WTO Hackathon Aims to Address Global Food Insecurity Through Innovative Solutions

Strategic Insights -

The World Trade Organization (WTO) recently hosted a hackathon, bringing together students from around the world to develop innovative solutions to address global food insecurity. The event, which was sponsored by CropLife International, encouraged participants to think creatively about the role of trade in ensuring food security. A panel of five WTO ambassadors, representing Chile, Djibouti, the Philippines, South Africa, and Switzerland, reviewed the proposals and selected three finalists. The winning team, "Global Grains," presented a "Harvest-to-Market Facilitation Pathway" to reduce post-harvest losses in Africa through improved storage and trade facilitation.

Key Takeaways:

  • The WTO hackathon aimed to develop innovative solutions to address global food insecurity, with a focus on trade and food security.
  • The event brought together students from over ten countries, with three finalist teams presenting proposals to the jury of five WTO ambassadors.
  • The winning team, "Global Grains," presented a "Harvest-to-Market Facilitation Pathway" to reduce post-harvest losses in Africa through improved storage and trade facilitation.
  • The second-place team, "Spice Pacific," proposed redirecting food lost in trade and supply chains into sustainable biofuel production.
  • The third-place team, "Agro-Strategos," focused on strengthening WTO disciplines to address sudden impediments to food trade during crises.
  • The event showcased the importance of an evolving and effective multilateral trading system in addressing global food insecurity.
  • The Director-General of the WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, emphasized the need for trade and food security to be inseparable.

Statistics:

  • The hackathon brought together students from over ten countries.
  • The three finalist teams presented proposals to a jury of five WTO ambassadors.
  • The winning team, "Global Grains," reported a potential reduction in post-harvest losses through improved storage and trade facilitation.
  • The second-place team, "Spice Pacific," estimated that redirecting food lost in trade and supply chains could lead to sustainable biofuel production.
  • The third-place team, "Agro-Strategos," aimed to make grain flow more predictable for vulnerable importing countries.

Sources:

  • World Trade Organization A shortlist of three finalists competed in Geneva before an expert jury of five WTO ambassadors -- from Chile, Djibouti, the Philippines, South Africa and Switzerland.
  • CropLife International