Expert Panels 2027 · 16:00–17:30

EXPERT PANEL 11

Cultivating Bioeconomy Partnerships for Trade, Innovation and Resilience: From Nairobi via Dublin to Berlin

Organisers: International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB) · AKADEMIYA2063 · Center for Development Research · International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) · University of Hohenheim · Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) · Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Sierra Leone · Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, South Africa

Language: English

Climate shocks, volatile energy and fertilizer prices, and fragile trade relationships have exposed how dependent agri-food systems remain on imported fossil-based inputs. The bioeconomy offers a way to reduce that dependence, diversify income beyond primary commodity exports, and build competitiveness through bio-based inputs and circular value chains. This expert panel builds on two 2026 milestones: the Africa Bioeconomy Workshop in Nairobi, which set shared regional priorities for bioeconomy strategy and investment, and the Global Bioeconomy Summit in Dublin, which launched the Global Bioeconomy Partnership. The panel opens with key findings from the IACGB Global Bioeconomy Policy Report 2026. Ministers, researchers and international bioeconomy leaders from Africa, Europe and Latin America then discuss how national strategies can link resilience with competitiveness, and how innovations can be scaled, regulated and made accessible to smallholder farmers. They also look at how two-way trade and joint research and innovation can move African countries from suppliers of raw materials to co-producers of bioeconomy value. Blended and nature-related finance is examined as a way to lower the risk of cross-border partnerships. The session aims to move the debate from principle to practice: identifying specific value chains, instruments and institutional arrangements for bioeconomy partnerships, and positioning African and Latin American institutions as co-creators of the global bioeconomy agenda.

EXPERT PANEL 12

From Space to Grain Markets: Digital Twin for Global Yield Forecast and Food Security

Organisers: Vista Geowissenschaftliche Fernerkundung GmbH

Language: English

Global food markets are increasingly exposed to climate extremes, geopolitical disruptions and rapidly changing production prospects. Better and earlier crop information (including yield and production) can create greater transparency and contribute to more resilient global food markets by helping governments, market actors and food-security organisations anticipate shortages, price risks and supply shifts.

This expert panel will discuss how open access to Earth Observation data, crop modelling and global monitoring can turn observations from the field into timely, actionable crop forecasts. Using digital twins for weekly global wheat yield and production forecasts as a concrete example, the panel will show how open space data and modern technologies can complement established agricultural statistics and monitoring systems, foster innovation and contribute to securing food security.

Representatives from ESA, GEOGLAM, VISTA and the European Commission’s JRC will discuss the importance of open space, forecast accuracy and uncertainty, validation, interoperability and user needs. The panel will also explore how public monitoring systems, international initiatives and commercial services can work together to provide trusted, operational and scalable information for better decisions across global food systems.