Frugal Conference
The climate crisis is big, so the solution path is also complex. Experts say that changes must be brought about in various sectors, including agriculture, by combining simple, sustainable, scientific strategies with the knowledge of local people. The Frugal Innovation Forum was created from these ideas. This forum was created for simple and cost-effective innovations to solve the climate crisis. Experts, entrepreneurs, and researchers from different countries of the world are members of the forum.
The 8th Frugal Innovation Forum (FIF) conference began Friday at BRAC CDM in Savar. More than 200 national and international experts, entrepreneurs, researchers, and development workers are participating in the two-day conference.
At the opening ceremony, BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh outlined the goals and objectives of the conference. He spoke about climate change and its sustainable adaptation strategies. The mindset mentioned at the beginning was mentioned in Asif Saleh’s speech.
The theme of this year’s Frugal Innovation Forum is ‘Climate Adaptation in Agriculture, Food Security, and Livelihoods.’ The two-day conference, organized by BRAC, will discuss in detail the solutions developed by local communities to address the risks of climate change, taking into account the realities of the Global South.
Mohamed Nasheed, Secretary General of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, an alliance of climate-vulnerable countries, and former President of the Maldives, delivered the keynote address online. He said that the impacts of climate change are not a distant issue, but people are already suffering from it.
Citing the example of his own country, Mohamed Nasheed said that the Maldives is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. The country is located at only one and a half meters above sea level. The island’s coral reefs are under threat.
The issue of inequality in climate finance came up in Nasheed’s speech. He said that rich and industrialized countries are playing a key role in global warming. But they are not taking responsibility for it. They talk about clean energy. But they do not care about the huge amount of financing that it requires.
Mohamed Nasheed said, “Science-based action is very much needed to prevent the climate change crisis. But it must be combined with local knowledge. We must bring confidence in science, not ideology. The solution must be simple and affordable.”
Panel Discussion
After the opening ceremony, a panel discussion titled ‘Transformational Adaptation in Agriculture’ was held, moderated by Christina Chan, Senior Director of the Climate Hub at BRAC and BRAC International.
The remaining sessions on Friday include a panel discussion on ‘Navigating Uncertainty through Climate Information Services’ moderated by Djefou Gatachou, Senior Manager of Climate Programme at BRAC International Kenya, and ‘Farming for the Future: Practical Innovations for Smallholder Farmers’ moderated by Kuldeep Arial, Senior Manager at BRAC.
In addition, a session titled ‘Use Cases for Government and Industry’ will be held today, moderated by Ashley Toombs, Head of BRAC International’s Climate Hub, and ‘Nature Based Solutions’ will be moderated by Professor Anwarul Abedin of Bangladesh Agricultural University.
Since its inception in 2013, the Frugal Innovation Forum has served as one of the most important platforms for discussing innovations and potential solutions based in the Global South. Previous conferences have discussed topics ranging from digital financial inclusion to the post-COVID recovery process.
The global climate crisis is growing. At the same time, financing for adaptation is decreasing. In this context, the message that this year’s Frugal Innovation Forum is giving is that we must build a climate-resilient future not only for the people, but also with them, from the grassroots level.
