Agri4D 2025
Welcome to join SLU Global and SIANI for Agri4D 2025. The conference will take place in Uppsala. Some of the sessions will be held online.
Save the date for Agri4D, 23-25 September 2025
Save the date for the upcoming Agri4D conference, where SLU Global and SIANI will unite science, policy, and practice to make a real-world impact on global food systems and help achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2.
Main theme: Nurturing regenerative food systems in a changing climate
Themes 2025
The theme for the conference 2025 will be "Nurturing regenerative food systems in a changing climate" with three specific sub-themes:
1. Empowering the next generation of food systems leaders
2. Transforming food systems: innovation and implementation
3. Equity, justice, and resilience
Meet the plenary keynote speakers
Nitya Rao, Professor
Professor Rao has worked extensively for over three decades as a researcher, teacher, and advocate in the fields of women’s rights, employment, and education. Beginning as an activist for gender equality and women’s empowerment, her research explores gendered changes in land and migration within marginalized rural communities, aiming to achieve livelihood, food, and nutrition security in the face of climate and economic challenges, primarily in South Asia, with experience also in Eastern Africa. She has led and contributed to numerous multi-country research programs focused on climate change adaptation, sustainable food systems, coastal transformations and migration.
Recognized for her scientific expertise, Professor Rao serves on high-level science advisory panels including the EAT-Lancet Commission 2.0 and the UN Food Systems Transformation Coordination Hub, and recently completed a term on the HLPE to the CFS. She also contributes to research strategy as part of UKRI and UK-CGIAR advisory groups. As the inaugural Director of the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development, a key objective has been to create synergies across disciplines for impactful research and practice towards just, equitable, food-secure, and sustainable futures.
As a teacher for 20 years, Professor Rao has developed understanding of gender issues among students, supervised over 30 PhD candidates, and mentored numerous early career researchers.
Miguel Altieri, Professor
Miguel A. Altieri studied agronomy at the University of Chile, where he received a BS. He also obtained a Masters on agricultural sciences at the National University of Colombia. He graduated with a Ph.D.
in entomology at the University of Florida. In 1981 he became Professor of Agroecology at the University of California, Berkeley in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and after 37 years of service he now serves as Professor Emeritus.
At Berkeley he taught agroecology, agroforestry and urban agriculture, but he also serves as guest professor in numerous Universities in Latin America, Spain and Italy. He has conducted most of his research in California and Latin America working closely with farmers on implementing principles of agroecology to design productive, biodiverse and resilient farming systems.
He is currently Co-Director of the Centro LatinoAmericano de Investigaciones Agroecologicas (CELIA –www.celia.agroeco.org) He is also a farmer in the hillsides of south west Antioquia, Colombia, where together with his wife Dr. Clara Nicholls established an agroecological lighthouse promoting food sovereignty projects in impoverished neighboring rural communities.
Erik Alexandersson, Dr.
Erik Alexandersson holds a PhD in biochemistry from Lund University, Sweden, with a focus on plant molecular biology. He did his postdoctoral studies at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, where he collaborated on research into plant–pathogen interactions and field crops. He is a formerly associate professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), where he led projects focused on plant health, crop biofortification and the application of omics technologies in crop improvement, focusing both on the Global North and the Global South. He also has a background as an in-house editor at open-access publisher BioMed Central.
Currently, Erik serves as a senior research manager at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, where he leverages his scientific expertise to support research and innovation in plant science, breeding and biotechnology. His role involves strategic funding initiatives aimed at addressing global challenges in agriculture, food security, and environmental sustainability. With a strong background in academic research and a growing presence in science policy and funding, Erik is committed to fostering interdisciplinary collaborations that drive transformative change and solutions.
Patrick Okori, Executive Secretary RUFORUM
Patrick Okori is currently the Executive Secretary of Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), a network of 175 Universities in 40 countries of Africa. Patrick is an agriculture science and education expert and leader. Patrick received his PhD at SLU, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden, and both Master's and Bachelor's degrees at Makerere University, Uganda. Through his carrier Patrick has previously served as Dean of the School of Agricultural Sciences at Makerere University; the Deputy Director of the Global Research Programme on Accelerated Crop Improvement at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT).
Patrick has graduated over 50 PhD and MSc Students and is widely published. He has commercialised over 30 varieties of legumes and cereals, that are widely grown in eastern and southern Africa. As a science leader he revamped and strengthened crop breeding and research programmes in eastern and southern Africa.
Patrick is a thought leader who has been involved in high level planning, strategy and visioning for national, regional as well as continental to global agencies. Early in his career, Patrick was part of the team that developed the Eastern Africa's premier agriculture, bio-policy and bio-innovation research programme, called BIOINNOVATE.
The objective of Agri4D 2025 is to discuss science that can contribute to evidence-based policy and practice needed to transform global food systems and contribute to the sustainable development goals.
This year’s Agri4D will focus on nurturing regenerative food systems that are resilient to climate change and have low climate impact, while contributing to social, environmental and economic sustainability. The conference encourages dynamic multi-stakeholder dialogues that can stimulate transformations contributing to eradicate hunger in the world.
All stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, civil society, private sector and policy makers, who are working on food systems in low income contexts, are invited to join the conference to discuss innovative solutions for tomorrow. You can engage in several ways, for example through oral and poster presentations, workshops or roundtable discussions.
Organised by SLU Global at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the Swedish International Agriculture Network Initiative (SIANI), with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). 
Published: 09 May 2025 - Page editor: [email protected]
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