G/AG/GEN/219  
 
11 April 2023 
(23-2546) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Agriculture    
 
  
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE WORK PROGRAMME UNDER PARAGRAPH 8 OF THE 
MINISTERIAL DECLARATION ON THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO FOOD INSECURITY  
WORKSHOP ON AGRICULTURAL AND PRODUCTION RESILIENCE  
WEDNESDAY , 12 APRIL  2023 
WTO, Centre William Rappard ( Room W), Geneva  
PROGRAMME  
1.  At the WTO's  12th Ministerial Conference, Ministers adopted the Ministerial Declaration on 
Emergency Response to Food Insecurity ( the Declaration).1 Paragraph 8 of the Declaration commits 
Members to " having a dedicated work programme in the Committee on Agriculture to examine how 
this Decision could be made more effective and operational pursuant to Article 16 of the Agreement 
on Agriculture and to consider concerns raised by Members in their current a nd future submissions."  
2.  At its 103rd meeting  on 21 -22 November 2022,  the Committee on Agriculture (CoA) established 
a Work Programme pursuant to paragraph 8 of the Declaration, along with the thematic areas to be 
examined thereunder.2 There is a strong emphasis in the Work Programme on bolstering agricultural 
production and productivity and enhancing agricu ltural and production resilience of least -developed 
and net food -importing developing countries (LDCs and NFIDCs). Accordingly, t he Secretariat, in 
consultation with the CoA Chairperson and delegations, is organiz ing a workshop on agricultural and 
producti on resilience  on 12 April  2023  to deliberate on policy parameters and associated 
challenges , especially in LDCs and NFIDCs, to examine how production and productivity  may be 
enhanced and resilience increase d against adverse events, climatic aberrations and food instability 
as in an emergency.  The workshop will benefit from the participation of relevant international 
organizations , producers/producer groups , as well as  from Members' participation and their sharing 
of experiences and challenges in augmenting agricultural productivity and resilience.  
3.  The event will be organized in a hybrid format with virtual participation via Interprefy. 
The following programme is proposed for the event .  
 
  
 
1 WT/MIN(22)/28 - WT/L/1139  issued on 22 June 2022 . 
2 G/AG/35 issued on 23 November 2022.  G/AG/GEN/219  
 
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  10:00  - Introductio n by the Moderator: Marcel VERNOOIJ , Chair person, Committee on 
Agriculture  
Session I (10:10 -11:45) 
Agriculture productivity, production resilience across the supply chain: policy framework  
Panellists:  
• George RAPSOMANIKIS, Senior Economist , Markets and Trade Division, Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) : 
"Agricultural productivity, resilience and trade: determinants and the role of 
comparative advantage " 
• Robert DELVE,  Lead Global Technical Specialist (Agronomy), Sustainable Prod uction, Markets 
and Institutions Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)  
"Productivity and resilience of small -scale farmers - experiences from the ground " 
• Shukri AHMED,  Deputy Director, Office of Emergencies and Resilience, Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations (FAO)  
"Resilience of agricultural production and livelihood - policy options during 
emergencies " 
Session II (1 1:45-13:00)  
Determinants of agricul tural productivity and resilience , challenges and way forward : 
Producers and producer groups ' experience  
Panellists:  
• Elizabeth NSIMALDA , President, Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF) , Nairobi, Kenya  
[tbc]  
• Luisa VOLPE,  Advocacy, Policy and Partnerships Practice Leader, World Farmers Organization , 
Rome, Italy  [tbc] 
• Joshua TOATOBA , Roujo Agritrade, IDH Grains for Growth Program, Ghana  
Lunch break  
Session II (15:00 -15:30)- continued  
Determinants of agricultural productivity and resilience, challenges and way forward: 
Producers and producer groups' experience  
Session I II (15:30-17:00) 
Bolstering agricultural and production resilience : Members' actions and experiences   
Panellists:  
• Macoumba DIOUF, Director of Horticulture . Ministry of Agriculture, Senegal   
• Antônio Luiz  MACHADO de MORAES, General Coordinator of Rural Credit , Ministry of 
Agriculture and Livestock , Brazil  
• Qamar  ZAMAN , Director General (Agriculture), Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan   
• Il Jeong JEONG , Agricultural Minister Counsellor,  Permanent Mission of the  Republic of Korea, 
Geneva   
17:00 - Closing remarks:  
• Marcel VERNOOIJ , Chair person, Committee on Agriculture  
• Edwini KESSIE, Director, Agriculture and Commodities Division, WTO  
Presentations by the panellists in each Session will be followed by a brief Q&A exchange.  
 
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