The Agribusiness Learning Alliances (ABLA)

Consultancy to Test and Validate the Agribusiness Learning Alliances (ABLA) Proof of Concept Based on Innovation Platforms of Six Third-Party Projects (TPPs) Expressions of Interest should be submitted no later than October 14, 2024.

Drawing from past lessons with the Integrated Agriculture Research for Development (IAR4D) approach, Innovation Platforms (IPs) have proven essential in putting the approach into practice. IPs, established as forums for stakeholders in a commodity value chain, support knowledge exchange, technology development, collaboration, capacity building, agribusiness growth, and policy influence. By adopting IPs, engagement is enhanced, strengthening the entire agricultural innovation system (Schut et al., 2017), including researchers, producers, the private sector, extension services, and policymakers etc.

Despite their potential value, many Innovation Platforms (IPs) have struggled to achieve sustainability and economic efficiency, particularly in increasing farm profitability. This is often due to their project-based nature, leading to a decline and disintegration after project completion, coordination challenges, limited government support, and a failure to leverage innovations like digital technologies. One key limitation of many IPs towards their sustainability has been identified as general lack of their linkages with businesses and the private sector which provide business services such as marketing and financial support to the IPs. 

To address these issues, one strategy that is being developed and tested by FARA is the concept of the Agribusiness Learning Alliance (ABLA). 

• ABLA strengthens linkages and entrepreneurship within IPs, incubators, and similar facilities by integrating business development learning. 
• This approach helps generate solutions, build capacities to overcome business challenges, and scale business ideas, providing socio-economic benefits for stakeholders and beneficiaries.

With financial support from the European Union Commission (EUC) under the CAADP-XP4 FARA, in collaboration withASARECA and tEAFF, has been piloting the Agribusiness Learning Alliances (ABLA) model in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda under the “Strengthening Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Ecosystem for Inclusive Rural Transformation and Livelihoods in Eastern Africa” (AIRTEA) project. The ABLA concept is aimed at enhancing an alliance between the IPs and the private sector to provide business approach and services needed to sustain the IPs.

The main goal of the AIRTEA project is to support sustainable agrarian livelihoods and rural transformation by fostering an inclusive innovation environment. Implemented through the Innovation to Impact Framework, the programme focuses on institutionalizing Innovation Platforms (IPs) to guide national prioritization, IP management, and multistakeholder collaboration. By facilitating partnerships and connecting stakeholders, the ABLA approach helps generate business development insights, create solutions, and build capacity to overcome business challenges and scale up ideas.

A recent assessment was conducted to review and articulate the ABLA concept, develop a methodology for establishing proof of concept to guide its implementation. This was needed to establish a baseline for the AIRTEA third-party projects to better understand the status, challenges, and areas for improvement for the various IPs operating under the third-party projects to bring them to a level where they would be viable for private sector engagement.

The baseline highlighted key areas for improvement, such as weak IPs-private sector engagement, improving market access, financial sustainability, and business models. Clearer governance roles and responsibilities within IPs are necessary, and limited access to capital remains a barrier for stakeholders in implementing and scaling innovations. Leveraging ICT and digital platforms is crucial for modernizing operations and improving engagement. Additionally, engaging women and youth is essential for fostering diverse and innovative ideas. The process also highlighted the need to empower stakeholders in third-party projects by enhancing their understanding and practical application of the Agribusiness Learning Alliance (ABLA) concept. This would include building capacity for business development and market access strategies, providing critical insights, and developing valuable skills along priority value chains.

This request for expression of interest aims at engaging a consultant to carry out the following functions:

1. Prepare and present a brief inception report detailing the process and methodology for the assignment including identifying an assistant scientist to work with to carry out this assignment.
2. Validate the selected TPPs based on their representativeness within the AIRTEA project and opportunities within the respective value chains.
3. Develop a template for assessing the status and situational position of IPs in selected Third-Party Projects (TPPs) across Kenya (TPP1, TPP8, TPP9), Uganda (TPP5, TPP6), and Rwanda (TPP2).
4. Facilitate the development of detailed action plans for IPs, including timelines, to address gaps and enhance the capacity (skills, knowledge, and resources) of IP members.
5. Define the criteria and identify a facilitator for capacity building in business planning, financing, youth and gender inclusion, policy advocacy and partnership building, as part of the ABLA concept validation.
6. Create user-friendly and simplified training materials for IPs as a guide to improve their viability for private sector engagement. (Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda)
7. Develop an ABLA publication (a manual / handbook) that can be adopted across the ARD network as a support mechanism for IPs and MSPs.
8. Develop a final consultancy report summarizing the activities, findings, and recommendations.

How nature-based solutions can deliver corporate sustainability commitments

Oct 17, 2024 02:00 PM. How nature-based solutions can deliver corporate sustainability commitments

Nature-based solutions (NBS) play a pivotal role in delivering tangible impact and addressing corporate sustainability commitments. To achieve progress around nature protection, restoration and emissions mitigation at scale, collaboration between industry actors is also key. 

This webinar, hosted in partnership with Rimba Collective, will explore the real-life application of NBS through the eyes of various stakeholders as well as the challenges that arise during the implementation. 

•  Emily Kunen, senior director, positive agriculture capabilities & forest risk, PepsiCo 
• Martin Huxtable, global sustainable sourcing director, Unilever 
• Andika Putraditama, director, Rimba Collective 
• Michal Zrust, founder and CEO, Lestari Capital

Opportunity Crops: A drive for viable current and future livelihoods

16 - 18 October 2024.  Opportunity Crops: A drive for viable current and future livelihoods Hosted by IITA. MEETING OF THE SOCIETY FOR UNDERUTILIZED LEGUMES (SUL)

Download the program here

Sub-themes:

1. Exploration and Utilization of Indigenous Plant Genetic Resources
2. Genetic Improvement, Biotechnology and Crop Modelling
3. Crop Production and Health
4. Healthy Nations through Opportunity Crops
5. Natural Resources Management and Climate Change
6. Nutrition, Food Processing and Value Addition
7. Socio-economics and agribusiness in Opportunity Crops
8. Gender-Responsive Innovations for Food Security and Policy
9. Artificial Intelligence for Opportunity Crops Promotion

Parallel Technical Sessions (extracts) 

1. Thematic Area 4: Healthy Nations through Opportunity Crops
2. Thematic Area 6: Nutrition, Food Processing and Value Addition
3. Parallel Technical Session: Gender-Responsive Innovations for Food Security and Policy

Thousand African Youth Summit on food systems and agroecology

14-16 October 2024. In recent years, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) has significantly increased youth involvement through the establishment of the AFSA Youth Platform. This initiative aims to engage young Africans in promoting agroecology, seed sovereignty, land justice, climate action and putting them at the forefront of advocating for sustainable food system reforms and policies. 

In May 2023, the AFSA Youth Platform held a summit on Food Systems and Agroecology in Machakos county Kenya in 2023 (Report Here), the participants collectively agreed on key action items and next steps on youth engagements within the entire food systems chain in Africa. That Summit on food systems and Agroecology provided a space for African Youth to deliberate on challenges affecting them and the African Food Systems. 

 The “Thousand African Youth Summit on Food Systems and Agroecology” was agreed as a way forward to involve more African youth in providing and discussing solutions to the challenges facing African food systems and the youth involved. The summit is a significant gathering that aims to build upon the success of the African Youth Summit on Food Systems which was held in Machakos, Kenya, 2023. 

Summit Thematic Areas 

1. Agroecological entrepreneurship in a climate crisis 
2. Technological innovations for adaptation through agroecology 
3. Leveraging indigenous and local community knowledge and practices to address issues related to the food and climate crisis. 
4. Approaches to minimise conflicts in the context of the climate crisis through agroecology 
5. Building resilience through biodiversity conservation in agroecology to cope with the climate crisis

Meetings FAO in Rome on Agroecology

15 - 18 October 2024. World Food Forum 

Organized around three pillars - Global Youth Action, Science and Innovation and Hand-in-Hand Investment - the 2024 flagship event leverages the power of intergenerational collaboration, as well as partnerships and action across policy, science, innovation, education, culture and investment. This year, the event will also host the 2024 edition of the annual World Food Day and the High-Level Rome Water Dialogue on WASAG - The Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture, as well as the Global Family Farming Forum, ensuring even more inclusivity, dialogues and solutions for the present and future of our agrifood systems.

15 October

10:30 – 12:30 CEST, FAO, Farm venue. SESSION 2 Public policy innovations for family farming, Global Forum on Family Farming. Dr. Fernanda Machiaveli Morão de Oliveira, Executive Secretary, Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming, Brazil

14:00 – 14:30 CEST. Transforming Landscapes through a participatory co-design approach Presentation Corner (AGROMIX) Dr. Josep Crous-Duran, REVOLVE, Ms. Rosemary Venn, Coventry University (Centre for Agroecology Water and Resilience), Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schmutz,  Coventry University (Centre for Agroecology Water and Resilience)

16 October

13:00 – 13:30 CEST. Which public policies support agroecological and organic family farmers? Ms.
Cristina Grandi, IFOAM

14:00-15:00 CEST. Investing in capability-building of African youth in Agri-Food Science Hosted by Nestlé R&D, German room

14:00- 15:00 CEST. World Food Forum The role of Youth in the Agroecological Transformation: insights from Youth Networks from all over the world. A side-event on the pivotal role of youth in promoting agroecology, aiming to connect existing Youth Networks and ignite the creation of new movements and initiatives on sustainable agricultural practices 

14:30 – 16:00 CEST, FAO, Farm venue SESSION 6 Sowing rights: uptake of global policy instruments,  H.E Nosipho Nausca-JeanJezile, Chairperson, UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS);  Right to Food case study from Indonesia; Dr. Rolando González Patricio, President, Parlamento Latinoamericano y Caribeño (PARLATINO); Ms. Anya Coutinho, Leading Coordinator, Grădina Moldovei; Mr. Zainal Arifin Fuat, International Coordinating Committee of La Via Campesina

16:00 – 17:30 CEST, FAO, Farm venue. SESSION 7. Investing in family farming, Mr. Oliver Olivero, Coordinator and Head of the Agroecology Coalition Secretariat, Ms. Esther Penunia, Member of the Steering Committee of the Forest and Farm Facility and Secretary General of Asian Farmers’ Association (AFA); Mr Mohamed Fouad Bergigu, GEF Programming Specialist, Global Environment Facility, Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB); Mr. Nadjirou Sall, Member of the Steering Committee of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) and Secretary General of Roppa

17 October

10:30 to 10:45 CEST and from 13:00 to 13:15 CEST. Co-designing a global Agrifood Technologies and Innovations Knowledge Base (ATIO KB)", will take place in the Acceleration Zone (room D085) with two spotlight moments

11:00 – 12:30 CEST. FAO, Farm venue. SESSION 9. Family farming for climate-resilient food systems, , Ms. Nissa Wargadipura, Joint-founder of At-Tariq farming field school, Indonesia; Prof. Arilson Favareto, Professor and researcher at Universidade Federal ABC - UFABC and Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento – Cebrap, Ms. Rim Ferchichi, Secretary General, Union Maghrébine et Nord Africaine des Agriculteurs (UMNAGRI); Ms. Lucrecia Rodríguez, Executive Secretary, Consejo Agropecuario Centroamericano (CAC); Mr. Kyle Stice, CEO, Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network (PIFON); Mr. Olou Adara, President, Coordination Togolaise des Organisations Paysannes et de producteurs agricoles (CTOP); Mr. Mujuni Mtembei Kamwesige, Senior Agriculture Officer, Ministry of Agriculture of the United Republic of Tanzania

14:30 – 16:00 CEST. FAO, Farm venue. SESSION 10 Diversified market opportunities for family farming, Mr. Chris Claes, International Executive Director, Rikolto, Ms. Elizabeth Nsdandala, President, Eastern African Farmers Federation (EAFF), Mr. Rafael Ortiz Quezada, Vice Minister for Scientific and Technological Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture of Dominican Republic; Mr. Richard McCarthy, President, World Farmers' Market Coalition; Ms. Patricia Flores, Senior Global Academy Manager, IFOAM; Mr. Saer Niang, Autorité de Régulation de la Commande Publique du Sénégal

16.30- 18.00 CEST Sciences and Innovation Forum Innovate Locally, Impact Deeply: exploring why and how to successfully support community-driven innovations 

In the spotlight: Forgotten Foods / Opportunity Crops and Nutrition in the First 1000 Days

7 – 11 October 2024. University of Cape Coast – North Campus, Cape Coast, Ghana. The African Nutrition Society (ANS) and the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) are organizing the 9th edition of the Africa Nutrition Conference (ANC2024 / ANEC IX).

Tuesday 8th October,2024. TRACK 1A: Food Systems and Nutrition in Africa

Securing sustainable good nutrition in the first 1000 days: The synergy of localization, social behaviour change communication and markets. Presenter: Kennedy Bomfeh

Download: ANC 2024 Abstract_KOKO Plus.pdf # 1 p.

Launch of the Training manual: 

Why SBCC with Market Based Approach Creates Synergy Sustainable Nutrition Improvement Cycle

“Ghana PPP Model” by Market Based Approach with SBCC. 6TH EDITION JUNE, 2024, # 32 pp.

Background: Nutrition in the First 1000 Days 

The First 1,000 days – the time between conception to 24 months of life – has been considered a critical phase in a child’s development. Scientific evidence suggests that this period records the most rapid body development. For example, the brain records its highest growth rate and plasticity during this period, with tremendous implications for overall well-being, cognitive development and behavioral expression in later life. Nutrition plays a central role in the health outcomes realized at this point in life and beyond. Accordingly, nutrition in the First 1000 days is considered a unique window of opportunity during  which gains in general and cognitive development can be made, or irreversibly lost.

One of the critical irreversible adverse health effects of malnutrition in the First 1000 days is stunting. It is a condition in which a child experiences growth faltering, becoming too short for their age compared with WHO child growth standards, with corresponding lower cognitive development. Stunting stems from chronic or recurrent undernutrition, both of which, with concerted efforts, are preventable.

In Ghana, considerable government, private sector and development partners’ efforts have been centered on addressing stunting. Through these endeavours, stunting has declined from 33% in 1993 to 18% in 2022, according to the latest Ghana Demographic and Health Survey report. Though a commendable achievement, the number remains above the national target of 14% by 2025. More work is therefore needed to drive the rates further down. For more than a decade, the Ghana Nutrition Improvement Project (GNIP) of The Ajinomoto Foundation (TAF) has been a significant contributor to that drive.

 

GNIP and the fight against malnutrition in Ghana 

Started in 2009, GNIP is focused on preventing malnutrition among infants and young children. Itundertook product development of a protein and micronutrient nutrient powder (called KOKO Plus®) based on WHO guidelines for infant and young child nutrition (IYCN), conducted scientific efficacy studies that verified that KOKO Plus® is effective against stunting, and distribution model studies that evaluated delivery channel options for reaching the target population (children from 6 months old).

In the product development, to ensure sustainable production, due regard was given to the local food culture and local supply chains. This “localization” commitment emphasized the use of local raw materials for the manufacture of the product, the use of a local production facility and labour, and respect for the local food culture by making a sprinkle-type point-of-use supplement for traditional complementary foods. KOKO Plus® is a 15g powder supplement containing soybean flour, added lysine, and a mixture of vitamins and minerals. The product formulation has been published in the scientific literature. In 2018, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) registered KOKO Plus® as a “Nutritious Powder” in its food basket for Ghana.

Reaching the nutritionally vulnerable sustainably through social business 

Ensuring the availability, access and consumption of nutrients-dense complementary foods is essential for securing good nutrition  for every child. The approaches adopted to facilitate the availability  of,  and  access to  nutrients-dense  food  –  especially  those  in  the  supplements category – directly impact the sustainability of both the efforts and the resulting gains. Whereas in  food  crises  situations,  donation  is  a  required  humanitarian  approach  for  addressing malnutrition, in non-crises situations, other approaches that empower beneficiary communities to  (eventually)  own  the  solutions  to  malnutrition  would  be  more  sustainable  and  more supportive of robust domestic nutrition, health, and food systems, as well as livelihoods.   

Consequently, GNIP adopts a market-based distribution of KOKO Plus® to offer availability and access by, respectively, placing the product in convenience stores close to health facilities and the settlements of caregivers, and keeping the price within the reach of the bottom of the pyramid  (around  10  US cents per  sachet).  In  doing  this,  GNIP adopts  a  social  business approach, ensuring that the entire value chain is primarily managed by local people to address the  malnutrition  problem  while  strengthening  local  supply chains and  improving livelihoods. This  allows  a  direct  contribution  to  the  materialization  of  the  pledge  of  the  Sustainable Development Goals to leave no one behind. 

Consumption  for  good  nutrition  is  a  knowledge-driven  endeavour.  For  infants  and  young children, their nutrient intake heavily depends on the level of nutrition knowledge of caregivers, as this directly influences food selection, preparation and feeding practices. For that vulnerable group,  breastfeeding  and  complementary feeding  are  critical nutrition  pillars.  These,  done right,  prevent the more  than  30%  of  infant  and  young  child  deaths  that  are  attributable  to undernutrition.  It is reported  that poor  breastfeeding practices results in  more than  1 million child deaths, whiles an additional half a million deaths are linked to suboptimal complementary feeding. These highlight the need for caregiver education on what constitutes optimal feeding. 

In 2018, TAF and its local (Ghana) operating  agency – KOKO Plus Foundation (KPF) – signed a  memorandum of  cooperation  with  the  Ghana  Health  Service (GHS) through  which  the nutrition  education  efforts  of the  latter  are  augmented  with  co-developed, easy-to-use and easy-to-understand  job-aids  and  tools  for  knowledge  and  skills  transfer  on  optimal complementary feeding. Those materials are used in training health workers and for educating caregivers.  Through  this  public-private  partnership  (PPP),  TAF/KPF  and  GHS  have strengthened the social behaviour change communication (SBCC) in health service delivery, thereby contributing to the improvement of caregiver knowledge on IYCN. The SBCC activities involve stepwise one-on-one nutrition counselling as well as food and cooking demonstrations to show caregivers how to intentionally  select and prepare nutritious foods for children.  The use of KOKO Plus® is also recommended for improving the nutrient-density of meals. In 2019, more than 1,200 caregivers were trained in 20 cooking demonstrations organized in one of the beneficiary districts in the Central Region of Ghana. As at 2023, over 280 thousand caregivers had been reached nationwide.  

The synergy of SBCC and markets for driving improvements in nutrition 

Through  the  combination of SBCC and  market-based distribution  of KOKO Plus®, GNIP is facilitating the creation of a sustainable cycle for preventing infant and young child malnutrition by improving caregiver nutrition  knowledge  along  with  market-based distribution  of  KOKO Plus®. From 2019 to 2021, TAF/KPF, GHS and the World Food Programme (WFP) tested the synergy of SBCC and market-based nutrition intervention with KOKO Plus® in the Ashanti and Northern Regions of Ghana. The SBCC component involved education on optimal infant and young child  feeding (IYCF) practices, whiles the market component entailed  making KOKO Plus® available on the market for purchase. It was found that counselling  on IYCF through SBCC resulted in the following: 

1. caregivers recorded more knowledge of optimal IYCF practices that an baseline (see Fig. 1); 
2. caregivers  recorded  a  higher  purchase  of  KOKO  Plus®  (81.3%  of  caregivers purchased post-intervention vs. 60% at baseline);  
3. children  of  caregivers who received IYCF were  15%  less likely to have  anaemia  at follow-up. 

These  suggest that the SBCC improved the understanding  of caregivers on optimal  IYCF, leading  to  a  modified  practice  of  intentionally  selecting  nutritious  foods  for  their  wards. Furthermore,  their  decision  to  purchase  KOKO  Plus®  for  their  wards  highlights  their willingness to spend on good nutrition after receiving nutrition education.  Fig. 1 summarizes the link between nutrition knowledge and purchase of KOKO Plus®. The data suggests that IYCF  knowledge  increased  after  the  SBCC, which  subsequently led  to  an  increase  in  the purchase  of  KOKO  Plus®.  Additionally,  intentional  purchase  of  KOKO  Plus®  may  be considered an indicator of intentional selection of nutritious foods in general, which in turn may have contributed  to better nutrition and health  outcomes (e.g., the observed lower incidence of anaemia). Thus, the increase in the purchase of KOKO Plus® after the nutrition education may be considered a proxy for the link between nutrition education and willingness to spend on nutritious foods. 

Scaling up the synergy, widening the social impact 

Building on the results of the 2019 – 2021 collaborative project, TAF/KPF, GHS and WFP with the support of the Japanese government, entered  a second phase of the project in  October 2021 to expand the SBCC and market-based nutrition intervention to 90 districts, targeting  a population  of 252,000 caregivers. The goal is to improve IYCF knowledge among caregivers in  urban  and  peri-urban  areas  through  SBCC,  emphasizing  dietary  diversity  and recommending KOKO Plus® to  prevent  malnutrition,  particularly  stunting  and micronutrient deficiencies in children. Through the project, it is expected that caregivers will be empowered to intentionally select locally available nutritious foods for their wards and use KOKO Plus® to improve  the  nutrient-density  of  complementary foods.  These,  ultimately,  are  envisaged  to improve the local nutrition, health and livelihoods situation.  

 

Conclusion 

Through the Ghana Nutrition Improvement Project (GNIP), The Ajinomoto Foundation  (TAF) in its public-private partnership with the Ghana Health Service, has shown that a combination of social behavior change communication (SBCC) and market-based delivery of nutritious food holds  promise  for  sustainable  nutrition  improvement,  as  it  fosters  a  change  in  mindset regarding what constitutes good nutrition and willful purchase of nutritious foods. Furthermore, the reliance of this approach on localization – realized in the  use of local raw materials, food production  and  distribution  systems, and respect for the  local  food culture –  strengthens its support for local livelihoods, thus reinforcing its sustainability.  

Kennedy Bomfeh (PhD) is the Director for Supply Chain and Academic Affairs at KOKO Plus Foundation and has been on the Ghana Nutrition Improvement Project since 2011. 

Esi Foriwa Amoaful is a nutritionist, public health specialist and Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition advocate. She is a retired Director of Nutrition for the Ghana Health Service. 

Upcoming:

15 -19 October, 2024. Opportunity Crops: A drive for viable current and future livelihoods

Sub-themes

• Exploration and Utilization of Indigenous Plant Genetic Resources
• Genetic Improvement, Biotechnology and Crop Modelling
• Crop Production and Health
• Healthy Nations through Opportunity Crops
• Natural Resources Management and Climate Change
• Nutrition, Food Processing and Value Addition
• Socio-economics and agribusiness in Opportunity Crops
• Gender-Responsive Innovations for Food Security and Policy
• Artificial Intelligence for Opportunity Crops Promotion

14 October 2024. Validating the Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) indicator across population groups.

• Next Monday, NRF invite you to the first online webinar, "Validating the Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) Indicator across Population Groups," held in celebration of World Food Day 🌍. 
• This session will present key findings from NRF and FAO studies on using MDD as a proxy for nutrient adequacy among pregnant women, adolescent girls and boys, and men.

🎤 Speakers :

• Leonard Mizzi Head of Unit, Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries, European Commission,
• Raschad Al-Khafaji Director, FAO Liaison Office, Brussels
• Eric Verger, Researcher at IRD
• Giles Hanley-Cook Hanley Cook, FAO’s Food and Nutrition Division
• Facilitator : Carl Lachat, Ghent University, NRF

📅 Date: Monday, October 14th, 2024
⏰ Time: 10:00 am UTC / 12:00 CEST

🔗 Join here: https://lnkd.in/eMgCcAfN


Next webinars will be held on :

• Wednesday, November 20th at 12:00 UTC, focusing on persistent undernutrition in the Sahel Tuesday,
• December 10th at 11:00 UTC, on measuring women's empowerment as part of the SANOI - Food and Nutritional Security in the Indian Ocean project.

 

Related:

20/06: Local Private Sector and Nutrition for Women and Children
Representatives of local companies such as Nutri’zaza and Le Lionceau shared their business models, which are based on creating decent jobs, developing economically viable distribution networks and market safe nutritious and affordable products that appeal to as many people as possible.

Lynnette M Neufeld, et all. (2024) Food Systems Interventions for Nutrition: Lessons from 6 Program Evaluations in Africa and South Asia

Although there is growing global momentum behind food systems strategies to improve planetary and human health—including nutrition—there is limited evidence of what types of food systems interventions work.. The article highlights 5 challenges: 

1. a lack of evidence base to justify the intervention,
2. the dynamic and multifaceted nature of the interventions, 
3. addressing attribution, 
4. collecting or accessing accurate and timely data, 
5. and defining and measuring appropriate outcomes. 

In addition to more specific guidance, the authors identify 6 cross-cutting recommendations, including a need to use multiple and diverse methods and flexible designs.

BD4FS (2022) Business Drivers for Food Safety Tools and Practices Feed the Future, USAID #169 pp. The Feed the Future Business Drivers for Food Safety (BD4FS), funded by USAID and implemented by Food Enterprise Solutions (FES), is a multi-country (Senegal, Ethiopia, and Nepal) project that works alongside SMEs, or as they are referred to in the BD4FS project, “growing food businesses” (GFBs)

BIFAD (2024) Increasing the Demand for Healthy Diets Evidence on Approaches Across the Food System in Feed the Future Contexts Pre-Published Document Released for Public Comment September 6, 2024. # 54 pp. [1] GAIN (2020) Food system PPPs: can they advance public health and business goals at the same time? Analysis and ideas for moving forward. # 62 pp.

In the spotlight: Agriculture Value Chain : A Solution Towards Youth & Women Employment In Africa

Roseline Delali Ashigbui is a young single mother who started her business out of nothing. 

An amazing young agri-socialpreneur transforms her life and women farmer life because of her personal experience. With tasks to map out young Agripreneurs, She trained and mentor them across CSAYN member countries. With her commitment toward this success story CSAYN recognized her as the Goodwill Ambassador for Agribusiness.

In 2013, her life took a bad turn but it did not stop her from living, rather it challenges her to become the better version of herself. Working for 72 hours without sleep was normal thing for Roseline; in spite of tiredness and loneliness, she always kept looking up and refused to remain poor. She saw many women in the community with same case and started thinking critically about the way to help herself and these women, going through similar challenges and also started identifying problems that women are facing in her community. This personal experience definitely inspired and motivated Roselyne to create her company: Delchris Africa Limited.

• 
  Post-harvest losses and food waste: The major challenge over the years for women farmer
  whose major occupation is cultivation of maize, groundnuts, brown rice, has being access to the right market for their farm produce in the Hohoe municipal area.
• Youth and women empowerment and repossessing age-old farming as a business: the prevailing high rate of unemployment and the phenomenon of young school dropouts as a result of teenage pregnancy and single parenting. This will be resolved with the opportunity of offering meaningful jobs for self-sustainability.
• 
  Malnutrition: The deteriorating health conditions of most Ghanaians due to the adoption of negative foreign cultural behaviours whereby Ghanaians eat more of the unhealthy but attractively packaged imported foods full of chemicals. It is increasing the risk of some diseases such as kidney failure, cancers, tumours, cardiac arrest.

The company seeks to utilize backward integration process to offer ready market for the women involved in the cultivation of maize, groundnuts, brown rice, millet. It is integrating food waste management. The concept also provides employment for the youth in the area through the production and attractive packaging of our healthy indigenous Ghanaian foods and snacks, to meet global standards.

Delchris Africa Ltd Saves Life

Sturdily turning over her 20 cedis, with a little help from family, Roseline’s business has grown into helping some other women and youth with the direct engagement of 18 women and youth in my community. Currently, the company employs 12 women and 6 men at the age between 26 and 41 from different education level. Our amazing young business woman is full of integrity, passion, leadership. Also, she paid close attention to her collaborators: understanding them and the problems they are facing, knowing their dreams and passion. Engaging them at the factory was to help them worked and save money to pursue their dreams, but just engaging them was not enough. The company provides training in other trades like detergent making, saving, record keeping and a mentoring session.

Currently, Roseline funds smallholder women farmers in cultivating maize and brown rice farm, build a cottage factory/ training centre.

• For all these years, about 20 youths have directly worked with Delchris Africa ltd
• Three youth have successfully moved into pursuing their dream but still under my close monitoring, they come to work anytime they are in town ie currently
• Two are still working with us but taking their degree course under distant education programme
• There is mentoring of 16 young ladies’ businesses in various farming communities under solidaridad Africa

Awards and Recognitions

• 2015: Best Agro-Processor of the Year (Ministry Of Agriculture, Farmers Day), Municipal
• 2016: National Overall Best Graduate Enterprise Development Initiative (Eximbank Ghana)
• 2017: Listed Most Outstanding Startup of the Year (Ghana Startup Award)
• 2017: Listed Top 100 Most Outstanding Women Entrepreneur in Ghana (Women Rising)
• 2017: Product Innovation of the Year Award (SME Ghana Awards)
• 2018: first prize national board for small scale industries women pitch competition

The African Nutrition Society (ANS) conference

7 – 11th, October 2024. University of Cape Coast – North Campus, Cape Coast, Ghana. The African Nutrition Society (ANS) and the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) are organizing the 9th edition of the Africa Nutrition Conference (ANC2024 / ANEC IX).

Theme: “FOOD AND NUTRITION IN A CHANGING WORLD: Implications for nutrition security and health in Africa”

The ANEC IX Conference theme has been chosen to highlight and reflect the succession of global and regional crises and issues currently impacting on nutrition and health, and their implications for research, practice, advocacy and the training of nutrition and health professionals in Africa.

• See the program here

This year’s theme addresses key critical global issues which impact food and nutrition security and the

food supply chain. The theme also reflects current global dialogues and national commitments to food systems transformation for a better world. In recognition of the importance of, and to motivate government actors, policymakers, programme implementers and international development partners, we have chosen a policy-practice-facing theme with sub-themes that speak directly to national needs, commitments and targets for their food systems by 2030.

* Photos from the welcoming ceremony: serving traditional (forgotten, under utilised, indigenous, under researched) foods and beverages.

ANEC IX brings together students, academics, trainers and practitioners, as well as government and non-government actors, multilateral and bilateral organizations. The conference provides a forum for exchange of new knowledge and innovative approaches for the management of national priorities. Such discussions are complemented by country specific public engagement activities. The conference partners with media and modern communication technologies, assisted by supporting social marketing and advocacy efforts.

Track 1: Food Systems and Nutrition in Africa

Food systems transformation is a major area of global health and nutrition security interest. In this track, key focus areas include:

• Monitoring and tracking food systems transformation
• The food environment and their implications for health and disease
• The nutrition transition in the context of Africa’s food environment and non-communicable diseases
• Climate Change and Food in the Circular Economy
• Traditional Knowledge, promotion and transformation of Africa’s indigenous food resources and their implications for the food industry

Track 2: Nutrition, Health and Wellbeing

This theme will explore issues relating to nutrition across the lifecycle in health and disease including pre-pregnancy maternal, infant and young child nutrition, Immuno-nutrition in health and disease, and nutrition in the management of diseases.

Key focus area include:

• Food, nutrition security and the developmental origins of health and disease
• Hidden hunger - Micronutrient nutrition /deficiency in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• School Health and Nutrition (beyond the first 7,000 Days)
• Epidemiological trends in nutrition and lifestyle-related chronic diseases including cancers in Africa
• Nutrition in the therapeutic management of disease
• New technologies and nutrition surveillance methodologies and the quality and reliability of measurements for nutrition monitoring, decision-making and policy

Track 3: Training and Capacity-Building for Nutrition

This theme will cover education, training and professional practice in the fields of nutrition and dietetics across Africa.

Key focus areas include:

• Pedagogical issues and harmonization of nutrition and dietetics curricula in Africa
• Current global trends and shifts in education and training emphasis and scope.
• Country experiences on training, licensure and nutrition and dietetics professional practice.
• Nutrition education and communication in professional practice

Track 4: Special Events: Nutrition Governance in Africa; the African Diaspora in Nutrition

This track will feature Expert Panel/Round Table discussions and a debate on cross-cutting contemporary issues with policy implications at national and regional levels

Track 4A: A Roundtable Discussion: Nutrition governance in Africa

Key focus areas:

• What is important for nutrition governance in Africa?
• New directions and roles of Centres of Excellence for Nutrition in Africa: generating research evidence for policymakers
• Exploring policies, national, regional commitments, targets,
• Nutrition leadership
• Challenges and opportunities

Track 4B: A Debate: The African Diaspora and Nutrition Training and capacity-building

Key focus areas include:

• African scientists and experts in the diaspora – “Brain drain or brain gain”?
• Contributions of Africans in diaspora to the Nutrition landscape in Africa.
• Challenges and opportunities for collaboration and building research, leadership and advocacy capacities

Related:

30 October 2024. Supporting and shaping the global nutrition agenda with evidence: A three-decade journey of research and partnerships for impact

Regenerative Agriculture: Experience from Kenya

2 October 2024. Regenerative Agriculture: Experience from Kenya

The recording is here https://youtu.be/fYY9XcpOUo0

• Hand International works in Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan to empower people, particularly women, in their economic activities which we contribute to poverty reduction.
• It brought various technical assistance work—such as regenerative agriculture—to help farmers improve their productivity and crop quality.

Speakers:

• UN FAO advisor and global agroecology expert, Pablo Tittonell, Nicholas Syano, permaculture expert and founder of the Drylands Natural Resources Centre (DNRC) 
• Japheth Muli, Hand in Hand Eastern Africa Regenerative Agriculture Lead

Systemic approaches for sustainable growth, employment and resilience

1 - 3 October 2024. The DCED, together with the BEAM Exchange – its knowledge platform on market systems development (MSD), has been running regular highly-regarded global seminars about private-sector development (PSD) since the early 2000 – including in Nairobi (2018), Lusaka (2016) and Bangkok (2014, 2012 and earlier). 

Extract of the programme:

Climate Adaptation and Environmental sustainability

• Navigating green private sector development: donor priorities, implementer realities with Melina Heinrich-Fernandes (DCED Secretariat)
• Greening the MSD approach in agriculture with Clara García Parra (The Canopy Lab), Amanda Jerneck (ILO), John Rachkara (Mercy Corps), Luana Ayala (ILO), Frédérique Weyer (SDC), Thabani Moyo (NIRAS)
• Green jobs and the just transition: applying a systems lens with Steve Hartrich (ILO), Jack Steege (Gatsby Africa), Mahlet Seifu Woldeabraham (Mercy Corps), Freddy Koch (Swisscontact)

02 Side event: Building Bridges: Donor and DFI 

Collaboration Event by British International Investment (BII) and FMO

• This event brought together senior leaders from Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), donor agencies, and key stakeholders to showcase successful strategies for fostering effective DFI-donor collaboration. 
• They highlighted lessons from an upcoming research report and from live initiatives such as ARIA and Invest for Impact Nepal, providing practical insights into how collaboration can unlock impactful investments in frontier markets. 

Echoes of knowledge – a poetic look at what knowledge management (KM) involves [Arts & culture in KM part 15]

When the question “what is knowledge management (KM)?” is asked, KM practitioners will often give dry technical responses that disengage rather than engage the audience.

In the video below, Mabel shows what is possible when we take a different approach – using arts and culture, in this case poetry, to tell a story.

Shu Mabel Lum

Mabel is a Certified knowledge Manager for sustainable development with vast experience in community development and knowledge creation. She currently works as the Knowledge Management Programme Assistant at the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) where she is involved in curating, documenting and disseminating knowledge on issues relating to the civil society sector. She is also a member of the Knowledge Management for Agricultural Development CoP. She has an academic background in Chemistry and Quality Control and is the author of the podcast ‘The Spark’, a platform that uses storytelling to provide guidance and mentorship to youth.

Check Mabel's profile HERE...

For more information about the KM4AgD, visit https://km4agd.faraafrica.org/ 

Story Source: realKM

AR4D Funding Opportunities for Africa – October, 2024

 

Agriculture Fisheries Forestry

Irish Aid

SDG Challenge 2024

2024-10-08

The SDG Challenge invites research teams to develop innovative solutions that contribute to SDG 2: Zero Hunger, “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”. Eligible partner countries are Cambodia; Laos; Palestine; Vietnam; ODA-eligible countries on the African continent; and ODA-eligible Small Island Developing States. Teams will receive up to €250 thousand to develop their idea. Workshop Support Grants of up to €5.000 are available to potential applicants to facilitate team formation and seed idea generation before applying. The application deadline is 08 October 2024.

Technische Universität Dresden

Masters in Tropical Forestry 2025

2024-10-30

The MSc Course in Tropical Forestry taught at Technische Universität Dresden (TDU) in Germany qualifies students to develop sustainable forest management strategies and implement development-relevant interventions in rural and peri-urban areas. Germany's DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service) will fund a limited number of scholarships for applicants from developing countries to enroll in TDU’s 2-year master's program. Applicants must hold a university degree in forestry, agriculture, horticulture, or other related field. DAAD scholarship applications must be submitted latest until 30 October one year prior to the beginning of the course.

Biodiversity Conservation Wildlife

Smithsonian

Climate Change & Environmental Justice Fellowship

2024-10-05

The Smithsonian launches two new in-residence fellowship programs: the Smithsonian Climate Change Fellowship and the Smithsonian Environmental Justice Fellowship. Each program will support a cohort of 2-5 fellows who will receive a stipend to conduct independent research that utilizes Smithsonian resources (e.g., data, facilities, expertise). Applicants must have a Ph.D. by the time the fellowship begins and propose to conduct research in residence for a period of no less than 12 months and no more than 24 months. Candidates will receive a stipend of US$62 thousand per year, plus a research allowance of up to US$5 thousand. The application deadline is 05 October 2024.

Smithsonian Institution

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biodiversity Genomics

2024-10-15

The Smithsonian Institution seeks collaborative research proposals in Biodiversity Genomics, involving comparative genomic approaches such as phylogenomics, population genomics, metagenomics or transcriptomics, and bioinformatics analysis. The stipend for postdoctoral and senior fellows is US$55 thousand per year. Applicants must propose to conduct research in residence for a period of 12 to 24 months. Applicants contact Smithsonian's staff members (find a link in the announcement) to identify potential advisors, and to determine the feasibility of their proposed research. The fellowship program is open to qualified applicants worldwide. All applications must be submitted by 15 October 2024.

Holohil Systems Ltd

Transmitters for Wildlife Conservation

2024-10-15

Holohil Systems Ltd. supplies radio-tracking equipment and related services for wildlife research and management. Holohil manages a grant program to offer transmitters at a reduced or no cost for projects focusing on wildlife species of especially high research and/or conservation value. Holohil will contribute up to C$2,500 toward the purchase of transmitters. Holohil will pay all shipping charges. Eligibility to apply for the grants extends to conservation professionals and researchers anywhere in the world. Support is awarded four times a year. The application deadlines are 15 January, 15 April, 15 July, and 15 October each year.

Smithsonian Institution

Fellowship Program 2025

2024-10-15

The Smithsonian Institution annually awards fellowships for independent study or research at one or more of the Smithsonian’s 19 units and research centers, including the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). The awards include graduate student fellowships; predoctoral fellowships; postdoctoral fellowships; and senior fellowships. Stipends and allowances vary from US$8 thousand for two weeks to up to US$55 thousand per year, depending on the applicant’s experience. The fellowship program is open to qualified applicants worldwide. Applicants contact Smithsonian's staff members (find the link in the announcement) to identify potential advisors, and to determine the feasibility of their proposed research. The application deadline is 15 October 2024.

Conservation Leadership Program

Grants for Early-Career Conservationists

2024-10-18

The Conservation Leadership Program (CLP) makes grants to advance the leadership capacity of early-career conservationists in the developing world. Grants combine research with conservation. CLP provides support to small teams of at least three individuals. Future Conservationist Awards are up to US$15 thousand. Follow-up awards and Leadership Awards are up to US$25 thousand and US$50 thousand, respectively. CLP explains each category of award; eligibility criteria; and details on how to apply. CLP offers support to early-career conservationists living and working in low- and middle-income economies in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern and South-eastern Europe, and the Middle East. The application deadline is 18 October 2024.

UK Government

Darwin Capability & Capacity Grants

2024-10-21

The Darwin Initiative invites applications for proposals that deliver effective and successful biodiversity conservation as well as poverty reduction projects. Darwin Initiative Capability & Capacity projects may request between £50 thousand to £200 thousand for projects that focus on developing the capability and capacity of national and local organizations. Projects led by in-territory partners/organizations are encouraged. The deadline to apply is 21 October 2024.

Oklahoma City Zoo & Botanical Garden

Conservation Grants 2024

2024-10-21

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden (USA) manages the "Conservation Action Now" program. The program awards small grants for conservation education, scientific research, and species preservation anywhere in the world. Grants are up to US$2,500. The application deadline is 21 October 2024.

Royal Entomological Society

Insect Photography Competition

2024-10-31

The Royal Entomological Society Insect Photography competition is open to all amateur photographers. Photographs entered for the Competition should feature an insect (or group of insects) occurring naturally in the situation in which it is photographed. The subject can be of any life stage, from egg through nymph, larva, or pupa to adult, and can be an insect from anywhere in the world. Prizes range from £250 to £750. The closing date for submission of photos is 31 October 2024.

Seabird Group

Small Grants

2024-10-31

The Seabird Group supports research, survey, and conservation of seabirds. It awards small grants each year, with priority to Seabird Group members working on Atlantic seabirds. The maximum grant is usually £500 per project. Applications should be submitted by 31 October and 28 February each year.

Whitley Fund for Nature

Whitley Awards 2025

2024-10-31

The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) offers the Whitley Awards to outstanding biodiversity conservation leaders in developing countries around the world. The awards are both an international prize and a form of project funding, currently £50 thousand over one year. The program is open to mid-career conservationists who are leading wildlife conservation projects in a developing country. The application deadline is 31 October 2024.

UNESCO World Heritage Center

Requests for International Assistance

2024-10-31

Grants under the World Heritage Convention are made to help protect the World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites. Requests must be transmitted by a State Party National Commission for UNESCO or Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, or an appropriate governmental department or ministry. The limits on funding vary with the type of request (e.g., technical cooperation, training and research, promotion and education, preparatory assistance, emergency assistance). The next deadline for submitting requests is 31 October 2024.

African Bird Club

Conservation Awards and Expedition Awards

2024-10-31

The ABC Conservation Awards (up to £3 thousand) support small and medium-sized bird conservation projects in Africa. Applicants should normally be resident in Africa. The ABC Expedition Awards (up to £5 thousand) take place within continental Africa or adjacent islands, with a strong base in conservation and birds. Applications are reviewed multiple times a year, with deadlines at the end of February, June, and October.

Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund

Grants in Support of Endangered and Critically Endangered Species

2024-10-31

The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund makes grants to individuals, communities, and organizations for the conservation of threatened or poorly known animal, plant, and fungi species worldwide. The Fund uses the IUCN Red List as the primary guide to the conservation status of a given species, although documented variations for sub-species, distinct populations, and subpopulations will be taken into account. Grants are up to US$25 thousand. Applications must be submitted in English. The next application deadlines are 29 February, 30 June, and 31 October 2024.

Crosscutting

Explorers Club

Exodus Exploration without Boundaries Grant

2024-10-04

The Explorers Club supports the scientific fieldwork of groundbreaking explorers around the world. The Exodus Exploration without Boundaries Grant supports expeditions that further our understanding of the world through scientific, cultural, and conservation fieldwork. The average award is US$4.000. The deadline to submit applications is 04 October 2024.

Explorers Club

Marine Exploration Grant

2024-10-04

The Explorers Club supports the scientific fieldwork of groundbreaking explorers around the world. The Stephenson Explorers Advancement Program supports college undergraduates/graduate students, and independent explorers under the age of 35 conducting exploration and field research for marine exploration and conservation projects. The average award is US$10 thousand. The deadline to submit applications is 04 October 2024.

Explorers Club

Fjällräven Field Grant

2024-10-04

The Explorers Club supports the scientific fieldwork of groundbreaking explorers around the world. The Fjällräven Field Grant supports explorers under the age of 35 doing fieldwork related to conservation, the environment, and/or sustainability. The average award is US$5,000. The deadline to submit applications is 04 October 2024.

Explorers Club

Rolex Explorers Club Grant

2024-10-04

The Explorers Club supports the scientific fieldwork of groundbreaking explorers around the world. The Rolex Explorers Club Grant supports young explorers under the age of 35 who are conducting field research to address a novel scientific, environmental, or historical question. The average award is US$10 thousand. The deadline to submit applications is 04 October 2024.

ETH Zurich

Faculty Exchange Grants

2024-10-04

ETH for Development (ETH4D) provides grants for visiting scientists who belong to academic institutions in low and lower-middle-income countries. The visiting scientist may visit ETH Zurich to conduct a short research stay or to attend a conference or workshop organized by ETH Zurich scientists. The grant covers expenses up to a maximum of CHF 10 thousand. The main applicant has to be a senior scientist or professor of ETH Zurich and invite colleagues from lower-income countries. The application deadline is 15 October 2024.

Wellcome Trust

Early-Career Awards

2024-10-05

The Wellcome Trust supports bold and creative discovery research that has the potential to improve human life, health, and well-being. The Early-Career Awards provide funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity through innovative projects. Research can be in any discipline, including STEM, experimental medicine, or climate – as long as it has the potential to improve human life. The Trust covers the researcher’s salary and up to £400 thousand for research expenses. The applicant’s host organization has to be based in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, or a low- or middle-income country (apart from India and mainland China). The deadline for new applications is 05 October 2024.

World Academy of Sciences

Visiting Expert Program

2024-10-07

The TWAS Visiting Expert Programme supports visits of internationally renowned scientists to research institutions located in developing countries, especially least-developed countries. Only persons who have attained international recognition in their fields of science will be considered for support. Nominations of women are particularly welcome. Applications are made jointly by the host institution in the developing country and the visiting expert. The deadline for applications is 07 October 2024.

World Academy of Sciences

Fellowships for Research and Advanced Training

2024-10-09

The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) offers fellowships to young scientists in developing countries to enable them to spend three to 12 months at a research institution in a developing country other than their own. The purpose of these fellowships is to enhance the research capacity of promising scientists and to foster links for further collaboration. Costs are shared between TWAS and the host institutions. The fellowships are for research and advanced training. There is no age limit. However, preference is given to young scientists at the beginning of their research career and those working in Least Developed Countries. The deadline to apply is 09 October 2024.

World Academy of Sciences

TWAS-LUMS Postgraduate Fellowship

2024-10-11

The Lahore University of Management Sciences and TWAS offer fellowships to young scientists from developing countries (other than Pakistan) who wish to pursue research towards a PhD in Natural Sciences and Engineering. The Fellowship may be granted for a maximum period of five years. LUMS will provide a monthly stipend which should be used to cover living costs, such as food, accommodation, and local transportation. Applicants should be a maximum age of 35 years and hold a Master’s degree in a field of natural sciences. The deadline for receipt of applications is 11 October 2024.

Halcyon

Climate Resilience & Food Security in Africa

2024-10-11

The Climate Resilience & Food Security Fellowship brings together entrepreneurs from across Africa, empowering them to address climate resilience and food security. Participants will receive expert training, critical resources to accelerate their ventures, a one-week in-person residency in Washington, DC, and a one-week in-person residency in Nairobi, Kenya. Selected fellows will receive a $5 thousand stipend for their venture. Eligibility extends to for-profit ventures based in Africa. The deadline for the submission of applications is 11 October 2024.

International Development Research Center

Research in Community Forestry 2024

2024-10-11

The John G. Bene Fellowship is awarded to graduate students at Canadian universities who hold Canadian citizenship or permanent residency. The grant is for research on the relationship between forest resources and the social, economic, cultural, and environmental welfare of people in developing countries. Therefore, the student must spend a minimum of 10 consecutive weeks in the field in the following regions: Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Far Eastern Asia, Caribbean, Central America, South America, or Oceania. The award covers field research expenses up to CA$23 thousand per year. The deadline for submitting applications has been extended to 11 October 2024.

Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry

Photo Competition

2024-10-14

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) seek photographs that highlight the role of forests and trees in protecting the planet’s biodiversity. Entries can show trees in forests, on farms, in landscapes or any subject that depicts why trees matter to all forms of life on Earth. Participants can win up to US$500 and have their work displayed on CIFOR-ICRAF’s digital platforms. The competition is open to professional and amateur photographers from around the world. Entries must be submitted by 14 October 2024.

World Academy of Sciences

Research Cooperation Visits Program

2024-10-14

TWAS-SISSA-Lincei invites young scientists from least-developed countries to carry out collaborative research projects in Physics, Neuroscience, Mathematics, and Science Outreach as well as projects that fall under the umbrella of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Scientists have the opportunity to visit research laboratories in Trieste (Italy) to carry out research work in scientific fields within the SISSA portfolio. TWAS will cover travel expenses and provide subsistence costs for the stay in Italy. The deadline for receipt of applications is 14 October 2024.

ETH Zurich

Visiting Student Grant

2024-10-15

The ETH4D Visiting Student Grant provides ETH professors funding to invite a student from a low- or middle-income country to ETH Zurich for a research stay of 3-6 months. The invited student must be registered as a Master's (MA/MSc) student in their home institution. The grant covers the following expenses up to a maximum of CHF 16.5 thousand. The next application deadline is 15 October 2024.

International Center for New Media

World Summit Awards 2024

2024-10-15

Nominations are open for the World Summit Awards (WSA) and the WSA Young Innovators Awards (young social entrepreneurs under 26 years of age). Start-ups and social entrepreneurs are asked to submit their local digital innovations with high social impact. The 8 award categories include one on Environment & Green Energy (climate, sustainable resources, agriculture). The winner does not receive a monetary award but does benefit from partnerships and integrations. Applications are accepted from companies, organizations, or individuals. The deadline to apply for WSA and WSA Young Innovators is 15 October 2024. (Deadlines for national submission of applications for WSA may vary locally.)

Royal Academy of Engineering

Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation

2024-10-15

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation awards commercialization support to African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to local challenges. (Note: This may include one or more thematic areas covered by the Terra Viva Grants Directory). The winner will receive £25 thousand, three runners-up will be awarded £10 thousand each. Applications are accepted from individuals or small groups. The lead applicant must be a citizen of a country within Sub-Saharan Africa. The deadline for submissions is 15 October 2024.

ETH Zurich

Research to Action Grants

2024-10-15

ETH for Development (ETH4D) supports ETH bachelor students, master students, doctoral candidates, post-docs, and senior scientists to develop prototypes. The grant sum is up to CHF 5 thousand. Preference is given to activities in lower-middle-income countries with direct involvement of collaborating institutions or agencies from said countries. The application deadline is 15 October 2024.

Smithsonian Institution

Resilience and Sustainability Science Postdoctoral Fellowship

2024-10-15

Smithsonian seeks to support up to five post-doctoral fellows as they conduct independent research in support of the Smithsonian’s goals to understand and expand resilience. These fellows will be able to leverage the Smithsonian’s resources, including its scientists, collections, exhibits, and data sets, to advance scientific understanding of resilience and sustainability in either marine or terrestrial systems. Recipients will receive a stipend of $62 thousand per year for Postdoctoral Fellows. Stipends are prorated for periods of less than 24 months. A maximum research allowance of $10 thousand is available for the fellowship period. The fellowship program is open to qualified applicants worldwide. All applications must be submitted by 15 October 2024.

Japan Science and Technology Agency

Research Partnership 2025

2024-10-15

The Japan Science and Technology Agency, in collaboration with the Japan International Collaboration Agency, calls for proposals for the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS). Proposals are invited in the following research fields: environment/energy; bio-resources; and disaster prevention and mitigation. The SATREPS program provides funding of approx. ¥ 100 million per project per year. Researchers external to Japan should consult their national government agency responsible for ODA technical cooperation, the Embassy of Japan, or JICA offices in their resident countries. The deadline for proposals is 15 October 2024.

ETH Zurich

Doctoral Mentorship Program

2024-10-15

ETH for Development (ETH4D) provides grants for mentoring doctoral candidates. The mentorship entails remote support of doctoral candidates in low- and lower-middle-income countries as well as a research stay of 1-3 months at ETH Zurich. The grant covers expenses up to a maximum of CHF 15 thousand. Eligibility extends to doctoral candidates who are registered at a university or research institute in any low- or middle-income country. The next application deadline is 15 October 2024.

UK Department for International Development

Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2025

2024-10-15

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office makes Commonwealth PhD Scholarships for full-time doctoral studies to citizens from least developed countries and fragile states who could not afford to study in the UK without this scholarship. Scholarships are awarded annually across all subjects, with priority for applications that demonstrate strong relevance to development. The program does not accept direct applications for these scholarships. Instead, all applications must be made through nominating bodies (named in the announcement). Candidates must apply to one of the nominating bodies by 15 October 2024.

UK Department for International Development

Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships 2025

2024-10-15

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) funds the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships for candidates from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries, to undertake full-time study at a UK university. Scholarships are awarded annually across all subjects, with priority for applications that demonstrate strong relevance to development. The program does not accept direct applications for these scholarships, instead all applications must be made through nominating bodies (named in the announcement). Candidates must apply to one of the nominating bodies by 15 October 2024.

L’Oréal

Fund for Women

2024-10-17

L’Oréal supports organizations in their efforts to help women to get out of poverty. The Fund focuses on supporting women's and girls’ empowerment, particularly through projects in favor of social or professional integration and education. Specific attention is paid to refugee women and women with disabilities. Eligibility extends to grassroots non-profit organizations. The Fund is open internationally and can support local or national projects/activities. The next round of applications will be open from 19 September to 17 October 2024.

Munich Re Foundation

RISK Award “Children and Youths”

2024-10-17

The RISK Award seeks operational field projects in risk reduction and disaster management. The prize will provide financial support of €100 thousand to projects dedicated to increasing people’s resilience to risks and disasters, especially in developing countries. The submitted projects may emphasize the importance of children and young people as agents of change. There are no eligibility restrictions but research institutions and NGOs are especially encouraged to submit. Projects have to be submitted by 17 October 2024.

Commonwealth Secretariat

Commonwealth Youth Awards 2024

2024-10-18

The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work recognize individuals ages 15 to 29 who lead innovative development projects in themes that include agriculture, small enterprise, skills training, climate change, environmental protection, sustainable livelihoods, and poverty reduction. The program selects regional winners from each of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Winners are awarded grants of up to a total of £5 thousand in total to advance their projects. The application deadline is 18 October 2024.

Worldwide Universities Network

Research Development Fund 2024

2024-10-18

The WUN Research Development Fund (RDF) provides grants of up to £10 thousand for one year to foster research collaborations among academic staff (faculty) at WUN member universities. Applications are open to researchers from WUN member institutions. The RDF supports research projects that fall under the network’s principal research theme of sustainable development. The closing date is 18 October 2024. (Note: Most WUN member universities have earlier internal submission deadlines, and prospective applicants should contact their local WUN Coordinator as soon as possible.)

Global Solutions Initiative

Recoupling Awards

2024-10-31

The “Young Global Changers Recoupling Awards” aim to reward young changemakers from all over the world who contribute actively towards a better alignment of economic prosperity with environmental sustainability. The award seeks to recognize impactful youth-led projects and initiatives that drive change on the ground. Projects can be social enterprises as well as youth-led nonprofit initiatives. The application deadline is 31 October 2024.

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Georg Forster Research Fellowship

2024-10-31

The Georg Forster Research Fellowship supports postdoctoral and experienced researchers from developing and transition countries with their research in collaboration with a host at a German research institution. Nominees must be nationals of a developing or transition country, excluding the People's Republic of China and India. The monthly fellowship amount is €2,670. Fellowships may last from 6 to 24 months. Applications are reviewed on a regular basis in February, June, and October.