Who the Forum Was For
The Science Forum 2013 was organized to engage scientists, researchers, and professionals working across agriculture, nutrition, food security, and public health. A particular aim of the forum was to reach communities of scientists and partners external to CGIAR, broadening the dialogue around the forum's theme of nutrition and health outcomes as targets for agricultural research.
Participants came together in Bonn for a three-day program of the Science Forum, an event dedicated to the intersection of agriculture, nutrition, and public health. The gathering drew scientists, researchers, and professionals whose shared concern was how research priorities can be shaped around nutrition and health outcomes as targets for agricultural science. Sessions ranged across the breadth of the field, from micronutrient deficiencies and chronic undernutrition to the question of how widespread food insecurity and hunger remain in parts of Africa and Asia, where stunted growth in children continues to limit potential.
A distinctive aim of the forum was to reach communities of scientists and partners external to CGIAR, widening the conversation beyond the institutions that typically convene such discussions. Focus sessions were structured to bring evidence together across disciplines, allowing participants to examine agricultural research priorities linked to nutrition together rather than in isolation. Overweight and overnutrition in adults were also addressed, since the double burden of malnutrition poses a formidable challenge in developed as well as developing countries, and researchers are grappling with the range of diseases that can result.
The forum served as a platform for clarifying the contribution of evidence to policy, and for demonstrating the impacts that research partnerships have had on nutrition outcomes. Remarkable advances in the field have improved the lives of many, yet significant questions remain that need to be addressed, and much of the work of the field lies in understanding how to accelerate progress. Discussions touched on the roles of independent and external partnership arrangements, and on the possibility of realigning policies and strategies so that interventions reflect what the evidence actually supports.
Alongside the scientific program, the Science Forum was designed with careful attention to participation, career development, and the practical logistics of hosting an international meeting. A career fair offered space for those building careers in agricultural science to meet, and every effort was made to support participation so that a wide range of voices could contribute. Organizers, resources, and photo documentation helped attendees navigate the event, while a stated emphasis on developing countries and improving outcomes for children and families framed the closing reflection on where the field should go next.