2018 Side Events

The Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD), an advisory committee to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will convene a public meeting on October 16, 2018 to explore opportunities and challenges for private sector engagement and market system linkages across the food system to advance nutrition outcomes.

The meeting will examine public sector and private sector relationships at different points in the food system to improve the demand, availability, accessibility, and affordability of high-quality diets for vulnerable populations. Discussions will address how to build a business case for private sector involvement in improving diet quality for vulnerable populations and how the public sector needs to engage to support and incentivize that business case. Recommendations coming out of the meeting will help to inform USAID’s future focus in this area.

The meeting will also include the announcement of the winners of the BIFAD Prize for Scientific Excellence and an update on a BIFAD-commissioned study on the U.S. benefits and capabilities leveraged of USAID investments in developing country agriculture and food security.  There will be an introduction by Dr. Rob Bertram, Chief Scientist, USAID Bureau for Food Security, a keynote address by Dr. Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and framing remarks by Dr. William Masters, Professor of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. 

Following, there will be two panel discussions:

1. The aspects of the enabling environment that can help accelerate private sector engagement in nutrition.
2. The key drivers of private sector engagement to improve diet quality, including aspects of labeling, marketing, standards, and accountability systems.

A public comment period is scheduled from 11:30am-12:00 pm CDT.

More information, including a detailed agenda and registration information, can be found on the BIFAD landing page.