Transforming Farming: Measuring the Impact for Better Investments?
As a continuation of the 2024 edition dedicated to the challenge of financing agricultural transformation, the FARM Foundation is organizing an international Conference on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, focusing on the crucial issue of impact measurement in agricultural investments.
The 2024 conference concluded with a diagnosis showing that financing and investment for sustainable agricultural development combining productivity, food sovereignty, and preservation of natural resources were insufficient and often ineffective.
To strengthen advocacy for increased funding – both public and private – FARM has chosen to dedicate its next international conference to the theme of measuring the impact of investments and how it can contribute (or not) to the sustainable transformation of agriculture.
This event, combining in-person and remote attendance, will bring together French and international experts and decision-makers to discuss 4 major questions:
1. How can research into impact measurement contribute to the practices of players in the agricultural and food sector?
2. How are key performance indicators defined in alignment with economic, environmental, and social sustainability objectives and the reporting expectations of funding and investment actors?
3. Have the evaluation of results and monitoring by financiers and investors led to changes in farming practices?
4. Under what conditions can impact measurement be inclusive and enable the development of producers in developing countries?
During this day, the FARM Prize 2025 will also be awarded,
recognizing the commitment of researchers for improving food and agricultural systems.
PROGRAM
Meet at the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris (practical information for getting there)
Doors open at 9 AM
10 AM – 10:30 AM: CONFERENCE OPENING
Pascal Lheureux, Farmer and President of the FARM Foundation, France
Arianna Legovini, Director of the Development Impact (DIME) department at the World Bank, USA
10:30 AM – 11 AM: KEYNOTE – Impact science: how research contributes to stakeholder practices
Juliette Seban, Director of the Development innovation fund, France
Tanguy Bernard, Professor at the University of Bordeaux and member of the FARM Scientific council, France
11 AM – 12:30 PM: ROUNDTABLE 1 – The finance stakeholders’ perspective: methods, tools, and expectations
Intervention of Maya Atig, Director of the French Banking Federation, France
André Albuquerque Sant’Anna, Head of the climate department of the Brazilian national development bank (BNDES) and Visiting Professor at the Federal Fluminense University, Brazil
Alexandra Veidner, Sustainability reporting senior technical manager, European financial reporting advisory group (EFRAG), Belgium
Gautier Quéru, Head of Natural Capital, Mirova, France
Claude Torre, Project team manager, AFD, France
Moderation: Philippe Guichandut, General secretary of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, France
12:30 PM: FARM PRIZE 2025 CEREMONY
Presentation of the FARM Prize by Pierre Jacquet, Economist and President of the Scientific council of FARM, France
And Gifty Narh, Co-founder of the CORADE Agency (Consulting, research-action and expertise development), Burkina Faso and member of the FARM Scientific council
Lunch reception
2 PM – 3:30 PM: ROUNDTABLE 2 – When investments change practices
Hamza Addam, Head of Innovation, OCP Nutricrops, Morocco
Blaise Desbordes, Chief executive officer of Max Havelaar France, France
Adeline Lescanne, Chief executive officer of Nutriset, France
Boris Naguet, Head of Operations of Tourba in Africa and Brazil, at InnovX, Morocco
Anaïs Riffiod, Chief executive officer of Apexagri, France
Jérôme Fabre, Executive chairman of Compagnie Fruitière, France
Moderation: Marie-Laure Hustache, Delegate of SYRPA (community of agri-communicators) and member of the “EllesSontFood” network, France
3:30 PM – 5 PM: ROUNDTABLE 3 – Towards inclusive impact measurement: challenges, risks, and opportunities for producers
Intervention of Ibrahima Coulibaly, malian farmer, President of the Pan African Farmers Organization, and the Network of farmers’ organizations and agricultural producers in West Africa (Roppa), Mali
Florent Bédécarrats, Researcher at the French national research institute for development (IRD), France
Assata Doumbia, Farmer and president of Méagui Farmers’ Cooperative Enterprise (ECAM), Ivory Coast
Mamadou Goïta, Director of the Institute for research and promotion of alternatives in development (IRPAD) and member of the IPES-Food panel, Mali
Cécile Lapenu, Director of Cerise, France
Mathieu Soglonou, Director of the Confederation of financial institutions in West Africa (CIF-AO), Burkina Faso
Moderation: François Doligez, Agroeconomist, program manager at IRAM and member of the Scientific council of the FARM Foundation, France
5 PM: CLOSING
Pierre Jacquet, Economist and President of the Scientific council of FARM, France
Ibrahim Mayaki, African Union special envoy for food systems
Sara Savastano, Director of the Research and impact assessment division at IFAD, Italy
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: RECEPTION