Agriculture & Food Systems Institute

THE AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE (AFSI) IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT ADVANCES AND DISSEMINATES SCIENCE FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT. OUR MISSION IS TO ACHIEVE SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE AGRI-FOOD SYSTEMS BY PROVIDING THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND CREATING A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT THAT FOSTERS SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION ACROSS DISCIPLINES, SECTORS, AND GEOGRAPHIES.

COMMUNICATIONS: THROUGHOUT 2020, AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE STAFF WORKED WITH A BRAND STRATEGY CONSULTANT, ADVERTISING AGENCY, AND COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY TO DEVELOP AND REFINE A STRATEGIC MESSAGING FRAMEWORK THAT NOW FORMS THE FOUNDATION OF THE ORGANIZATION'S NEW NAME (AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE) AND WEBSITE (FOODSYSTEMS.ORG). THIS MESSAGING FRAMEWORK AND EXPANDED BRAND GUIDE WILL HELP STEER AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE COMMUNICATIONS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVED FUNDING FOR AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE'S REBRANDING PROJECT ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2019. MR. JOE KONIETZKO, A BRAND STRATEGY CONSULTANT, WAS ENGAGED TO HELP GUIDE THE NAME-CHANGE PROCESS, AND AT HIS RECOMMENDATION, SEED FACTORY, AN ADVERTISING AGENCY, WAS BROUGHT ON TO ASSIST WITH THE SELECTION OF A NEW ORGANIZATION NAME, URL, LOGO, AND LANGUAGE FOR COMMUNICATING THE NAME-CHANGE. SIMULTANEOUSLY, AN INTERIM WEBSITE WAS DEVELOPED BY AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE STAFF IN PREPARATION FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT. THIS INITIAL PHASE OF THE REBRANDING PROCESS CONCLUDED IN MAY 2020, WITH THE SELECTION OF A NEW NAME AND LOGO BY THE AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE BOARD AND STAFF, THE LAUNCH OF AN INTERIM WEBSITE AND REBRANDED SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, AND THE COMMUNICATION OF AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE'S NEW NAME TO KEY STAKEHOLDERS BY THE ORGANIZATION'S LEADERSHIP. IN FEBRUARY 2020, RED ROOSTER GROUP, A COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY, WAS SELECTED TO DEVELOP AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE'S LONG-TERM BRANDING, MESSAGING, AND PERMANENT WEBSITE, IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE STAFF. THE FIRST PHASE, CONDUCTED OVER Q2-Q3 2020, INCLUDED DISCOVERY RESEARCH AND AGGREGATION OF FINDINGS, COPYWRITING, AND THE DEVELOPMENT AND REFINEMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE'S MESSAGING FRAMEWORK, STYLE GUIDE, SITEMAP, AND INDIVIDUAL PAGE DESIGN. BUILDING ON THIS FOUNDATION, FRONT END AND BACK END WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT BEGAN IN OCTOBER 2020 AND CONTINUED THROUGH Q4 2020, WITH AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE'S NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHING ON JANUARY 18, 2021. IN NOVEMBER 2020, AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE PROVIDED A PAYMENT TO THE INTERNATIONAL LIFE SCIENCES INSTITUTE AS PART OF A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT RELATED TO THE TERMINATION OF THE CHARTER AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES. BIOTECHNOLOGY: THE AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE SUPPORTS ANALYTICAL SCIENCE TO ENHANCE FRAMEWORKS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND FOOD SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF PRODUCTS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND OTHER EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND ALSO PROVIDES TECHNICAL TRAINING TO SCIENTISTS, RISK ASSESSORS AND OTHER INTERESTED STAKEHOLDERS ON TOPICS RELEVANT TO FOOD SYSTEMS, AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY AND NUTRITION AND FOOD SECURITY; WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIA: AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY: GLOBAL AND LOCAL EXPERIENCE, DECEMBER 9, 2020, (VIRTUAL) DHAKA, BANGLADESH; SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF FOODS AND FEEDS DERIVED FROM GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PLANTS: ONLINE DISCUSSIONS SESSIONS, DECEMBER 8, 2020 (VIRTUAL) JAKARTA, INDONESIA; SABP WEBINAR SERIES: GM CROPS- FOOD SECURITY AND BIOSAFETY IN BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE, NOVEMBER 14 2020 (VIRTUAL), DHAKA, BANGLADESH; SECOND MEETING OF THE EXPERT WORKING GROUP ON HARMONIZATION (VIRTUAL) NOVEMBER 11, 2020; SABP WEBINAR SERIES: BIOSAFETY REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY, OCTOBER 5, 2020 (VIRTUAL), DHAKA, BANGLADESH; FIRST MEETING OF THE EXPERT WORKING GROUP ON HARMONISATION (VIRTUAL) SEPTEMBER 30, 2020; SABP WEBINAR SERIES: BIOSAFETY GUIDELINES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, (VIRTUAL) SEPTEMBER 22, 2020, DHAKA, BANGLADESH; SABPT WEBINAR SERIES: BIOSAFETY AT EVERY STEP OF PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH, AUGUST 26, 2020 (VIRTUAL), DHAKA, BANGLADESH; SABP WEBINAR SERIES: GM CROP RESEARCH AND BIOSAFETY GO HAND IN HAND, JULY 23, 2020 (VIRTUAL) DHAKA, BANGLADESH; MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR NOVEL FOODS WEBINAR SERIES (VIRTUAL) JULY 9-17, PARIS, FRANCE; SABP WEBINAR SERIES: REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND GUIDELINES FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH (VIRTUAL) JULY 9, 2020 DHAKA, BANGLADESH; SABP WEBINAR SERIES: BIOSAFETY IN CROP BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH (VIRTUAL) JUNE 18, 2020, DHAKA, BANGLADESH; SABP WEBINAR SERIES: BIOSAFETY IN AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY - IN THE EYES OF FUTURE RESEARCHERS (VIRTUAL) JUNE 1, 2020, DHAKA, BANGALDESH; WAY FORWARD WITH GM COTTON CONFINED FIELD TRIALS, (VIRTUAL) MAY 12, 2020, DHAKA, BANGLADESH; OECD WORKING GROUP ON THE SAFETY OF NOVEL FOODS AND FEEDS, (VIRTUAL) MARCH 23- 24, 2020, PARIS, FRANCE; OECD WORKING GROUP ON THE HARMONISATION OF REGULATORY OVERSIGHT IN BIOTECHNOLOGY, (VIRTUAL) MARCH 18-20, 2020, PARIS, FRANCE; GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS: REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLIANCE AND CONSUMER AWARENESS, FEBRUARY 25, 2020 DHAKA, BANGLADESH; 2ND INSTITUTIONAL BIOSAFETY OFFICER WORKSHOP, FEBRUARY 20, 2020, DHAKA BANGLADESH; DATA TRANSPORTABILITY FOR COMESA, FEBRUARY 12-13, 2020, ENTEBBE UGANDA. NUTRITION: THE AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE IS UNDERTAKING RESEARCH THAT SEEKS TO ENHANCE THE PRODUCTIVITY, RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SUPPLY CHAINS BY USING INTEGRATED CROP ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING TO IDENTIFY AND TEST ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES FOR THESE SYSTEMS. THE AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE IS ALSO COMMITTED TO IMPROVING NUTRITION AND HEALTH THROUGH CROSS-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON IMPROVING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF FOOD COMPOSITION AND DIETARY INTAKE DATA, OPEN DATA AND METHODS HARMONIZATION WORKSHOP: INTEGRATED APPROACH TO CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION: APPLICATION TO FRUIT & VEGETABLE SUPPLY CHAINS, DECEMBER 15, 2020, (VIRTUAL) AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION FALL MEETING, WASHINGTON DC; VIRTUAL WORKSHOP FOR THE CLIMAT3E ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION IN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SUPPLY CHAINS PROJECT, OCTOBER 9, 2020 (VIRTUAL) WASHINGTON DC;