A New Paradigm for Research and Innovation: A practical application with Forgotten Foods Based on the Global Manifesto on Forgotten Foods

Partners in GFAR are holding a side event to FAO’s UNFSS 2021 Science Days to discuss how current trends towards transforming research and innovation need to be more inclusive of local and indigenous knowledge systems. The discussion will focus on the paradigm shift required towards democratizing research and innovation to produce transformative knowledge for agroecology, food sovereignty and biocultural diversity.  The aim is to highlight the depth of farmers’ expertise in cultivating traditional crops—so called ‘forgotten foods’—as sources of a nutritious and stable food supply. A new approach is needed to not only to put forgotten foods on-the-radar of research but also to fully unleash their potential to contribute ensuring better access to safe and nutritious food for all and building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses.