On January 20, Director-General of IOFS Mr. Yerlan Baidaulet and DG-CEO of International IFPA Sheikh Bilal Khan participated in a virtual international conference on “Smart Technologies and Resilience for Sustainable Agriculture in Africa” organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO).
In his opening remarks, Director-General of IOFS observed that “Smart agriculture is precisely one of the main pillars of food security strategic plan that have been stated in OIC Science, Technology, and Innovation agenda for 2026. IOFS took these innovative strategies into priority consideration and are included in its 2021 Action plan.” He declared the readiness of the institution “to participate and contribute for events that cover the using of Innovative Agriculture Approaches to pave the way for promoting strong and resilient food systems in OIC member states and tackling the various challenges confronting lives and livelihood of our teeming populations.”
The conference urged to shift from conventional production methods to innovative and intelligent technologies that would adopt a more sustainable approach to our ecosystems, preserve biodiversity and strive towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Such approach is called Climate-Smart Agriculture, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the resilience of communities and ecosystems, and create sustainable production systems and value chains. The use of smart technologies would transform agriculture in Africa and around the world, and help reverse the trends of hunger and malnutrition.
Sheikh Bilal Khan presented to the audience the International Islamic Food Processing Association (IOFS) as a subsidiary organ of IOFS dedicated specifically to the private sector. He called on to leverage the vast opportunities that the OIC/IOFS provide and use them to advance trade between member countries. He urged the member states to promote and share their agro-tech solutions and best practices, as they would prove essential for the development of a common OIC market.
Other representatives of IOFS, Dr. Ismail, Director of Programs and Projects Office, Country Liaison Manager Ms Maral Imanbayeva and Program Manager Mrs Makpal Bulatova actively participated in the event too. They expressed interest in the duration of the implementation of smart technologies and availability of analyses of satellite data in open sources.
