Innovation and entrepreneurship are key components that enable building resilience in food systems and facilitating economic empowerment. In particular, it is acknowledged that knowledge-based innovation and entrepreneurial activities can contribute to ensuring the added value of food systems and value chains and pave the way towards reaching the goals of growth and employment in the Sri Lankan food sector. 

To drive innovation and entrepreneurship within food systems, collaborative partnerships play a decisive role. In a significant stride towards supporting ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka at local and national level, the Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka and SLYCAN Trust signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which provides for a framework of cooperation and facilitate collaboration between the Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka and SLYCAN Trust in areas of common interest related to supporting ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka at local and national level, through multi-stakeholder engagement, awareness, adaptation, and capacity-building to create an enabling environment for supporting entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka. 

The MoU was signed on 1 November at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel during the Summit on Innovative and Climate-friendly Food Systems. 

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Supporting ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly entrepreneurship

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Speaking of the MoU and the Food Summit, Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka Secretary Dr. Jasinghe said: “The MoU between the Ministry of Environment and SLYCAN Trust contributes to the establishment, management, and maintenance of an entrepreneurship registry at national level, building on divisional-level data collection processes and actions.”

“This MOU will be an expansion of the Divisional Secretariat-level interventions by the ministry on eco-products. SLYCAN Trust’s engagement through the MoU will facilitate and support capacity-building and training on entrepreneurship in selected sites based on identified gaps, synergies and resource availability,” he added.

Addressing the gathering at the reception event of the Summit on Innovative and Climate-friendly Food Systems, SLYCAN Trust Global Executive Director, Attorney-at-Law Vositha Wijenayake elaborated on the scope of the MoU.

“Through the MoU signed today, SLYCAN Trust will support the identification of gaps and needs related to scaling up ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka and conducting capacity-building on climate risk management and resilience building in the entrepreneurship sector, as well as aspects of ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly entrepreneurship,” she explained. 

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Summit on Innovative and Climate-friendly Food Systems

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The Summit on Innovative and Climate-friendly Food Systems was organised by SLYCAN Trust in partnership with SLYCAN Trust Youth, EthicalX, and ClimaComms with the aim of enhancing and scaling up ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly food systems. This includes a special focus on the expansion of plant-based protein options and products for supporting ethical food systems.

The event comprised a Global Research Dialogue, an Entrepreneurs’ Forum, and a Youth Dialogue and saw the participation of multiple stakeholders, including Government officials, private sector, academia, youth, and communicators who actively engaged and contributed to identifying key avenues and approaches for achieving ethical, sustainable and climate-friendly food systems.

SLYCAN Trust is a non-profit think tank working on climate change, sustainable development, biodiversity and eco- system conservation, entrepreneurship and innovation, and social justice, including gender and youth empowerment.

SLYCAN Trust’s work spans the national, regional, and global level from policy analysis and evidence-based research to implementation on the ground across Asia and Africa. Ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly food systems and food entrepreneurship form key components of the work of SLYCAN Trust’s Food Systems Work Programme. 

For further information on SLYCAN Trust and its initiatives, please contact [email protected].