Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Friday, August 30, 2019

58th All India Wheat and Barley Meeting


24-26 August 2019. Indore, India. The ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal and IARI Regional Station, Indore organized the 58th All India Wheat and Barley Research Workers' Meet

At the Indian Research Institute of Soybean Research in Indore
Dr @rajvarshney gives an overview of translational genomics
and how these tools can assist the development
of better varieties for farmers in Asia and Africa
The Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research through All India Coordinated Research Project on Wheat and Barley (AICRP) is coordinating multidisciplinary and multilocational testing of varietal, newly developed improved genotypes, crop management and crop protection technologies across the diverse ecosystems for increasing and stabilizing the wheat production. 

As a nodal agency for wheat research, ICAR-IIWBR facilitates planning, exchange of experimental material, monitoring the field trials / nurseries, data compilation and documentation. Presently, there are 29 funded centres and more than 100 voluntry centres that are carrying out the planned activities of different production conditions of the five agro-ecological zones.

Mandate
@DrHikov presenting an impressive presentation on
speed breeding in brainstorming on #SpeedBreeding corgainzed
by Ind Soc Genet Plant Breed, Ind Inst Wheat Barley Res,
Ind Agr Res Inst of @icarindia in #Indore #MadhyaPradesh
  • To evolve and coordinate a multidisciplinary, multilocational applied research and testing programme for wheat and barley improvement at the national level.
  • To identify improved wheat and barley varieties combining high yield with superior grain quality, resistance to diseases and insect pests and adaptability over a wide range of cultural practices such as sowing time, fertilizer levels and water management etc.
  • To develop wheat and barley production and protection technologies and monitor crop situation.
  • To enrich genetic variability at each of the breeding centres by way of supply of diverse germplasm obtained from various exotic sources and developed through indigenous efforts.
  • To monitor site the progress of work of all centres cooperating in the AICRP programmes and integrates their activities to the best advantage of the country.
  • To collaborate with national and international agencies and to organize scientific training programmes involving national and international agencies.
  • To organize breeder seed production programmes and monitor their quality.
  • To help in the organization and monitoring of frontline demonstrations and extension education programmes for proper transfer of improved technologies.
  • To hold annual wheat workers’ meeting and zonal meetings.
Related:


Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7)



28-30 August 2019. The Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7). Summit-level international conference on Africa’s development initiated by Japan in 1993. It is held every 5 years till TICADⅤ (2013) and every 3 years since TICADⅥ (2016) . Convened alternately in Japan and Africa since TICADⅥ.

Based on the needs of Africa as well as outcomes of international conferences to be held in 2019 such as WAW! and G20, TICAD7 focused on the following agenda:

  • African development; Economic transformation and improvements in business environment and institution through private investment and innovation. 
  • Promotion of resilient and sustainable society for human security 
  • Peace and stability (support for Africa’s own proactive efforts) 
“We are losing the fight against climate change… The status quo on climate policy is a suicide…Technology is on our side…We need the political will to tackle climate change…If we fail in climate change, we fail in everything…” UN Secretary General António Guterres
"We will help double rice production in Africa over the next eleven years.Japan will use technological innovation, which is the key to agriculture, to increase Africa’s annual rice production to 50 million tons by 2030. African farmers should move from growing food to eat to cultivating crops to sell. Increasing the income generating potential of agriculture will persuade more young people to seek careers in this field. African youth can take agriculture to a new level. Japan’s Prime Minster Shinzo Abe 


For the 8th installment in the series TOWARD TICAD7: ‘Africa and Me’ Part 8, JICA interviewed Mr. Motonori Tomitaka, a former JICA senior advisor who worked to promote rice farming in Tanzania for three decades, about the results of long-term cooperation and the changes brought to people’s lives by rice.

Among the efforts being made by JICA to promote agricultural development in African countries, a program undertaken in the 1970s to support development of rice cultivation in the Tanzanian foothills of Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, has gradually taken on a national scope. The domestic rice (paddy) production, which was approximately 280 thousand tons in the 1970s, grew to over 2.86 million tons in 2016.


Africa & Me’ Part 9 — Exploring the Potential of STI (Science, Technology and Innovation) in Nigeria
JICA and the Nigerian government co-hosted the “Nigeria Open Innovation Challenge” Ideathon in Nigeria in May 2019, in an aim to adopt STI by start-ups to improve existing public services. It was JICA’s first attempt at public-private partnership of the kind. Watanabe devised the structure and theme of the Ideathon in consultation with JICA Nigeria office, and gathered ideas from the private sector on the theme of “how to improve payment collection for water use” which is an issue identified in water utility operation.

Videos

Plenary Session 1 + Plenary Session 2  

 Plenary Session 3  

 Plenary Session 4 Theme 1  

 Plenary Session 4 Theme 2  

 Plenary Session 4 Theme 3  

 Plenary Session 4 Theme 4  

 Plenary Session 4 Theme 5

Eighth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa

28 - 30 August 2019. Eighth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-VIII)

Theme: Stepping up climate action for a resilient Africa – a race we can and must win.
Partners: organised by The African Union Commission, the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank, in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia and the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance
Objectives:
  • Provide updates on the status of global climate governance (the Paris Agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, the Doha Amendment thereto and the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage Associated with Climate Change Impacts) 
  • Assess the status of the climate response, both globally and within Africa,
  • Consolidate key commitments and actions to tackle climate change by African countries and various non-State actor constituencies, as well as major concerns as inputs to the Climate Action Summit
  • Explore the linkages between the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development for the following three purposes: 
  • Inform Common African positions towards the twenty-fifth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; to improve understanding of the revision of nationally determined contributions for better coherence, alignment and flow of resources for implementation; and to develop robust strategies for climate response and resilience.
Extract of the programme

Plenary 2: High-level segment: Climate change and the sustainable development global agenda
  • co chair HE Dr. Frehiwot Woldehanna, State Minister of Energy Sector, Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia 
  • co chair HE Ambassador Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission
  • Eighth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa Dr. James Murombedzi, ECA and Dr. Godfrey Bahigwa, AUC 
  • Update on the 2019 Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) and the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Representative of the Bureau of the fifth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development
Plenary 3: 
  • The geopolitics of global warming and the implications for Africa’s development - Dr. Joseph Mukabana, Senior Scientific Officer, World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
  • Climate research in Africa and contributions to the IPCC process: Introducing the Climate Research for Development in Africa (CR4D) programme - Dr. Richard Anyah, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut, United States of America
Session 8: Nature-based solutions 
Forests and land-based ecosystems, smart agriculture and food systems, regeneration of life in rivers, lakes and oceans and enabling of all people to connect to nature Country inputs: Botswana, Cabo Verde, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar 
  • Dr. Solomon Dawit, Regional Program Leader, Change Agriculture and Food Security Programme (CCAFS) - East Africa 
  • Mr. Elvis Tangem (see picture), Coordinator, Great Green Wall Initiative, AUC
Session 9: Resilience and adaptation
Integrating climate risks into public and private sector decision-making to assure sustainability of food, water and jobs for the future, as well as to prevent disasters and to enable a quick recovery in the aftermath, especially for the most vulnerable groups.
  • Dr. Kanta Kumari Rigaud, Lead Environment Specialist & Regional Climate Change Coordinator, Africa Region, World Bank 
  • António Palazuelos Prieto, Cabo Verde 
  • Dr. Aboubacar Diaby, Head of the Monitoring and Evaluation, Africa Risk Capacity
  • Nassirou Ba, Economic Affairs Officer, ECA 

Nutrition in Action for Sustainable Development in Africa

26-28 August 2019. Kigali, Rwanda. 4th FANUS Conference. The federation of African Nutrition Societies (FANUS) holds a nutrition conference every four years in one of member African countries.

Around a theme of “From Nutrition to sustainable development”, this conference is an opportunity to get updates on nutrition situation at global and country scale. It is a framework to showcase of countries’ achievement in addressing malnutrition in Africa. The conference is furthermore an exchange forum of best practices and approaches among African countries.
  • The anticipated main accrued benefits from this conference are namely knowledge and expertise sharing, and achievements/lessons learnt on productive nutritional interventions, initiatives and policies among countries. 
  • The capacity of the young African scientists, professionals and practitioners in nutrition is expected to be strengthened due to the exposure to a wide and diverse expertise. 
  • The conference is a good platform for the African countries to showcase the achievements in fighting malnutrition to donors and to the international audience. 
The Federation of African Nutrition Societies (FANUS) keeps strengthening its visibility among international nutrition societies by showing its role and ability in promoting nutrition at the continent. Finally, during this conference, a new FANUS committee is going to be elected.



GAIN Plenary: 
  • Lessons learned from Integrating Nutrition Education with Biofortified Sweetpotato Promotion in Sub-Saharan Africa. - Jan W. Low. 2016 World Food Prize Co-Laureate, International Potato Center-SSA
  • Power for Mothers: Why Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy are an Ethical Issue - Professor Klaus KRAEMER- Managing Director, Sight and Life
African Initiatives to Fight the Double Burden of Malnutrition:
  • Prevalence of NCDs and Malnutrition: the Double Burden - Ngozi Nnam, University of Nssuka Nigeria 
  • National Heart Foundations as partners in nutrition actions, based on the experiences of the Nigerian Heart Foundation and its Heart Logo - Dr Kingsley Akinroye National Heart Foundations Nigeria 
  • The Choices program: an African proposition for Healthier Food Choices Speaker: Dr Rutger Schilpzand Choices International Foundation, Netherlands
  • The way forward: WFP and SUN Business Network: National Partnerships for Nutrition Solutions - Mr Raphael Siwiti
Parallel Sessions
  1. Malnutrition; Forms, Trends, Causalities, Innovations and Cost.
  2. Exploring the Potential of African Foods in Nutrition and disease. 
  3. Leveraging Small Businesses to Improve Nutrition in Africa
  4. Multi-Sectoral Coordination of Nutrition Initiatives, Exploring Potential of African Foods
  5. Data Generation and Knowledge Systems
    Mycotoxin exposure levels of rural Eastern Cape pregnant woman and its effect on infant birth anthropometric measures and gestational age: Martani Lombard, Monique Entres, Hester-Mari Burger, Philna Eksteen, Johanna Alberts, Wentzel Gelderblom, Gordon Shephard 
  6. Nutrition and Health Implication of the current Food System in Africa 
    Nutritious indigenous food ingredients for complementary food formulations as a pathway to fight against infant malnutrition in Benin: A review: Flora J Chadare, Yann E Madode, Nadia Fanou-Fogny, Janvier M Kindossi, Juvencio OG Ayosso, S Hermann Honfo, AP Polycarpe Kayodé, Anita R Linnemann, and D Joseph Hounhouigan,
  7. Nutrition and NCDs and Data Generation 
  8.  Nutrition and NCDs

Sunday, August 25, 2019

World Water Week in Stockholm

25 to 30 August. The World Water Week in Stockholm is an annual event for the globe’s water issues. Organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), and supported by the United Nations water programs, the purpose of the annual meeting is to bring the world’s attention to water-related challenges occurring in almost every part if the world. Water is so critical that its problems affect, and are affected by, all others - economy, poverty, population, waterborne diseases, famine, migration and violence.

Current water use, population growth and the effects of climate change have caused two-thirds of the global population – over 4 billion people – to live under conditions of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year. Some of this scarcity has led to violence and conflict, especially in Africa, Southern Asia and the Middle East.


By 2050, global demand for water will increase by as much as 50%, mostly in developing countries in Asia and Africa. At the same time, food production will need to increase by 70% to feed a growing and more prosperous population that will top 10 billion.

Water-related challenges will grow with climate change and improved water governance is necessary to reach the UN SDGs. Decision support based on information and communication technologies (ICT) are powerful instruments. 
What is the potential opportunity in scaling up across Africa to improve food production and reduce poverty? It requires the involvement and engagement of many different players at all levels, including adequate investment, supportive policies and effective political leadership and programs such as TIARA.
  • Opportunities around investing in rainfed irrigation across Africa - H.E. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, African Union Commission (tbc)
  • Introductory exercise on the key challenges facing African rainfed agriculture - Katherine Madden, Process Facilitator, SIWI
  • The impact of rainfed irrigation and green water management on farmers in different settings in Africa - TBC
  • Presentation on the impact of the Billion Dollar Business Alliance for Rainwater Harvesting - Maimbo Malesu, Theme Leader, Water Management, ICRAF 
  • Presentation on the impact Drylands Development Programme - Assefa Tofu, DryDev Program Manager, Worldvision Ethiopia
Panel: What enablers will support the scale up improved rainfed agriculture / rainfed irrigation across Africa?
  • Ines Gasmi, IWRM Coordinator, Water Youth Network
  • Lisbeth Jespersen, Head of International Partnerships and Fundraising, IDH
  • Nick Tandi, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist, World Bank (invited)
  • Peter Vos, Global Water Sector Lead, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)

Wednesday 28 August

“Big data for all”, can it help improve agricultural productivity?

This event will discuss how innovative technologies can support inclusive and sustainable agriculture and benefit vulnerable groups. It will show practical applications based on free data and open source technologies to improve informed decision making for increased water and land productivity in agriculture both at field level and for policy-making.
  • Remote sensing for monitoring water productivity: FAO WaPOR open access database - Jippe Hoogeveen, FAO
  • Water productivity monitoring in arid areas - Atef Swelam, ICARDA
  • Climate data to improve farmers' resilience - Moussa Waongo, Agrhymet
Panel discussion on “Big data for improving agricultural productivity”
  • Hesham Bekhit, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt
  • Aart van der Horst, Government of The Netherlands
  • Eddy Moors, IHE-Delft
  • Jennie Barron, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
The session will draw lessons from state, technical and investor experiences in three situations to ensure full value from IWRM planning: South Sudan, Somalia and Gambia

Water in Sahel: humanitarian needs vs. lasting changes

French Water Partnership | Geneva Water Hub | Sahara and Sahel Observatory | Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
The session will present some key learnings from past and current initiatives in Sahel on how to reinforce protection of water services, how to find a balance between investing in security/institutional measures and basic service deployment.

H2O Maghreb – providing innovative training for young water professionals

United Nations Industrial Development Organization
H2O Maghreb is a public-private partnership initiative aiming to improve industrial and municipal water management practices in Morocco. The project upgrades the skills and employability of youth, trainers and water professionals through a dedicated cutting-edge training that adapts most recent technological innovations like virtual reality and automation technology to local needs.

The future of family farming: climate change impacts and responses

Agrhymet Regional Centre | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Government of Niger | International Fund for Agricultural Development
The major effects of climate change in rural areas will be felt through changes in water supply, food security and agricultural incomes. This event will focus on the analysis of the impacts of climate change in small-scale family farming in West Africa and the potential responses to open up new opportunities for the rural poor. 
  • Observed Climate Trends and Climate Change Projections in West Africa - Moussa Waongo, Aghrymet Regional Center
  • Impact of Climate Change on Crop Yields and Adaptation Needs in West Africa - Patricia Mejias-Moreno, Land and Water Officer, FAO
  • Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in Niger - Moussa Amadou, Director, Rural infrastructure, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Niger
Panel Discussion
  • Atef Swelam, Senior scientist, Irrigation and Water Management, ICARDA
  • Anton Earle, Director Africa Regional Centre, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)

Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Inclusion: Africa’s Farmer-led Irrigation Revolution

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa | Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation of the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Development at Texas A & M University | International Water Management Institute | Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska | The World Bank Group
Farmer-led irrigation (FLI) has been transformative for many farmers in Africa’s agricultural development. A solid research evidence base contributed to a commitment from the AU, regional and national governments and development partners to invest in FLI. This event addresses the next step in the challenge – how to expand access, opportunity and benefit to more farmers, including those that are the most resource poor.

State of knowledge from research and practice on Farmer Led Irrigation
  • Peter McCornick, Executive Director, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, University of Nebraska
  • Greg Browder, Lead, Water Security and Integrated Resource Management, World Bank
Case studies
  • Analyzing business models for smallholder irrigation service provision in Rwanda - Vivian Nguyen, Caleb Milliken and Grace Mukarusagara, DWFI
  • Piloting Farmer-led Irrigation in Uganda Regassa Namara, Senior Economist, Water Global Practice, World Bank Group
  • Integrated business models for farmer-led solar irrigation development in Ethiopia Petra Schmitter, IWMI
  • Irrigation in the renewal of agriculture in Messica, central MozambiquePhil Woodhouse, Studying African Farmer-led Irrigation (SAFI), University of Manchester
  • Socio-economic differentiation in Farmer-led Irrigation Development in Kahe, TanzaniaChris de Bont, Studying African Farmer-led Irrigation (SAFI), Stockholm University
  • Gender and water technologies: Water lifting for irrigation and multiple purposes in Ethiopia Likimyelesh Nigussie, IWMI

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The African Seed Access Index (TASAI)


Researchers under The African Seed Access Index have recommended more efforts to involve private sector in introduction and development of improved seeds, seeds availability as well as put in place mechanisms to create more seeds access from farmers.

The index by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa seeks to promote the establishment and maintenance of enabling environments for competitive seed systems serving African farmers.

The study which measures the top four grain and legume crops; maize, bean, wheat, soya bean was conducted in 21 African countries.

What is TASAI?
  • The African Seed Access Index (TASAI) monitors indicators that are essential to seed sector development at national level.
  • TASAI's ultimate aim is to publish an annual scorecard that captures the vibrancy and competitiveness of the formal seed sector in the African countries where TASAI is active.
  • TASAI is a useful tool for government policy makers, development agencies, seed enterprises, and ultimately farmers.
  • TASAI work is supported by the African Development Bank under the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program. 
  • The overall goal of TAAT is to radically improve agriculture as a business across Africa by deploying agricultural productivity-increasing technologies. 
  • With respect to seed, the TAAT program aims to promote the creation of an enabling environment for vibrant seed systems. 
  • The TASAI research is under the TAAT Policy Enabler compact which is led by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).
The Role of Seed
Timely availability of improved seeds at affordable prices is critical to improving food security, resilience, and livelihoods for smallholder farmers in Africa. Improved seeds can deliver state of the art technology to farmers including higher yields, disease and pest resistance, climate change adaptation, and improved nutrition. Over the last two decades, formal seed systems in Africa have been gradually liberalized resulting in increased participation of private seed enterprises (multinationals, regional and domestic companies).

Events
  • 21 August TASAI MALI VALIDATION WORKSHOP
    Country validation workshops are convened on completion of TASAI country studies to critique the findings from the TASAI country research, discuss industry and policy issues and share experiences from other countries across Africa.
  • 29 August  ASAI BURKINA FASO VALIDATION WORKSHOP
    Country validation workshops are convened on completion of TASAI country studies to critique the findings from the TASAI country research, discuss industry and policy issues share experiences from other countries across Africa.
  • 5 September TASAI NIGERIA WORKSHOP

African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF)

3 - 6 September 2019. The African Green Revolution Forum 2019. AGRF has emerged as “the world’s premier platform for African agriculture” bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture forward. The theme of this year is: Grow Digital Leveraging digital transformation to drive sustainable food systems in Africa.

The African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) was established in 2010.


Plenary – Leveraging Digitalization for Sustainable Food Systems
  • Mr. Michael Hailu, President, CTA
  • Mr. Michael Tsan, Partner, Dalberg
  • Dr. Nick Austin, Director, Agricultural Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Ms. Elizabeth Nsimadala, President, Eastern Africa Farmers Federation
  • Ms. Amrote Abdella, Regional Director, Microsoft 4Afrika
  • Ms. Su Kahumbu, Founder, iCow
  • Mr. Jerome Barbaron, AME Territory Head, Syngenta
Driving Private Sector investment for Africa’s Rapidly Growing Food Systems to
Achieve the SDGs
The panel will be discussing how a joint effort of critical stakeholders and eco-system approach can support crowding in inclusive investments in agriculture.
  • Dr. Gilbert Houngbo, President, IFAD
  • Mr. Kebour Ghenna, Executive Director, Pan African Chamber of Commerce
  • Mr. Sean de Cleene, Head of Food System Initiative, WEF
  • Mr. Matthew Brooke, Policy Officer, Rural Development, Food Security and Nutrition, European Commission
  • Mr. Jerry Parkes, Managing Principal, Injaro Investments
  • Mr. Edward Isingoma, Managing Partner, Pearl Capital Partners
  • Ms. Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO, Acumen
  • Mr. Willy Foote, CEO, Root Capital
  • Ms. Leticia Osafo-Addo, CEO, Samba Food
Digital Innovations to Strengthen Resilience for Smallholders in African Food Systems
This session focuses on how digital platforms and innovations are promoting adaptation and resilience across food systems. It looks at evidence from applications of successful programs that are starting to have real impact and/or impact at scale.
  • Dr. Martin Kropff, Director General, CIMMYT
  • Ms. Jenny Aker, Professor of Development Economics, The Fletcher School and Department of Economics at Tufts University
  • Mr. David Bergvinson, Chief Science Officer, aWhere
  • Hon. Salifou Ouedraogo, Minister of Agriculture and Water
  • Development, Burkina Faso
  • Mr. Michel Lavollay, Founder, Public Private Partnership Europe
  • Mrs. Rose Goslinga, CEO, Pula Advisors
  • Mr. Dennis Rangi, Director General, Development, CABI
  • Mr. Keith Cressman, Senior Agriculture Officer, FAO
2019 AFRICAN AGRICULTURE STATUS REPORT (AASR) – The Role of Private Sector in Ag
Specifically, the report will highlight the trends and progress, as well as challenges
and constraints of private sector firms in the upstream and midstream/downstream
off-farm components of the agri-food system.
  • AASR Findings – Dr. Tom Reardon, Professor of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, MSU
  • Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank
  • Mr. Mostafa Terrab, Chairman, OCP Group
  • Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, Executive Chairman, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and Former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Policy Symposium – Increasing Adaptation and Resilience of African Food Systems
Technical discussions on all elements of the Global Commission on Adaptation final
recommendations: Sequence 1: Framing Remarks and Session Chairs:
  • Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute
  • Dr. Nick Austin, Director, Agricultural Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Mr. Santiago Alba-Corral, Interim Director, Agriculture and Environment, IDRC
  • Ms. Sonja Vermeulen, Director, Programs, CGIAR System Organization
  • Mr. Bruce Campbell, Director, CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
  • Dr. Denis Kyetere, Executive Director, AATF
  • Dr. Dennis Garrity, Chair, Global EverGreening Alliance
  • Dr. Mclay Kanyangarara, Climate Change Coordinator, COMESA
Scaling Models for Agricultural Transformation
This session at the AGRF will serve as an opportunity to officially release the Scaling Up Sourcebook, which collects the key lessons, best practices, outstanding
challenges and the way forward.
  • Mrs. Jennifer Blanke, Vice-President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development, African Development Bank
  • Mr. Gerald Shively, Associate Dean and Director of International Programs in Agriculture, Purdue University
  • Mr. Larry Cooley, President Emeritus of Management Systems International, and Curator of Global Community of Practice on Scaling Up Development Outcomes
  • H.E. Jakaya Kikwete, Former President of Tanzania
  • Amb. Ertharin Cousin, Distinguished Fellow, Global Agriculture, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
  • Dr. Julie Howard, Adviser (Non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies
  • Dr. Simeon Ehui, Regional Director, Sustainable Development for Africa, World Bank
  • Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, Director General, IITA
  • Mr. Khalid Bomba, CEO, Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation
  • Mr. Stefan Schmitz, Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany
  • Hon. Moulaye Ahmed Boubacar, Minister of Agriculture, Mali
Advancing the Continental Agenda – Partners Commitments
  • H.E. Ban Ki Moon, Co-Chair, Global Commission on Adaptation
  • Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank
  • Dr. Elwyn Grainger-Jones, Executive Director, CGIAR System Organization
  • Mrs. Reeta Roy, President, Mastercard Foundation
  • Mr. Qu Dongyu, Director General, FAO
  • Dr. Gilbert Houngbo, President, IFAD
South-South – Policy and Innovations: Learning from China and Beyond
South-South Cooperation provides a large and growing opportunity for supporting the agenda of inclusive agricultural transformation on the African continent. For instance, over the past forty years.

  • Ms. Xinqing Lu, Associate Partnerships Officer, China-Africa cooperation program, AGRA
  • Keynote presentation on China’s experiences and learning - Prof. Jikun Huang, Economist, Founder and Director of the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP), Peking University
Panel Discussion
  • Dr. Peter Carberry, Director General, ICRISAT
  • Dr. Wendy Singer, Executive Director, Start-Up Nation Central
  • Prof. Joao Bosco, President, Africa Brazil Institute
  • Mr. Geng Wang, Director of International Cooperation Division, Foreign Economic Cooperation Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China
  • Dr. Matthew Owolabi, Zonal Director -North West, Federal Department of Agriculture, FMARD, Abuja
Food and Land Use (FOLU) Coalition Roundtable 
In September 2019, the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) will release a global synthesis report : Global Report on Transforming Food and Land Use Systems which sets out the economic case for the transformation of food and land use systems. 
  • This report will describe the political and economic opportunity and mechanisms to deliver a transformation in how our food and land-use systems function, shifting them from a major contributor to climate change and inequality into a source of balanced economic growth, human health and a flourishing natural environment.
  • High-level representatives will explore how actors from a range of sectors can collectively raise ambition and drive action in the key areas of opportunity highlighted in the FOLU report.
  • The Global Report is primarily intended to pave the way for a movement in our global attitude to food and land by equipping readers with evidence and strategies to make the case for change in their work and across their networks
  • Mr. Jeremy Oppenheim, Partner, SYSTEMIQ: Introduction to the Food and Land Use Coalition
  • Dr. Juan Lucas Restrepo, Director General, Bioversity International
  • Ms. Sandi Roberts, Director, Smallholder Development Unit, AgDevCo
  • Mr. Arne Cartridge, Senior Adviser and Head of Global Initiatives, Yara International
  • Ms. Nunu Ntshingila-Njeke, Regional Director for Africa, Facebook
  • Ms. Petra Hans, Head of Portfolio Agricultural Livelihoods, IKEA Foundation
  • Hon. Gov. Linah Mohohlo, Former Central Bank Governor, Botswana
  • Mr. Ishmael Sunga, CEO, SACAU

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Developing sustainable value chains for small-scale livestock producers

Developing sustainable value chains for small-scale livestock producers August 2019, 158 pages

This publication constitutes a practical development tool, which implements the sustainable food value chain framework with a focus on small-scale livestock producers, targeting an audience of project design teams and policymakers. 

Small-scale livestock producers are important actors in food production, human health and management of landscapes and animal genetic resources. However, they face a number of challenges, which hamper their productivity, access to market, and competitiveness vis-à-vis their larger counterparts.

By integrating the concepts of value addition and the three dimensions of sustainability, the sustainable food value chain framework not only addresses questions concerning the competitiveness, inclusion and empowerment of small-scale producers, but also incorporates the cross-cutting issues that are increasingly embedded in development projects. 

These guidelines take the user through the different steps of value chain development, highlighting the particularities of the smallholder livestock sector, such as multi-functionality, specific production cycles or food safety issues, through concrete examples.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Southern African crop wild relative regional network


5–8 August 2019. Johannesburg, South Africa. 29 participants from 16 countries of the Southern Africa region and international research organizations launched the project ‘Bridging agriculture and environment: Southern African crop wild relative regional network’. A collaborative endeavour led by Bioversity International and involving five partners (University of Birmingham, SADC Plant Genetic Resources Centre (SPGRC), Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia), the project will benefit all the countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region.

From left to right: Dr Lefulesele Lebesa, Department
of Agricultural Research of Lesotho and chair
of SPGRC board, is the project Steering Committee chair.
Dr Chikelu Mba, FAO, is the Steering Committee deputy chair.
Credit: Bioversity International/I. Drouault
The Southern African region hosts a rich diversity of crop wild relatives, with over 1,900 species that are cultivated for food, beverage, forage, fodder, forestry, ornamental, medicinal, environmental and other uses. These species related to crops are vital for the food security and lives of 130 million poor people in the region. Yet, crop wild relatives are threatened, poorly conserved and barely accessible to breeders and farmers who should benefit from their use.
“The launch of the Darwin Initiative Project within the SADC region is a great step towards rescuing the threatened crop wild relatives of the region and making them readily available for use in crop improvement programmes. We are so excited,Justify Shava, Head of SPGRC.
The project will establish strategic partnerships and networks of protected areas for crop wild relative conservation and use; design mechanisms to enhance the benefits farmers derive from conserving these species; increase access to germplasm, and build gender equality, underpinning Southern African food security and poverty reduction.

For more information, read the project brochure

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Land-Water-Energy nexus

3 July 2019. The CTA Brussels Development Briefing n. 56 discussed the Land-Water-Energy nexus and its implications for the food system, with a focus on ACP countries. It also featured an exchange of views and experiences from a research and practice perspective on what we know on the nexus, with a discussion on the factors for success, their replicability, and potential for upscaling of best practices.
Panel 1: The Land-Water-Energy nexus: what do we know?
This panel provided an overview of linkages between land-water-energy from a research and practice perspective and its implications for the sustainability of the agrifood system with a focus in developing countries and ACP countries in particular.
  • Food-Energy-Water nexus: implications for developing countries - Paolo D’Odorico,Professor, Dept Environmental Science, UC Berkeley, USA [presentation|video]
  • Sustainable agriculture and the water–energy–food nexus - Sir Gordon Conway, Member of Malabo Montpellier Panel and Professor of International Development, Imperial College London [presentation|video]
  • Sustainability of resources and conflict prevention through the nexus approach - Craig Hanson, Vice President for Food, Forests, Water &the Ocean, WRI [presentation|video]
  • Policy dialogue on the water-energy-agriculture nexus: the EU-German Programme - Veronica Girardi, Policy Officer, Water Sector, European Commission, DEVCO [presentation|video]

Panel 2: Best practices in integrated approaches on LWE
This panel looked at specific examples of successful practices in linking Land-Water-Energy nexus, with a focus in developing/ACP countries.
  • Space for Food Security: use of more efficient inputs through use of satellite data - Ruud Grim, Senior Advisor for Applications, Netherlands Space Office [presentation|video]
  • Overview of best practices in promoting a sustainable use of resources in Africa - Olufunke Cofie, West Africa Regional Representative, IWMI, Ghana [presentation|video]
  • Mitigating trade-offs and promoting synergies in the Water-Energy-Food Security nexus - Dawit Guta, Center for Environment and Dev Studies, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia [presentation|video]
  • Assessing the state of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus in South Africa - Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi, Researcher, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa [presentation|video]

The Digitalisation of African Agriculture Report, 2018-2019

The Digitalisation of African Agriculture Report, 2018-2019, 1ST EDITION, JUNE 2019, 281 pages.

CTA aims for this D4Ag report to be a foundational and regularly updated piece of research, which should serve as a valuable resource for the entire African D4Ag community, as well as an important tool in advancing the D4Ag knowledge agenda in the years to come.

The report defines D4Ag and establish a common language for the sector – the solutions, their use cases, and their potential; (ii) shares how far the sector has advanced as of 2019; (iii) offers a perspective on where the sector will go in the next 3–5 years; and (iv) sheds light on what it will take to further unlock the potential of the sector and explore the roles of different stakeholders.
  1. CHAPTER 1 Why Africa needs a digitally-enabled agricultural transformation 
  2. CHAPTER 2 The D4Ag ecosystem 
  3. CHAPTER 3 The evolution of D4Ag solutions 
  4. CHAPTER 4 Where we are headed 
  5. CHAPTER 5 What it will take to accelerate growth and impact 
  6. CHAPTER 6 Recommendations for furthering a sustainable, inclusive D4Ag agenda 
ANNEX: COUNTRY CASE STUDIES
  • Ethiopia 
  • Ghana 
  • Nigeria 
  • Senegal 
  • Kenya 
  • Rwanda 
  • Sahel

Scale Up Sourcebook

The Scale Up Sourcebook is informed and inspired by the September 2018 conference, Innovations in Agriculture: Scaling Up to Reach Millions, organized by Purdue University, in partnership with the African Development Bank.

The Sourcebook consolidates, extends, and disseminates some of the scaling insights presented at the Purdue conference. It is intended as an easy-to-use guidebook targeted to a broad and diverse audience of stakeholders associated with scaling agricultural technologies and innovations to meet the needs of the world’s poor. 

The Sourcebook has following chapters: 
  1. designing with scale in mind; 
  2. assessing scalability; 
  3. using commercial markets to drive scaling; 
  4. financing the transition to scale; 
  5. creating an enabling environment for scale; 
  6. tailoring metrics, monitoring, and evaluation to support sustainable outcomes at scale; 
  7. and the critical role of intermediary and donor organizations. 
The Sourcebook provides guidance, tips, and examples, along with links and references to additional resources on scale up.

Related:

Richard Kohl and Colm Foy, Guide to the Agricultural Scalability Assessment Tool for Assessing and Improving the Scaling of Agricultural Technologies (USAID, 2018)
  • USAID’s Bureau for Food Security (BFS) and country missions have been implementing the Feed the Future (FTF) food security initiative since 2010. In many cases, small-scale innovations developed and introduced by FTF have since scaled up or are in the process of doing so. However, some innovations that could have gone to scale have not done so, have not reached their full-scale potential, or are not fully sustainable at scale.
  • At the same time, the BFS has funded research by the Consortium of International Agronomic Research Centers (CGIAR) and innovation laboratories at major U.S. agricultural universities. This research has produced hundreds of innovations with varying potential to transform agriculture in developing countries, as well as more that are moving through the research pipeline. The Agency needs to be able to decide which innovations have the greatest potential for both successful scaling and significantly improving food security and reducing malnutrition across FTF countries and elsewhere.
Related
25-27 September 2018. Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. the Innovations in Agriculture: Scaling Up to Reach Millions conference focused on effective approaches to scaling up agricultural technologies and innovations in the developing world.

Scaled-up agricultural technologies and innovations can be a game-changer in food-insecure countries. This conference sought to address the following questions about scale up:
  • What hinders large scale adoption?
  • What makes things scalable?
  • What driving factors are critical for successful scale up? (e.g., markets, capital, policy, behavioral changes)
  • How can multi-stakeholder partnerships and initiatives facilitate success?
  • What has worked, what hasn’t, and why?
  • Who can I connect with at the conference to enhance scale up efforts?
This conference was intended for multiple audiences in the research to impact continuum.
Researchers: Increase the potential for successful commercialization of research efforts by better understanding scale up requirements and partner needs
  • Implementing organizations: Gain insight to working with donors, governments and industries for scaling up innovations toward sustainable agriculture
  • Business community: Understand the role and needs of both large agriculture companies and local businesses in scaling up. Develop and strengthen partnerships to expand markets
  • Policymakers: Understand how the regulatory framework and enabling environment catalyze or inhibit technology scale up that impacts the agricultural sector
  • Donors and investment communities: Understand the opportunities, challenges, and focus of the research community and implementing organizations, to form early relationships with attention to scale up needs
Sourcebook
Posters

ScaleUp Conference Program (36 pages)

Conference Opening KEYNOTE PRESENTATION 

Scale Up: A Necessity for Transformative Development Akinwumi Adesina – President, African Development Bank Group
"I remember as a postdoctoral researcher at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) promoting new high-yielding varieties of sorghum to farmers in Sikasso (Mali) . But - asked the farmers - will ICRISAT buy the sorghum? In other words—innovation is great, but where is the market? Technologies must be profitable, and there must be a buyer for the additional production."

Session 1 Planning with Scale in Mind

  • Larry Cooley - President Emeritus of Management Systems International (MSI) and Curator of Global Community of Practice on Scaling Up Development Outcomes
The numbers tell an different story.... 

  • 5% less than 5% of pilot projects ever reach national scale 
  • 1/35 for every dollar of official donor and philanthropic assist ance to developing countries, those same countries now spend 35 of their own tax dollar
  • 15 The pathway from innovation to scale, even when successful, takes an average of 15 years  
  • Double, double ; half, half. The number of donors has doubled over the last decade; the average project is under a million dollars, the average duration is less than two years. The pilots to nowhere going up not down
  • Dieudonné Baributsa – Associate Professor, Purdue University 
  • Kola Masha – Managing Director, Babban Gona 
  • Simon Winter – Executive Director, Syngenta Foundation

Session 2 Assessing Scalability

  • Richard Kohl – Lead Consultant and VP for Scaling and Strategy, Strategy and Scale LLC Stewart Center Loeb Playhouse 
  • Mark Edge – Director of Collaborations for Developing Countries, Bayer 
  • Julie Howard – Non-resident Senior Adviser, Center for Strategic and International Studies (formerly Chief Scientist at USAID) 
  • Lennart Woltering – Scaling Advisor, International Maize and Wheat Research Center (CIMMYT)


Session 3 Market Success and Access to Finance
Session 3 - Part 1: Markets
  • Introduction to Markets and Finance as Critical Drivers for Successful Scaling Charlene McKoin – Independent Consultant, McKoin International Development
  • Sriram Bharatam – Founder & CEO, Kuza.One
  • Jennifer Billings – Agriculture Development Leader, Corteva Agriscience™ 
  • John Ellenberger – Senior Vice President, Land O’Lakes International Development 
  • Kevin Pixley – Director of Genetic Resources Program and Seeds of Discovery Program, CIMMYT
  • Fanus Swart – General Manager, Curativo 
  • Simon Winter – Executive Director, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture


Session 3 - Part 2: Access to finance
  • Seed Capital Timothy Runnalls – Senior Director of Real Assets, Ascension Investment Management
  • Patricia Dinneen – Senior Advisor, Chair of Impact Investing Council, Emerging Market Private Equity Association (EMPEA) 
  • Brian Heese – Director, Investor Relations, One Acre Fund 
  • Brian Milder – Executive VP, Strategy & Innovation; Director, Smallholder Agricultural Finance, Root Capital 
  • Mezuo Nwuneli – Managing Partner, Sahel Capital Agribusiness Managers Ltd


Session 4: Laying the Foundations for Successful Scaling and Supporting the Scaling Process
  • Johannes Linn – Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution 
  • William Ryerson – Founder and President, Population Media Center 
  • David Spielman – Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute

Session 5 Effectively Engaging and Leveraging Partners

  • The Importance of Partnerships to Catalyze and Sustain Inclusive Agricultural Transformation (IAT) in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: BMGF Perspective Enock Chikava – Deputy Director, Agricultural Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Extension. Tunji Arokoyo – Prof.; Consultant Agriculturist and Participatory Extension Specialist and Trainer, Ahmadu Bello University 
  • Local Business. Suraj Devani – Director, Pee Pee Tanzania Ltd. (PPTL) 
  • Smallholder Farmers. Brian Heese – Director, Investor Relations, One Acre Fund 
  • Development Organization-Facilitated PPPs. Floortje Jacobs –Public-Private Partnerships Advisor, SNV Netherlands Development Organization 
  • Global Company. Thavy Staal – Sustainability and Project Manager, Crop Protection Africa and Middle East, BASF

Lunch Presentations



Session 6: Examples of Successes and Failures; Lessons Learned

Introduction to Case Studies

“It says something that it took so much work and so many experts to identify so few documented cases of interventions that scaled successfully and sustainably.” Mark Huisenga, Senior Program Manager at USAID

Sessions Wrap-Up



Discussion Groups

Applications– Assessing New Technologies/ Innovations for Possible Scale Up

  1. Chimney Solar Dryer - University of California, Davis
  2. Cyclone Pearl Millet Thresher - Hampshire College
  3. Hub-and-Spoke Food Processing Innovation System - Purdue University
  4. Hygrometer - Purdue University
  5. Integrated Mobile Cassava Peel Processing Device for Animal Feed - Galaxy Integrated Aqua
  6. Kero Porridge Flour: A Gift of Being - INGABEYACU
  7. Mobile Utility Grain Storage - NeverIdle Farms
  8. Technology Package for Prevention and Control of Mastitis in Dairy Animals

Keynotes

  1. A field-tested, low-cost, locally-produced, multi-crop thresher Soybean Innovation Lab, SIL
  2. A tool for assessing and improving the scaling potential of agricultural technologies Management Systems International (MSI), A Tetra Tech Company
  3. Determinants of the involvement of extension agents in the dissemination of climate smart agriculture initiatives: Implication for scaling up University of Ilorin, Nigeria
  4. Do improved drying and storage practices reduce aflatoxin contamination in stored maize? Experimental evidence from smallholders in southern Senegal - Food Processing Innovation Lab)
  5. DryCard™ Horticulture Innovation Lab at the University of California, Davis
  6. Establishing cassava as an agro-industrial crop through the scaling-out of proven technologies and innovations for the production, processing, and marketing of value-added products in Africa IITA
  7. GEM parboiled domestic rice in urban markets: a promising future in Nigeria AfricaRice
  8. Mobile phone-based dairy feeding support tool - Heifer International Nepal
  9. New tools for maize lethal necrosis virus in Africa: CIMMYT and Corteva Agriscience collaborate on plant breeding innovations CIMMYT
  10. Orange-fleshed sweet potato drinks commercialization towards a healthy population, Nigeria - University of Agriculture, Umudike Abia State, Nigeria
  11. P-Solubilizing inoculants - Heather Pasley, Purdue University
  12. Pan-African trials: fast-tracking the delivery of new soybean varieties, IITA (Zambia) (FTF Soybean Innovation Lab, SIL)
  13. Postharvest processing enterprises for African smallholders - Compatible Technology International (CTI)
  14. Precision agriculture for African development - INVESTIV
  15. Processing of yam for export - National Root Crop Research Institute Umudike, Nigeria
  16. Production and marketing of horticultural seeds and seedling of Africa indigenous vegetables and fruits in Benin - Seed Services Benin
  17. Renewal and delivery of spatially explicit soils information in Western Kenya - Department of Agronomy, Purdue University
  18. Scale up of climate smart maize technology package for transformation of the maize value chain and livelihoods in Africa - (TAAT) Maize Initiative, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
  19. Scaling agricultural mechanization world-wide, the case of the 2-wheel tractor (2WT) - CIMMYT
  20. Scaling up food security innovations: Lessons from the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund -  International Development Research Center (IDRC)
  21. Scaling up proven wheat technologies and innovations for achieving a wheat self-sufficiency in Africa - ICARDA
  22. The ICT4Scale initiative: Harnessing ICT to scale up agricultural solutions - Farm Radio International, 
  23. The Purdue Utility Project: transportation and power solutions for Africa - Purdue University, 
  24. The scaling scan: a practical tool to determine the potential to scale - SNV Netherlands Development 
  25. The TAAT clearinghouse: coordinating technology delivery at scale - IITA-Benin, Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin
  26. Transforming cassava peel into high quality animal feed ingredients - IITA
  27. University of Eldoret food processing training and incubation center - University of Eldoret, Kenya
  28. What factors constrain the efficient scaling up of cocoa value chain technologies among cocoa farmers under the commercial agriculture development project? - - Insights from Cross River State, Nigeria - Department of Agricultural Extension, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
  29. Willingness to pay for maize moisture detection devises in Kenya - FTF Food Processing Innovation Lab
  30. Youth mainstreaming in climate smart agriculture as a means to achieving zero hunger in African by 2025