Call for abstracts 2025

Call for abstracts for downloading (pdf)

Agri4D now calls for abstracts and concept notes on “Nurturing regenerative food systems in a changing climate” within the following three themes:

Theme 1 - Empowering the next generation of food systems leaders

This theme can address but is not limited to emerging topics on innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership and skills for a regenerative food transition and can relate to:

• Skills and leadership development: Building regenerative food systems through system thinking, adaptive leadership, and emotional intelligence.
• Youth engagement and inclusion: Supporting youth regenerative leadership through education, mentorship, and participatory governance, with a focus on women and marginalised communities.
• Traditional and local knowledge: Integrating indigenous wisdom and local practices into regenerative food system strategies.
• Policy and governance: Exploring how policies, government, NGOs, and industry coalitions can enable youth engagement and leadership in designing regenerative food systems.
• Digital transformation and innovation: Leveraging agri-tech, AI, and digital advocacy for education, skill-building, and leadership towards regenerative food systems.
• Entrepreneurship and finance: Enhancing access to investment, cooperative models, and innovative financial mechanisms for emerging regenerative food leaders.
• Well-being and resilience: Supporting mental health, peer networks, and regenerative mind sets for long-term leadership sustainability.
• Storytelling and narrative change: Using media, education, and advocacy to shape regenerative leadership and influence policy and consumer behaviour.

Theme 2 - Transforming food systems: Innovation and implementation

This theme can address, but is not limited to, emerging topics on innovation and implementation for transformation of food systems.

• Agroecology and regenerative practices: Exploring the science and practice of sustainable agriculture for climate adaptation and resilience, including natural pest control and pollination, soil health, biodiversity and circularity.
• Technology and innovation: Leveraging new technology and adoption of existing solutions to enhance food production, nutrition, distribution and value chain while minimising environmental impact.
• Policy and governance: How to promote and adopt supportive policies and governance frameworks to accelerate the transition to regenerative food systems.
• AI and digitalisation: Integrate digital tools that work for people, bridging knowledge and research for inclusion and equality.
• Sustainable finance and investment: Exploring innovative and sustainable financing that supports resilience in food systems.

Theme 3 - Equity, justice and resilience 

This theme can address, but is not limited to, emerging topics on equity and social justice within the food systems.

• Labour and work conditions: Labour relations within households and value chains, health and work safety in relation to agricultural practices, and the formal/informal nature of labour.
• Standardisation, certification, and formalisation of global value chains: The implications of these processes for justice/ injustice and the role of marginalisation of smallholders and producers.
• Social and environmental justice: Addressing issues of gender, equity, access, and the fair distribution of food and resources.
• Climate change adaptation and mitigation: Developing strategies to adapt to effects of climate change in agrifood systems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect vulnerable communities.
• Building resilience in food systems: Inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to building resilient and just food systems in the face of climate change, technological change, agrarian transformation, and rising geopolitical tension.

Guidance for abstract and concept note submissions

 1) Abstracts for oral presentation 

• Author(s) name
• Author(s) affiliation
• E-mail address to main author for correspondence
• The conference theme to which the paper relates

Abstracts should be less than 250 words in length (no abbreviations or cited references) and include up to five keywords representing the main content. There is a possibility to add one image to elaborate your work. 

Presentation format: You will be grouped into a session discussion. Please note that the Scientific Committee may suggest you to present as a poster presentation if there is high competition for oral presentations. 

2) Abstracts for poster presentation

• Author(s) name
• Author(s) affiliation
• E-mail address to main author for correspondence
• The conference theme to which the paper relates

Abstracts should be less than 250 words in length (no abbreviations or cited references) and include up to five keywords representing the main content. There is a possibility to add one image to elaborate your work. 

Presentation format: We will organise a ‘poster walk’, where audiences can walk in groups and listen to your poster presentation. The posters will be published on the conference platform during the whole period of the conference. 

3) Concept note for session proposal

We encourage participants, academia and non-academia working jointly, to propose your own ideas about ways to present and/or discuss emerging questions related to theme 1, theme 2 and theme 3. Please note that sessions are by default 90 minutes long. There is a possibility to take up to two sessions on the same conference day for one concept note (if so, please write the request at the end of the concept note). 

• Author(s) name
• Author(s) affiliation
• E-mail address to main author for correspondence
• The conference theme to which the paper relates

Abstracts should be less than 350 words in length (please do not use abbreviations or cite references in the abstract) and include up to five keywords representing the main content. You are required to explain the formats of your session within 200 words. 

Please see the list below for some ideas to alternative sessions. Please feel free to come up with your own innovative session types. 

• Workshops: You can use the session to organise a workshop or training on ideas, skills, or innovations from your project. 
• Roundtable discussion: You may propose a group of panellists from multi-stakeholders to discuss a pressing question that requires multi-view brainstorming.
• Interviews: You may set up a panel with one interviewee to invoke reflexive discussions on a specific project or topic.
• Visual format: You may use visual tools, such as photos or videos to bring up discussion (please note that you can post photos or videos on the online platform for advanced viewing) 
• Elevator pitch: You may give a short description of your ideas, and ask the audience to pitch innovative solutions.
• Performance or storytelling.
• Debate: you can set up a stage for debate on a controversial topic that brings up reflexive discussion 

Deadline for submission: 8 May, 2025

Criteria for acceptance 

The Scientific Committee will evaluate your abstract/ concept note based on: 

• Connecting research to policies and practices? 
• How relevant is it to the theme? 
• How good is the scientific quality of the abstract? 
• Addition for session concept note – inclusive (gender, geographical spread, sector, age etc.)?
• Addition for session concept note – innovative? 

Abstract acceptance

E-mail notification of acceptance/rejection will be sent to corresponding authors by 16 June, 2025.

Publication

Accepted abstracts and session proposals will be incorporated into the conference programme and distributed to all registrants.