Recognising social innovation at the World Economic Forum

Last week I had the honour to join social innovators from around the world, with leaders like Al Gore, on the stage in Davos to receive the Schwab Foundation Collective Social Innovators award on behalf of the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative. A week in Davos opened my eyes to the many and varied conversations going on between private sector, governments and individual global leaders – so distant from the smallholder palm oil, shea and cocoa farmers who drive the economies of many countries in Central and West Africa. And that’s why it’s so important to get the voice of African farmers heard in this kind of international setting – and why I’m grateful to the Schwab Foundation for giving us this opportunity.

Agriculture is a key economic driver in Africa, providing jobs and livelihoods for millions of people, but it’s also a cause of deforestation, biodiversity loss and human rights abuses. Trying to balance these demands for economic development, jobs and food production with protection of forests and nature is a challenge to all governments in the continent. The Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative brings together ten countries in West and Central Africa, committed to principles of responsible production, in a way that protects natural resources and advances human rights and livelihoods.

These ten countries – Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone – represent 75% of Africa’s tropical forests and 25% of tropical forests globally. This is a region where climate stability is absolutely critical for the people who live there, including some of the most vulnerable in the world.

At Davos I was struck by Klaus and Hilde Schwab’s personal engagement with the awardees, especially young people and innovators, committed to elevating them to leadership positions of the future. Throughout the week, Hilde Schwab gave her personal attention to the Schwab Foundation awardees, with a packed programme of meetings with government leaders, donors and influencers from across the globe.

Artificial intelligence featured in many of the conversations, stimulating me to think about how we need to invest in AI technologies in Africa to support better farming practices. In some ASCI member countries, each government extension officer may be supporting 3,000 – 8,000 farmers; sometimes private sector provides more extension services than the government, but they tend to operate independently, without coordination. Platforms to support coordination, predict changing weather patterns, and detect stress levels of cocoa trees well in advance can help farmers to prepare and adapt. We need to understand how to mobilise new technology to support smallholder farmers at scale in Central and West Africa.

While discussions about climate, nature and people were, of course, high on the agenda, sustainable agricultural production was not the dominant topic. Within Africa we need to keep this topic prominent, and support coherent and unified action.  The Schwab Foundation Award for Social Innovation has been a great opportunity to raise the profile of the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative and the importance of food production in this changing climate. I look forward to using this springboard to work with the brilliant team of  ASCI facilitators across the region, supporting economic development and food production while protecting and nurturing our forests and nature.

 

Proforest Insights are drawn from our 25 years of practical experience in responsible sourcing and production of agricultural and forest commodities. This Insight is part of a series by Proforest’s senior leadership. The full series is available here.