SEED and Go4SDGs organise the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Future Lab for Innovation and Policy. As part of the Global Future Lab series, the event will bring together regional policy makers, intermediaries and SMEs to co-create and develop future-proof solutions. Designed to connect and leverage the expertise of key green SME stakeholders, the Global Future Labs will inform a New Green SME Action Agenda.

The LAC Future Lab (registration open)

The LAC Future Lab offers a platform for green SME stakeholders across the region to develop future-proof solutions for challenges in the agri-food sector.

You can find the agenda for the LAC Future Lab here (in English and in Spanish).

The agri-food sector is the largest employer worldwide, making it a key driver of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the agri-food sector has been characterised by harmful environmental practices. Globally, the agri-food sector is responsible for 26% of greenhouse gas emissions while it contributes to environmental degradation locally using pesticides and other toxic chemicals.

In the LAC region, the agri-food sector holds a specific significance, as it is the world’s largest food net-exporting region. Therefore, LAC is often referred to as the “world’s breadbasket”. At the same time one of the major providers of ecosystem services through its large forest areas, the productivity of the agri-food sector often clashes with the preservation of the natural environment.

The LAC Future Lab will discuss practical solutions and exemplary cases for the industry’s challenges. Green SMEs are pioneers in this process. They participate in a wide range of services, such as production, processing, transportation and storage. With consumption patterns shifting toward more sustainability, green enterprises have a chance to step up by offering future-proof solutions already today.

Find out more about how Green SMEs drive change across the five action areas of Innovation, Non-Financial Support, Finance, Policy and the Market here (in English and in Spanish).

Register here to join the LAC Future Lab for Innovation and Policy. The event link will be shared with you in a confirmation e-mail.

The Future Lab Series

The Future Labs target five action areas: Innovation, Non-Financial Support, Finance, Policy and Market. The insights from the discussions will provide concrete action items on how to better support green SMEs that apply circular technologies.

There will be four Global Future Labs engaging green SME stakeholders in the Agri-Food or Textile-Fashion sectors across Africa, West Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia:

• Latin America Future Lab on Agriculture and Food | October 13^th, 2022 (registration open)
• Asia Future Lab on Textile and Fashion | October 4th, 2022 (read more)
• West Asia Future Lab on Textile and Fashion | completed (read more)
• Africa Future Lab on Agriculture and Food | completed (read more)

Green SMEs are at the forefront in the fight against the adverse environmental effects of the agri-food and textile-fashion sectors, pioneering innovative solutions along the value chain. The Global Future Labs will guide key SME stakeholders through discussing and developing future-proof solutions to these challenges.