in agricultural production and opportunities for trade.

Task Force Rural Africa “EU Africa Alliance in Agriculture – the way forward”

Relations with Africa have gained a high profile on the EU external action agenda. The outcome of the 5th Africa-EU Summit in November 2017, and the joint declaration that will guide our cooperation till 2020, acknowledged that cooperation in agriculture will be crucial for a sustainable future.

Over 30 exhibitors of associations, companies and universities were represented this year at the Cooperation Market 2018, which showed their work in the agri-food sector.
In contrast to the exhibition halls at the International Green Week, the focus here was primarily on the presentation of projects rather than products.

The Cooperation Market and the affiliated Business Lounge provided space and opportunity for dialogue and exchange of experiences. The Cooperation Market was an ideal setting for specialist visitors and exhibitors to enter into conversation.

The Future Forum was a new GFFA format, combining a contemporary exhibition area and an open stage, it was meant to offer a lively space for an interactive exchange between established and new stakeholders within the GFFA 2019. The multimedia presentation of start-ups showcasing their innovative and practice-oriented ideas of the agri-food sector plays a central role in this context.

At the same time, international GFFA visitors were provided with new ideas and information on concrete projects or digital solutions concepts for various challenging areas of agricultural practice at home and abroad by engaging in talks with diverse players and sharing their brief presentations on an open stage.