CIRAD and AFD at SIA 2025: transforming food systems to safeguard the health of the planet

Event 12 February 2025
"Agriculture, environment, societies: our shared health" is the topic for this year's AFD Group/CIRAD stand at the Paris International Agricultural Show, from 22 February to 2 March 2025 at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre (Hall 4, aisle C-181). The programme includes a conference on 24 February, a series of side events starting on 25 February, and numerous institutional events.
© R. Belmin, CIRAD

© R. Belmin, CIRAD

Environmental, social, and economic crises – such as climate change, biodiversity loss, water and food insecurity, malnutrition, health risks and global pandemics – are all interconnected, as highlighted in the latest “Nexus” report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).  

Adopting the “One Health” approach, which takes account of the linkages between soil, plant, animal, human and ecosystem health, is essential, as all these types of health are interdependent.

Whether at the production, distribution or consumption stages, today’s food systems have a major impact on greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss and the environment in general, but also on animal and human health*. Food is in fact at the heart of human and animal health.

*Key figures:
3 billion people lack access to healthy food
420 million people die every year from eating contaminated foods

Today's food systems are responsible for:
80% of deforestation
70% of freshwater use
30% of greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to losses and waste (one third of production)

There is an urgent need to adopt more sustainable food systems to preserve health and to protect ecosystems. We need a paradigm shift to build agroecosystems that are healthy in all aspects.
Thierry Lefrançois
Specialist in “One Health” approaches at CIRAD

It is both necessary and possible to reverse the trend and to provide healthy and sufficient food for a growing global population, while preserving our planet and our health. The ecological intensification of agricultural production is the preferred path to achieve this. The success of this transition will depend on the collective mobilisation of all stakeholders in the agricultural sectors, public policymakers, producer organisations, companies and financial institutions, among others.
Matthieu Le Grix
Head of the Agriculture, Rural Development and Biodiversity Division at Agence Française de Développement

On the joint AFD-CIRAD stand: projects to illustrate the linkages between agriculture, environment, societies and health

CIRAD and the AFD Group are taking action with their partners to transform food systems in order to reduce their environmental and climate footprint, to guarantee healthy and sufficient food, to generate decent jobs and income, and to ensure inclusive governance.

From 22 February to 2 March, they will present various projects conducted in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean at their stand at the Paris International Agricultural Show, including:

Our common goal is to improve human nutrition through alternative livestock and agricultural systems that respect all types of health. In agriculture, the adoption of agroecological practices fosters agricultural biodiversity, which is essential for a diversified diet, reduces excessive chemical input use and soil pollution, and restores autonomy to farmers.
Sandra Rullière & Arlène Alpha
Deputy Head of the Agriculture, Rural Development and Biodiversity Division and Specialist in food systems at CIRAD respectively

A conference (registration compulsory) and side-events on the stand

On Monday 24 February (Hall 1, Area 2000), a conference will be held to share viewpoints and to discuss the topic: “One Health: transforming food systems to benefit health and nutrition”.

See the conference programme

 

From Tuesday 25 February, side-events will take place every day on the AFD Group-CIRAD stand on various topics including agriculture-health interactions, nutrition-sensitive food systems, soil health, and small-scale aquaculture.

The conference and side-events will also be accessible online.

See the programme of events on the stand

Presentations by experts on our partners’ stands

Experts from CIRAD will also speak on the stands of various partners on the following topics:

  • strengthening African dairy sectors on the CNIEL stand on Tuesday 25 February at 16:30
  • agronomic and economic benefits of agroforestry for the coffee/cocoa sector on the Nestlé stand on Tuesday 25 February at 14:30
  • animal health and climate change on the ANSES stand on Wednesday 26 February in the morning
  • intellectual property and seeds on the SEMAE stand on Wednesday 26 February in the afternoon.

Institutional meetings throughout the week

Finally, various institutional meetings will take place throughout the week, which journalists can attend (registration compulsory at presse@cirad.fr):

  • the launch of CIRAD's overseas roadmap on Tuesday 25 February from 10:00 to 12:30,
  • the general assembly of the TSARA initiative co-organised with INRAE and the African member institutions on Wednesday 26 February at the Maison des Ingénieurs de l’Agro in Paris,
  • the renewal of the framework agreement between CIRAD and ANSES on Friday 28 February at 14:00,
  • the symposium of the Réseaux d’Innovation et de Transfert Agricole (RITA - Agricultural Innovation and Transfer Networks) co-organised with the Chambers of Agriculture and ACTA on Friday 28 February in the morning, with agricultural representatives from Réunion, Mayotte, the French West Indies and French Guiana.

See also