The Agribusiness and Food World Forum by the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association and Corporate Council for Africa has completed. One of the speakers was good friend, Aidan Connolly, vice president, corporate affairs for Alltech. He shared his “GLIMPSE” of the future; A lens through which to view Africa’s rising.” GLIMPSE is an acronym developed by Connolly that identifies the seven biggest obstacles to providing enough food to feed an increased population. The paper places agribusiness alongside governments, non-governmental organizations and charities as important players in addressing the problem of feeding a growing population, and identifies specific areas where agribusiness can make a difference in the world and Africa.

“Although ‘Africa’ is sometimes referred to as a single unit, in fact it is arguably the most diverse of all the continents,” said Connolly. “The GLIMPSE framework, developed to help break down the ‘wicked’ problem of food supply and security, is a useful way to address how to feed one billion more people in Africa.”

“The expertise and resources of agribusiness firms, brought to bear on the GLIMPSE factors, can be an important part of the transformation of agriculture across the continent,” Connolly said. “Working with the best asset any country can have- its people- creates stronger economies that are resilient through commodity booms and busts.”

The cases presented during the conference focused on opportunities for discussions on topics such as the impact of technology for African farmers and future projections for African markets, and described a wide range of businesses currently at work in Africa, including:

Small holder livestock farms
Indigenous plant products
Tropical fruit snack products
Trade, import and export businesses

Here’s a video clip from the IFAMA website from the conference opening: