The third edition of the Market for Agricultural Innovations and Technologies (MITA), held from 12 to 15 September 2023 in Ouagadougou, was an important event for highlighting the innovations and technological advances coming out of research and public and private inventors in West and Central Africa.
Participants discussed the following theme: "Facilitating access to gender- and nutrition-sensitive agricultural technologies and innovations". This regional meeting organised by CORAF was an opportunity to promote gender- and nutrition-sensitive innovations that meet the needs of the various links (production, post-harvest, processing, mechanisation, etc.) in the agricultural value chains. MITA also provided a forum for strengthening access to and dissemination of agricultural technologies in West and Central Africa.
In four days of exchanges punctuated by an exhibition of the main results of research and innovations, the third edition of MITA was above all a framework for the exchange of technological information and innovation for the benefit of the public and agricultural professionals, through B to B sessions and workshops. Researchers, students, producers and private sector players took advantage of MITA to showcase proven innovations and technologies that have the potential to transform agriculture and contribute to greater food security.
MITA 2023 brought together a wide range of participants, including ministries of agriculture, regional bodies, research institutes and universities, private sector players, non-governmental organisations, farming associations, potential investors and others.
Numerous cutting-edge agricultural technologies were presented, in-depth discussions took place and excellence was rewarded at the gala evening for agricultural innovators. The results achieved during these 4 days of exchanges underline the strong commitment of decision-makers to support agricultural research and the scaling-up of climate-smart and gender- and nutrition-sensitive technologies as part of the implementation of the Farming System Resilience Programme (FSRP).
MITA is a platform designed by CORAF to disseminate the technologies and innovations developed by agricultural research in West and Central Africa. As an exhibition and discovery platform, the MITA digital platform presents more than 400 technologies classified by value chain and by country. It facilitates interaction between technology developers and end-users, with a view to increasing the rate of adoption of proven technologies and innovations. In this way, MITA contributes to food and nutrition security in West and Central Africa.
