Opportunity type: Cracking the Nut 2021: Proposal to Present.

Application deadline: Friday, May 14, 2021.

1. All proposals should be completed using the call for proposals (CFP) form provided and in adherence to the instructions outlined in this CFP. Alternative or noncompliant proposals will not be considered.
2. All proposal submissions should be emailed to [email protected] by Friday, May 14, 2021 with "Cracking the Nut 2021: Proposal to Present" in the subject line.
3. All proposals must align with at least one of the conference themes. Presenters may submit more than one proposal to present, but only one presentation per theme will be considered.
4. All proposed presenters must have agreed to participate at the time of submission. Participation from female presenters is encouraged.
5. Proposals must be written in English.

For the first time, the Cracking the Nut Conference will adopt a fully-virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary topic for the 2021 conference is "Building Resilient Food, Water and Energy Systems," which is particularly essential today, as the world grapples with a worldwide health and environmental crisis and its impact on vulnerable communities around the world. 

To improve systems and make them more resilient, we need to mitigate risks, partner collaboratively and consider the holistic implications of new technologies related to food, water and energy systems and their related support services. This learning event will promote new approaches, innovations and thought leadership that will allow us to find long-term solutions to address growing demands for food, water and energy in developing countries.

This conference will facilitate open discussions of the roles of the public and private sectors, as well as civil society, in improving systems in a way that makes them more resilient, affordable and adaptable over time. Thus, the conference will bring together development practitioners and relevant stakeholders to discuss innovative ways to support these systems.

This conference’s core themes for the breakout sessions are:

1. Applying technology and digital solutions: What technologies and innovative approaches can help to facilitate the building or strengthening of food, water and energy systems? How can we measure and prove that a system is more resilient? To what extent do these solutions need to be adapted to local cultures and contexts and for remote oversight? How do we scale them up to also be cost-effective?
2. Leveraging private sector and multistakeholder investments: How can we attract the private sector to participate and invest in food, water and energy systems? What types of platforms are effective in organizing and coordinating multiple stakeholders? How can we mitigate risk and align incentives with market signals? What investment mechanisms and approaches to public financial management are needed to create the infrastructure of a resilient system?
3. Ensuring inclusion of vulnerable populations: In designing and adapting systems, how can we ensure the participation of women, youth and disabled populations and that they are not being excluded from decision-making and benefits? What tools and services can be used to address inequalities and improve access for the rural poor, including smallholder farmers? How do expanding cities add stress to food, water and energy systems? And what can be done to alleviate that stress?

You can find additional information on the event and the proposal form in the sidebar.