Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Friday, February 26, 2021

WEBINAR: Nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems

24 February 2021. Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems. Organised by FAO elearning Academy, Agreenium (l’alliance de la formation et la recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation, l'environnement et la santé globale) and UN-ESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific).

265 persons participated in this webinar

Objectives of the session
  • Provide an overview of the existing resources on the formulation of nutrition-sensitive outcomes for sustainable food system policies, investments and programmes;
  • Understand current country needs to prioritize interventions and share some examples;
  • Share the results of national research, as evidence of the importance of sustainable nutrition-sensitive food systems.
Panelists
  • Ms Cristina Petracchi, (Leader of the FAO elearning Academy)
  • Ms Patrizia Fracassi, (FAO)
  • Mr Alfredo Echeverría, (Costa Rican Gastronomy Foundation)
  • Ms Boitumelo Stokie Motswagole, (NFTRC)
  • Ms Gerda Verburg, (UN Assistant Secretary-General and SUN Movement Coordinato
    (below video starts with her presentation)
Multimedia File
Presentation Alfredo Echeverria - Webinar 24.02.2021.pdf
Presentation Boitumelo Stokie Motswagole - Webinar 24.02.2021.pdf
Presentation Patrizia Fracassi - Webinar 24.02.2021.pdf

WEBINAR: UN Food Systems Summit Action Track 3 - Second Public Forum

26 February 2021. UN Food Systems Summit Action Track 3 - Second Public Forum by UN Food Systems Summit

Action Track 3 (AT3) focuses on boosting nature-positive production systems at scale to globally meet the fundamental human right to healthy and nutritious food while operating within planetary boundaries. Speakers included AT3 leadership, as well as senior executives from WWF, UNCCD and other organisations.
  • UN anchoring agency: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
  • Chair: Joao Campari, Global Leader Food Practice, WWF International
  • Vice-chair: Lavetanalagi Seru, Alliance of Future Generations.
The panel dived deeper into a few selected topics which have been frequently mentioned in the first few months of stakeholder engagement. These included:
  • Improving incentives and subsidies
  • The differing need of food on land and food in the water
  • Ways to engage with the AT and help shape game-changing solutions

Upcoming Webinar in March and beyond

2 March 2021. Food systems lessons from COVID-19: From understanding fragilities to building resilience


2 March 2021. Habbanaye: Building Livestock Assets for Resilience
2 March 2021 | 14-15:30 GMT+2 A Water-Energy-Food Nexus approach for evaluating the sustainability of the Mediterranean Diet: The Case of Lebanon

2 March 2021. 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM CET. Digital Agriculture in the Commonwealth: What is it?

2 March 2021. 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM CET. Digital Fisheries in the Commonwealth: What is it?

  1. 2nd March – WEBINAR 1: Private-sector engagement in commercialising agricultural innovations to improve food safety and nutrition | Register for this webinar
  2. 3rd March – WEBINAR 2: Creating an enabling environment to facilitate the commercialisation of food-safety and nutrition-related agricultural innovations | Register for this webinar
  3. 4th March – WEBINAR 3: Shaping the future development and commercialisation of innovations to improve food safety and nutrition in the context of food-system transformation | Register for this webinar
3 March 2021.12:00-13:30 Central European Time (CET). Second Global Summit on Food Fortification Virtual Series entitled: Transforming Food Systems and Investing in Nutrition for Growth - Staple Food Fortification and the Role of the Private Sector.

4 March 2021.10:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada) A Quantitative Look at Farmer Protests in India

4 March 2021. The Secret to Mobilizing Funds for Agri-SMEs webinar. by AGRA and Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion, and SCOPEinsight

11 March 2021. 10 am CET. Water Accounting in Use: Farm level water accounting and irrigation metering. by FAO

11 March 2021. 03:00 PM CET: The Hidden Costs of the Food System by Food thank

11 March 2021 (15.00-16.30 CET) - Community Engagement Days - Webinar 2: Community Engagement for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment The series is organized by the Dimitra Clubs Team of the Rural Institutions, Services and People's Empowerment (RISE) Team of the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equity (ESP) of FAO

11 March 2021 @at 11 am EAT. Importance of transparency for brands  

Join Land O'Lakes Venture37 and Villa Crop Protection for the public launch of Fall Armyworm Mitigation: Learning Modules for Trainers of Smallholder Farmers in Africa.

12 March 2021. 14.00-16.00 CET GFRAS Webinar II: Policies & Interventions


12 March 2021. 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM CET. Farmer Led Research in the Resilience of Rural Communities. First international conversation on Farmer Led-Research of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph.
Virtual webinars tackling the EU policy such as the Farm to Fork Strategy, the CAP reform and the effects these policies have on the international landscape.
  • Monday, March 8 - 14:30-16:00 (CET) - Accounting for Water: The Present and Future of Nature-Based Approaches - event hosted by Coca-Cola and TNC
  • Monday, March 8 - 16:00-17:30 (CET) - New tools and instruments for private land conservation in Europe - event hosted by TNC & ELO
  • Tuesday, March 9 - 10:30-12:00 (CET) - Striking the right chord to support nature-friendly farming - event hosted by WWF EU
  • Tuesday, March 9 - 14:30-15:30 (CET) - Sustainable solutions from Syngenta - event hosted by Syngenta
  • Wednesday, March 10 - 10:30-12:00 (CET) - Racing to scale regenerative farming - event hosted by SYSTEMIQ
  • Thursday, March 11 - 10:30-12:00 (CET) - RISE: A conversation on the future of European soil - event hosted by RISE Foundation
  • Thursday, March 11 - 15:00-16:30 (CET) - Carbon Farming: linking agriculture with climate and biodiversity goals - event hosted by ELO & Indigo

15 March 2021. 2 – 3:30 PM CET. The WEF Nexus on the ground: practical applications from the Maghreb and West Africa

Virtual webinars tackling the EU policy such as the Farm to Fork Strategy, the CAP reform and the effects these policies have on the international landscape.
  • Tuesday, March 16, 2021 10:30 - 12:30 CET Farm to Fork Strategy: building a sustainable EU Food system framework
  • Tuesday, March 16, 2021 14:30 - 16:00 CET Will the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) deliver for society?
  • Tuesday, March 16 - 16:15-16:45 (CET) - Soil Award ceremony - event hosted by ELO & Syngenta
  • Wednesday, March 17 - 16:00-17:30 (CET) - Forestry Management in Europe - event hosted by ELO
  • 18 March 2021. 16:30 - 18:00 CET Strengthening the transatlantic cooperation for research and innovation in the agri-food system  event hosted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety for a webinar on commercial, market-oriented solutions to advancing food safety.

The Home Gardens for Resilience and Recovery (HG4RR) network organizes each 3rd Tuesday of the month, 14:00-15:00 CET (Berlin Time), for a webinar series focused on the challenges and opportunities of home garden interventions and evaluation in crisis and humanitarian settings.

16 March 2021 | 14-15:30 GMT+2 The WEF Nexus on the ground: practical applications from the Maghreb and West Africa





22 March 2021. 3 pm CET. Live Webinar and Book Launch: Preparing the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs to Transform Africa's Food Ecosystem


23 March 2022. Nature Based Solutions: the good, the bad and the youth perspective. In collaboration with Youth in Landscapes Initiative and the Global Landscapes Forum. 

23 March 2021.09:00 - 17:00 FFA2021 Annual Conference – Food System Renewal

23 March 2021. Crawford Fund: What Can Farmers Do? Farmer-led, science-based greenhouse gas...

23 March 2021. Towards Resilient Livelihoods, Food Security, and Nutrition for All: Confronting the Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 by IFPRI


23-24 March 2021. Presidents United to Solve Hunger (PUSH) Leaders Forum

23-25 March 2021. Mobilizing Private Investment in the Great Green Wall
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in partnership with the UNCCD, African Development Bank, ICRAF, ELD, IDH, 1t.org, WBSCD, SOS Sahel, Mirova, CPIC and South Pole.
 The conference will explore ways to strengthen the participation of women, youth and marginalized groups in entrepreneurial activities.

24 March 2021. from 14:00 – 15:00 CET, Behavioural Approaches in Measuring and Delivering Impact: What are we learning? Organised by the IFAD Innovation Network

24 March 2021. Open information session on “How to prepare a successful proposal in Horizon Europe”.  By the European Commission. The purpose of this event is to inform all potential applicants to future Horizon Europe calls on the modalities for preparing their proposals. The agenda will include two main points: “Submission and Evaluation” and “Model Grant Agreement”. This first Horizon Europe webinar will take place via YouTube only, from 10.00 to 16.30 (CET). Registration and agenda are available via the following website.

24 March, 11.00 am - 12.30 pm (CET).  "Implementing the AfCFTA: the Need for Deepening Private Sector Engagement and Commitment", co-hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB), UNIDO, Session N°17 @ the International Trade Centre (ITC), the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Aid-for-Trade Stocktaking Event 2021.

Webinar organized by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF). Please register through this link. This webinar is organized as part of WTO's Aid-for-Trade COVID-19 Stocktaking Event. Recently, the STDF also issued a new short film "Shaping a safer world", which explains why it matters to invest in food safety, animal and plant health, and trade.

24 March 2021. 2:30 PM The Digital Transformation Agenda - Day 2 will focus on Agriculture Sector

24 March 2021. Building Food and Water Security in an Era of Climate Shocks
This Global Policy Dialogue is the first in a four-part series, "Building a Global Coalition for Sustainability after COVID-19." The session, organized by UN DESA in partnership with FAOWFP, will look at how climate change is affecting people’s access to safe and nutritious food and water.

24-31 March 2021. International Training Program on Agri-produce Marketing Models and Plan for Farmer Producer Organizations in Post Covid Context The training course is designed with focus on capacity building of project staff members/professionals who are engaged in planning and facilitating marketing activities under agri-horti, agri-allied sectors and other value added production in IFAD funded projects in Asia Pacific region


25 March 2021. Technical webinar - Sustainable food systems and nutrition: Food post-harvest losses. A series of technical webinars, organized by Agreenium, UN-ESCAP, and FAO

25 March 2021. Why Intellectual Property matters - African Tech Hub perspective


25 March 2021. Biodiversity preservation as poverty reductionWebinar on how biodiversity plays a vital role in ensuring the health of our ecosystems, climate and environment


29 - 31 March 2021. All Africa Horticultural Congress 2021. Abdou Diouf de Diamniadio International Conference Centre Rufisque Dakar, Senegal. Videos from all sessions will remain available on the platform until the end of 2021.

30 March 2021 – 1 April 2021. Agrofood Nigeria 2021

30 March 2021 Strengthening Landscape Partnerships: A “game-changing” solution? UNFSS Independent Dialogue convened by FAO North America and EcoAgriculture Partners

In this webinar, IFAD’s Information and Communications Technology Division (ICT) will present GeoScan, an innovative IT application giving access to over 180 data layers from verified sources that can be used in the design of IFAD strategies and projects for countries in West and Central Africa.

31 March 2021. Kampala Impact Day. By Entrepreneurs For Entrepreneurs and Einstein Rising

31 March 2021, 10:00-13:00 (Cairo time). “Harnessing local agriculture production system for healthy diets”. Regional Network on nutrition-sensitive food system. Sharing experiences between Asia, Africa and the Near East


31 March 2021. Women’s Empowerment in Beyond-Production Activities



1 April 2021. @9:30am EDT) Tackling child undernutrition at scale: Insights from national and subnational success cases. By IFPRI.

  • 1er webinaire aura lieu la semaine du 5 avril 2021
  • 2ème webinaire aura lieu la semaine du 12 avril 2021
  • 3ème webinaire aura lieu la semaine du 19 avril 2021
  • 4ème webinaire aura lieu la semaine du 26 avril 2021
  • 1st webinar will take place during the week of the 5th of April
  • 2nd webinar will take place during the week of the 12th of April
  • 3rd webinar will take place during the week of the 19th of April
  • 4th webinar will take place during the week of the 26th of April
6 April 2021. 9 AM EST: Developing Sustainable Fiscal Policy for the Food System

6 April 2021. (11:00 a.m. GMT). Panel on the restriction of human rights in the land sector at stake?  


7 April 2021. 7am PST/10am EST/2pm GMT/5pm EAT. “Hey, Sister! Show me the mobile money" project, a USAID-funded digital financial literacy campaign, implemented in Ghana, Uganda, and Malawi. Strategic Impact Advisors (SIA) developed 10 short audio lessons and a facilitator's guide to build women’s capacity to use mobile money. The content is open-source and available in multiple languages. Register for the Zoom meeting here

7 April 2021. 14:00 CEST. Fortifying the supply chain – addressing premix challenges. will include some preliminary findings from research being supported under the EU-2FAS contract called, “Effects of COVID-19 on global and national fortification supply chains: implications for programming”, led by IRD, in partnership with SAVICA (Indonesian consultancy firm).


Find out about our global community of Agrifood researchers and technologists and learn about collaborative, networking, and funding opportunities for African-based researchers and industry.


14 - 16 April 2021. World Food Summit 2021 - Better Food for More People

April 20, 2021 - Apr 21, 2021 Food Tech Matters 
Food Tech Matters is the virtual get-together, where food leaders and international investors discover the latest ground-breaking technologies to disrupt the industry of agri-foodtech, and connect with the brightest minds behind the innovations shaping tomorrow’s food and farming.

20 april 2021. The Permagarden Pathway to Resilience and Food Security. The Home Gardens for Resilience and Recovery (HG4RR) network organizes each 3rd Tuesday of the month, 14:00-15:00 CET (Berlin Time), for a webinar series focused on the challenges and opportunities of home garden interventions and evaluation in crisis and humanitarian settings.

19 - 22 April 2021. VIRTUAL EVENT. Global Soil Partnership from 13:00 to 16:00 CET. GSOBI21 combines policy and science to shed a light on soil biodiversity as a nature-based solution to many of today's global challenges. The symposium will enable high level attendees, scientists, businesses, partners and panelists to engage in fruitful discussions and gain reliable knowledge on soil biodiversity.
Report: State of knowledge on Soil Biodiversity - Status, Challenges and Potentialities: Main report ; Summary for policy makers

April 27 at 9AM EST: Investing in a More Resilient Food System


18 May 2021 Webinar series on operationalization of the Framework for Sustainable Agriculture
Mechanization in Africa (F-SAMA)

18 May 2021. The Permagarden Pathway to Resilience and Food Security. The Home Gardens for Resilience and Recovery (HG4RR) network organizes each 3rd Tuesday of the month, 14:00-15:00 CET (Berlin Time), for a webinar series focused on the challenges and opportunities of home garden interventions and evaluation in crisis and humanitarian settings.

May 2021 - 9th Plenary meeting of the Latin America and the Caribbean Soil Partnership (date tbc)
May 2021 - 5th Plenary meeting of the African Soil Partnership (date tbc)

May 19 at 11AM EST: Ecological Solutions for Stronger Communities

June 8 at 9AM EST: Enriching and Diversifying Diets.

5 June 2021 - World Environmental Day - Launch of the Global Assessment of Soil Pollution and its summary for policy makers

8-9 June 2021. Food Safety Summit SA 2021
The Home Gardens for Resilience and Recovery (HG4RR) network organizes each 3rd Tuesday of the month, 14:00-15:00 CET (Berlin Time), for a webinar series focused on the challenges and opportunities of home garden interventions and evaluation in crisis and humanitarian settings.

15-16 June 2021.EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENT DAYS: 'SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN ACTION: OUR WORLD, OUR DIGNITY, OUR FUTURE'

17 June 2021 - Desertification and drought day - Launch of the Global Soil Salinity Map (GSSmap)

June 2021 - 2nd International network on fertilizers analysis meeting

22 - 24 June 2021 - 9th Global Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly and launch of the Global Soil Organic Carbon sequestration potential map

23 and 24 June 2021. European Research and Innovation Days This year’s edition will mark the official launch of Horizon Europe, the new EU research and innovation programme (2021-2027).


6-12 September 2021. Intra African Trade Fair 2020

13 - 16 September 2021 - Global Symposium on Salt-Affected Soils


September 2021 - Second Plenary meeting on soil spectroscopy (date tbc)

13-15 October 2021. 1st Conference on Farmer-Centric On-Farm Experimentation


October 2021 - Sustainable soil management for nutrition-sensitive agriculture: Micronutrient workshop (date tbc)

October 2021 - Launch of the Global Status of Black soils and Global Black Soil Distribution Map (GBSmap)

October 2021 - 3rd Workshop of the International Network of Black Soils (INBS) (date tbc)

October 2021 - 7th meeting of the International Network of Soil Information Institutions(date tbc)

October 2021 - 5th meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (date tbc)

November 2021 - 6th meeting of the Eurasian Soil Partnership (date tbc)

November 2021 - 15th working session of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (date tbc)

5 December 2021 - World Soil Day "Halt soil salinization, Boost soil productivity"

December 2021 - Global Soil Information System launch event (date tbc)

WEBINAR: alternative approach centered on Food Sovereignty

25 February 2021. On February 16, Bill Gates, will release his vision of climate solutions in his newbook, “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster”. Climate change is one of the crises used by Gates and his Foundation to justify urgent, technocratic “solutions” for altering food systems around the world.

In response, AGRA Watch (a campaign of Community Alliance for Global Justice) aims to amplify the work of social movements organizing in Seattle and around the world for Climate Justice. To counter top-down expertise as the means of solving our world’s most pressing issues, the panelists presented an alternative approach centered on Food Sovereignty, with communities leading the way to a climate just future.

Related: 
16 February 2021. Bill Gates: “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” & Driving Innovation |The Daily Social Distancing Show

 

26 February 2021. The Full Interview With Bill Gates

Thursday, February 25, 2021

LECTURE: Wanjira Mathai on the road to sustainability

25 February 2021
. Envisioning a more resilient future requires action today aimed at establishing
harmony between human development and nature. 

Civil society has shown valuable examples of effective partnerships which connect communities to their natural surroundings, particularly in Africa, where the Green Belt Movement has emerged. Without such connections, sustainability, such as that proposed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains abstract.

This Kapuscinski Lecture aimed to promote civil society integration with academia and government into effective partnerships for empathetic development characterized by harmony and connections between human activities and nature. This human-nature empathy highlights the importance of “Life on Land” (SDG 15) as a central element of the whole 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Ecosystem integrity is, in fact, the basis of this vision aimed at preserving the life support system in the biosphere. Together, we can and will unify to secure a more sustainable future.

WATCH THE RECORDING OF FACEBOOK
  • Facilitator: Carmen Maganda
  • Koen Doens (INTPA)
  • Mirjana Spoljaric (UNDP)
  • Jose-Miguel Rubio (European Environment Agency)
The lecture of Wanjira Mathai of the World Resources Institute was followed by a panel discussion with participation of:
  • Agustín del Castillo, Journalist specialized in environment and rural livelihoods
  • Georgina Vidriales Chan, Member of SENDAS AC and Pixcando NGOs, Coordinator for outreach, communication and biomarkets
  • Alicia Chacalo Hilu, Professor, Department of Energy, UAM Azcapotzalco

WEBINAR: Special Panel With UN Food Systems Champions: Public Research for Public Good.

25 February 2021. Special Panel With UN Food Systems Champions: Public Research for Public Good. Presented by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the Global Alliance on the Future of Food, and Food Tank
  • Dr. Jemimah Njuki (IFPRI); 
  • Dr. Kanayo Nwanze (CGIAR); 
  • João Bosco Monte (Brazil Africa Institute); 
  • Claudia Martínez Zuleta (Food and Land Use Coalition and E3). 
  • Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg (Food Tank) and Ruth Richardson (the Global Alliance on the Future of Food).

Upcoming panels
  • March 11 at 9AM EST: The Hidden Costs of the Food System
  • April 6 at 9AM EST: Developing Sustainable Fiscal Policy for the Food System
  • April 27 at 9AM EST: Investing in a More Resilient Food System
  • May 19 at 11AM EST: Ecological Solutions for Stronger Communities
  • June 8 at 9AM EST: Enriching and Diversifying Diets.
  • The first conversation “Addressing Power Imbalances Through Shared Power and Inclusivity” took place on January 29 at 9:00 a.m. EST.Speakers included: Ajay Vir Jakhar (Bharat Krishak Samaj); Michelle Nunn (CARE USA); Jessica Vega Ortega (Global Indigenous Youth Caucus); Mamadou Goita (Institute for Research and Promotion of Alternatives in Development (IRPAD)), and special guest Christine Ciccone (The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)). Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg (Food Tank) and Ruth Richardson (the Global Alliance on the Future of Food). Watch the replay.

WEBINAR: Food As A Commons

24 February 2021. Food As A Commons. Key findings from the study "COVID-19 lockdown and the impact on food security and local food systems - A food justice perspective from the Cape Flats and St. Helena Bay“ (August 2020, 39 pages) were presented. Further, results were contextualized and the concept and policy implications of 'Food As A Commons' was explored.

Food security in South Africa has long been on the priority list of many civil society organisations. Initiated by the call of two communities in South Africa, the SLE responded due to the high relevance of the issue. For this reason, this bottom-up study was designed as one of the post-graduate programme studies for this year. The demand came from two areas in the Western Cape which SLE have already been closely engaged with in the past, i.e. a community in the Cape Flats (CF) and in Saint Helena Bay (St. HB). 
  • Jose Luis Vivero Pol (Key Note Speaker)
  • Jane Battersby (Speaker)
  • Vuyani Qamata (Speaker)
  • Siphokazi Ndudane (Participation requested)
  • Sonia Mountford (Commentator)
  • Darina Döbler (Moderator

WEBINAR: UN Food Systems Summit Action Track 1 - Second Public Forum by UN Food Systems Summit


25 February 2021.
UN Food Systems Summit Action Track 1 - Second Public Forum by UN Food Systems Summit

Action Track 1 (AT1) strives to identify game-changing ideas to transform food systems and achieve the goal of ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all. This second Public Forum focused on the current thinking of some game-changing ideas relevant to AT1 and present a platform to engage with, connect, and listen to your reflections on where Action Track 1 (AT1)  stands.
  • What has been AT1's process between mid-November and now? Lawrence Haddad, AT1 Chair, and Corinna Hawkes, lead for the Nutritious Foods WG AT1 .
  • Where do we currently stand with the development of our game-changing ideas? Cherrie Atilano and Jessica Fanzo (members of AT1 leadership team), with input from many AT1 leadership team members.
  • What are our next steps in developing game-changers? Jamie Morrison, UN Anchor for AT1, Sheryl Hendriks, Science Group representative in AT1, Lawrence Haddad.

WEBINAR: EUFIC-FAO Food Systems Dialogue

25 February 2021.
The European Food Information Council (EUFIC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) co-hosted the Food Systems Dialogue "Walking the talk: healthy & sustainable food systems through aligned, evidence-based communication & policy’’.

A paradigm shift towards sustainable food systems can only be achieved if citizens are enabled and empowered to make healthier and more sustainable food and lifestyle choices. Against that backdrop, this Dialogue sets to bring diverse EU stakeholders around the table, to break the silos, to address the urgent need to combat all forms of malnutrition and environmental degradation, and at the same time, to empower citizens to adopt healthier and more sustainable behaviors – by increasing trust in science, and by securing aligned, evidence-based communication & policy.

The event connected the often fragmented nutritional and environmental conversations from policy to consumers, to understand positions across stakeholders, to communicate and agree on an aligned vision, proposing accurate & accountable actions that will lead to better policy coherence in the food system, and to a food environment that is inclusive, that benefits all citizens and the planet.

Touching upon key aspects to move sustainable food systems ahead in the transition from science to action, the Dialogue will be moderated by Milka Sokolović, Head of Food & Health Science at EUFIC, and will feature a series of high-level speakers:
  • Martin Frick, Deputy to the Special Envoy for the UN Food Systems Summit
  • David Nabarro, UN Food Systems Summit 
  • Laura Fernández Celemín, Director General, EUFIC
  • Rodrigo Lapuerta, Director of FAO Liaison Office, Brussels
  • Carla Montesi, Director for the Green Deal and Digital Agenda, DG INTPA , European Commission
  • John Bell, Director Healthy Planet, DG RTD, European Commission
  • Isabel Carvalhais, MEP and Member of European Parliamentary Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition
  • Jamie Morrison, Director of FAO’s Food Systems and Food Safety Division and Lead on Knowledge and Policy for the Food Systems Summit Secretariat 
  • João Breda, Head of WHO European Office for Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, WHO Europe  


WEBINAR: AU-EU Platform for research and Innovation (R&I) on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA).

18 February 2021.
 The  West Africa-EU Alliance Workshop (WAEA) is a pilot and a component for the envisaged AU-EU Platform for research and Innovation (R&I) on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA).

Under the title ‘Dialogues for Action’ the incentives and benefits of the collaboration in the WAEA have been discussed in a webinar, in particular for including also funders earliest in the multi-stakeholder process. One goal is to form the basis for a WAEA R&I program cycle before end of 2022. 

The LEAP4FNSSA knowledge management system, consisting of a project data base and a Knowledge Extract Or Pipeline System (KEOPS), a tool using advanced text mining and artificial intelligence technologies, has been presented as an offer to become elements of the envisaged WAEA Knowledge Management and Communication Framework (KMCF).

WAEA will start in three working groups on the development of:
  • a WAEA Theory of Change and Impact Pathway (TCIP),
  • a WAEA Communication Concept to include as many stakeholders as possible into a collaboration process, and
  • a process with data and knowledge managers in the region.
These working groups will contribute to a WAEA Sorting House Mechanism for the exchange between science and end-users of knowledge, and for improving the collaborations in regional food systems. 

While developing the WAEA, the intention is also to develop principles, methods and technologies that could be applied in the envisaged AU-EU Platform on FNSSA.


After a phase of drafting material for the WAEA TCIP and the Communication Concept, as well as for the collaboration in data and knowledge management, it is intended to open the development process to a broader public. LEAP4FNSSA will inform soonest about further results and activities in the WAEA region on the website.

Read/download the presentations and check out the recorded video.

WEBINAR: EU Climate Adaptation Strategy: Stepping up international action for climate resilience

25-26 February 2021. Virtual event accompanying the adoption of the new EU Climate Adaptation Strategy

The European Commission release the new and more ambitious EU Climate Adaptation Strategy on February 24th, 2021. (23 pp.)

STEPPING UP INTERNATIONAL ACTION FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE (p. 17)
  • Strengthening international collaboration for climate resilience is a key priority for the EU. Adaptation efforts need to be effectively targeted to reach the most exposed, vulnerable, conflict-prone or marginalised communities, leaving no one and no place behind.
  • The new EU Adaptation Strategy promotes regional approaches, with a focus on adaptation in Africa and Small Island Developing States
  • The Strategy will further advance a Green Agenda for Western Balkans and strong green partnerships with the EU Neighbourhood.
  • The EU is already committed to helping Africa adapt to a more hostile climate, including through nature-based solutions like the Great Green Wall Initiative. Over the period 2014-2019, the EU mobilised approximately EUR 3.4 billion to support climate adaptation in the region. The EU supports, among others, the African Adaptation Initiative, the African Risk Capacity, and has launched the Africa Research and Innovation Partnership.
  • The EU will provide targeted support to partner countries to help unlock existing and new financial resources towards climate adaptation. This includes supporting partner countries in accessing climate finance from international sources, such as the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund, and collaborating with multilateral development banks, financial institutions and the private sector.

26 February 2021. Stepping up international action for climate resilience

Insights from the ongoing research within two EU H2020 projects RECEIPT and CASCADES will set the stage for an in-depth discussion on how re- mote climate change impacts may affect the resilience in Europe.

Recording forthcoming

RECEIPT REmote Climate Effects and their Impact on European sustainability, Policy and Trade - This project’s key deliverables include scientific narratives describing the impact on Europe’s food security and international development.

CASCADES CAScading Climate risks: towards ADaptive and resilient European Societies - The EU-funded CASCADES project seeks to understand the conditions under which climate risks propagate beyond their geographical, sectoral, and temporal location in ways that may affect European stability and cohesion.
  • Christopher Reyer (moderator) is leading the Forest and Ecosystem Resilience Group at Potsdam

    Institute for Climate Impact Research
  • Katy Harris is Senior Expert at the Stockholm Environment Institute and Director of Adaptation Without Borders.
  • Maarten van Aalst is Director of Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and Professor at the University of Twente.
  • Tessa Schmedding is EU Affairs Expert in the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office for Europe.
  • Bart van den Hurk is Strategic Research Advisor Climate Change at the Water Knowledge Institute Deltares and Professor at the Institute for Environmental Studies in Amsterdam.
  • Bina Desai is Head of Programmes at the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Taskforce on Displacement under the Warsaw Mechanism for Loss and Damage.
  • Daniel Stadtmüller is Team Leader of InsuResilience Secretariat at the German Corporation for International Cooperation.

WEBINAR: The Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor: What next for the African continent?

25 February 2021
The Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor; What Next for the African Continent?
A joint event by WTO-IFPRI-IISD

The aim of the WTO Trade Dialogues on Food is to create a conversation around the role of international trade in food security. The Trade Dialogues on Food invite experts from governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses, academia, think tanks and foundations, to debate the most topical issues in food trade. 

Each year the international trading system moves enough wheat, maize, rice and soybean to feed approximately three billion people around the globe. Meanwhile, 190 million tons of fertilizer applied to farmland annually play a key role in helping us grow enough food to sustain our expanding population, with much of it traded on the international stage. Climate change will make international trade even more central to food security, acting as a vital conduit for food from food-surplus to food-deficit nations in the wake of natural calamities. 

The Trade Dialogues on Food are designed to shed greater light on the complexity of the food trade nexus, creating a safe space for public policy debate.

Background Documents :

Speakers

  • Chahir Zaki - Associate Professor of Economics (and Co-Editor of the Trade Monitor), Cairo University
  • Halima Noor - Senior Trade Advisor at the African Union
  • Elizabeth Nsimadala - President of the Pan-African Farmers Organization and the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation
  • Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter - Ambassador of South Africa to the WTO
  • Edwini Kessie - Director, Agriculture and Commodities Division, WTO
  • Moderator - Doaa Abdel-Motaal - Senior Counsellor, WTO Agriculture and Commodities Division
  • Moderator - Jonathan Hepburn - Senior Policy Advisor, International Institute for Sustainable Development
Related: 

WEBINAR: The African Agriculture Trade Monitor 2020

20 October 2020. 09:30 am to 10:45 am (EDT) The African Agriculture Trade Monitor 2020

Against the background of worldwide trade disruptions due to COVID-19, IFPRI and AKADEMIYA2063 are launching the third annual Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor (AATM), the leading comprehensive report on African agricultural trade flows and policies. The report's authors will discuss emerging trends in African countries’ trade flows and compositions, comparative advantages globally and regionally, tariff and non-tariff trade protection, and recent extraregional and intraregional trade developments. The 2020 AATM includes special coverage of the extensive informal cross-border trade across Africa and initiatives to measure informal trade, along with an assessment of regional integration outcomes in this year’s region of focus: The Southern African Development Community (SADC).

This seminar explored the opportunities to develop stronger regional value chains by removing trade barriers and capitalize on the recently ratified African Continental Free Trade Area.



Speakers
  • Ousmane Badiane, Executive Chairperson, Acting Managing Director, AKADEMIYA2063
  • Antoine Bouet, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
  • Mamello Nchake, Senior Research Fellow, Trade, Industry and Private Sector Development, Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis
  • Sunday Odjo, Deputy Director, Knowledge Systems, AKADEMIYA2063
  • Chahir Zaki, Assistant Professor of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University
  • Tracy Davids, Manager, Commodity Markets & Foresight, Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) & Researcher, University of Pretoria
  • Antoine Bouet, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
  • Julie Kurtz, Research Analyst, IFPRI
Resource:
BOOK Africa agriculture trade monitor 2020.
ANTOINE BOUËT, ED., SUNDAY P. ODJO, ED., CHAHIR ZAKI, ED.
PAGES: 190

The 2020 Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor, the third in this series of flagship reports, presents an overview of trade in agriculture products in Africa and highlights the main impediments that affect intra- and extra-African trade. 
  • This year’s report includes chapters focusing on intra-Africa trade integration for agricultural products, including the role of nontariff measures, and on the competitiveness of African value chains that are crucial for food security (cereals, sugar, vegetable oils). 

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

REPORT: Political economy analysis of the Ethiopian food system

ECDPM (2021) Political economy analysis of the Ethiopian food system - Key political economy factors and promising value chains to improve food system sustainability. Sean Woolfrey, Paulina Bizzotto Molina and Martin Ronceray, FAO study, February 2021. 65 p.

The study analyses the Ethiopian food system, identifying and explaining notable trends, important socio-economic, food security and nutrition and environmental outcomes generated by the food system, as well as the structural factors, institutions and actors that shape food system outcomes in Ethiopia. 

These outcomes reflect a number of sustainability challenges hampering the food system and its contribution to sustainable development in Ethiopia, including increasing land pressures, high levels of rural poverty, growing youth under-employment, gender inequality, persistent food insecurity and malnutrition, reduced biodiversity and the loss of ecosystem services, especially due to land degradation and deforestation, and weak resilience to climate change. 

Based on this analysis and on recent efforts to prioritise specific agri-food value chains in Ethiopia for focusing policy interventions and public and private investment, the study then identifies dairy, fruit and vegetable and pulses value chains as particularly promising ones on which to focus interventions to facilitate investment to achieve a sustainable impact.

Extracts
The role of large commercial farms in the Ethiopian food system remains relatively modest. Jobs generated by large commercial farms have been associated with low pay, stressful working conditions with minimal safety regulations, and lack of job security. Some regional endowment funds, presumably under the control of regional elites, are involved in food commodity exports and/or food processing. Other private actors such as foreign investors and the companies of Ethiopian-Saudi billionaire Al-Amoudi invested in large tracts of agricultural land alongside processing facilities.  (page 34)

A large share of Ethiopia’s official development assistance targets food security and the agri-food sector. A coordination platform on agriculture, the Rural and Economic Development and Food Security (REDFS) Working Group, is co-chaired by development partners and government representatives, and meets regularly. It established a Multi-Donor Trust Fund in 2008. One of the main multi-donor comprehensive programmes is the Agricultural Growth Programme (AGP), which provides support for agricultural production and commercialisation in the Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray regions. Some observers worry that donor-funded value chain initiatives in Ethiopia do not do enough to strengthen local support and innovation systems  and that simple metrics of impact lead to losing sight of complex dynamics on the ground. Several development partners support the agricultural commercial clusters or work in partnership with the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA).  (page 36)

The European Union’s development cooperation with Ethiopia is one of the largest in Africa and in the world – amounting to EUR 815 million for the period 2014-2020 – and targets food security and agriculture, health, and governance. In recent years, the EU has increased the focus in areas relating to job creation, industrial and agro-industrial parks, export and trade promotion and private sector development.  (page 37)

The livestock sector, and the dairy value chain in particular, contributes both positively and negatively to a number of important sustainability objectives. From the point of view of food and nutrition security, animal-sourced foods play a key role in healthy diets.(...)  The environmental pressure of livestock rearing, especially in the densely populated highlands, is leading to overgrazing, conversion of land for grazing and land degradation. (page 44)

Some of the efforts to remedy the challenges in fruit and vegetable value chains include initiatives to increase the affordable and timely access to a diversity of seeds. The Integrated Seed Sector Development Programme, for example, aims to improve the access to and use of quality seed by small-scale farmers of not only hybrid but also farmer-preferred varieties, promoting a diversity of seed systems in terms of formality(page 49)

Especially in the tomato value chain, pesticide residues and water resource mismanagement are problematic. Investments can build on the potential of increased awareness and the visibility of food safety on the demand-side of the value chain.  (page 51)

Ethiopia is one of the top five exporters of fava beans and one of the top ten exporters of chickpeas, common beans and field peas (ibid.). Major markets for Ethiopia’s pulses exports include Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its neighbors, Kenya and Sudan. Ethiopia’s pulses exports have grown significantly in value, from USD 22 million in 2001 to USD 241 million in 2017, and represent the country’s third biggest source of foreign exchange after coffee and oilseeds. (...) Particularly promising pulses include haricot beans (including both white pea beans and red kidney beans), chickpeas and mung beans.  (page 52)

Pulses value chains in Ethiopia are subject to a number of challenges. Limited use of inputs such as chemical fertilisers, organic inputs (e.g. rhizobium inoculants), high-yielding seeds and agricultural technologies, coupled with limited knowledge and use of modern agronomic practices and soil amendment practices, and poor extension services, lead to low onfarm productivity, low quality products and inconsistent supply. (page 54)

CDAIS in Northern Ethiopia, offers a good examples of how to work with farmers and cooperative unions to better cluster producers, including women farmers, and to link them to buyers. (page 55)

Background:
The need to transform agri-food systems is broadly recognised around the world, but much more needs to happen. In developing countries, and particularly in Africa, many farmers, processors and other actors struggle to access the financial resources needed to invest in more sustainable and resilient practices to improve their agri-food systems.

This lack of financial access is why ECDPM is collaborating with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to implement the AgrInvest’ project on enabling inclusive and efficient private sector investment in agri-food systems, which is supported by the Government of Italy.

Through this project, ECDPM will work with local governments, farmers, financial intermediaries and others engaged in food systems in four African countries – Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya and Niger – to develop approaches for unlocking private investment for more sustainable agri-food practices such as more diversified production, better management, and less loss and waste in the supply chains.

By promoting investment for more sustainable and resilient agri-food systems, the project seeks to contribute to sustainable economic growth, reduced food insecurity and increased rural employment and incomes, particularly for women and youth.

In addition, ECDPM will develop, together with local agri-food system actors, approaches to promote investments in agri-food systems that are in line with the SDGs and that can be applied in other contexts. We will also ensure that the lessons we learn feed into national strategies and regional and global processes to promote sustainable agri-food systems, including the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit.

For more information on Agrinvest, download the flyer in English and French.

You can also visit FAO’s website dedicated to the AgrInvest project to access further information and material.

Other publication: