Inclusive Digital Tools Project: Scaling climate-informed agroecological outcomes

19 December 2024. Inclusive Digital Tools Project: Scaling climate-informed agroecological outcomes

YPARD and The Inclusive Digital Tools Project hosted a webinar on advancing digital inclusion in agroecology. The event explored findings from the ATDT project, showcasing practical examples of co-creating agroecological knowledge and its role in empowering farmers, enhancing digital agency, and driving impact. 

The session also featured young professionals’ experiences with knowledge co-creation, discussing challenges, successes, and opportunities for inclusion through digital technologies in agroecology. This webinar aims to provide insights into building inclusive, digitally-enabled agroecological systems.

• Speaker: Mariette McCampbell

Resources:

Dittmer, K.M.; Burns, S.; Shelton, S.; Wollenberg, E. (2022) Principles for socially inclusive digital tools for smallholder farmers: A guide. Agroecological Transitions programme: Inclusive Digital Tools to Enable Climate-informed Agroecological Transitions (ATDT). Cali (Colombia): Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). 18 p.

The digital ecosystem and its actors have increasing influence over how food is produced, what food people buy, and the flow of information among farmers, supply chain actors, and consumers. Efforts to transform food systems towards sustainability, including climate change resilience and mitigation, similarly rely on digital resources and offer the opportunity to scale up best practices rapidly at low cost. Yet the top-down and often public good or corporate-driven nature of digital tools can be at odds with the ethos of farmers’ self-determination and empowerment, especially for smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This guide seeks to address concerns with the current digitalization of food systems with a set of principles to instruct development and implementation of socially inclusive digital tools with smallholder farmers.

Van Mele, P., Mohapatra, S., Tabet, L. and Flao, B. 2024. Young changemakers: Scaling agroecology using video in Africa and India. Access Agriculture, Brussels, 175 pp.
Access Agriculture has done well this digital through the distribution of portable projectors to ERA members in Uganda and the videos shown are in different local languages and short in duration making them brief to may be avoiding overloading farmers

Mucemi Gakuru, Kristen Winters, Kristen Winters (2008) Innovative farmer advisory services using ICT

This inventory reveals that many projects are of a pilot nature, implemented by international organizations, have been of short duration and often have not remained after the original donor funding has ceased.

Upcoming

SAVE THE DATE! 23.01.25 • Cultivating Agroecology Transformations • A webinar by GIZ and the Agroecology TPP. Transformation initiatives from Kenya, India and Ethiopia will be presented. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffc2Zui8j9tJkQKbA1mCxjbF6hM-rg1mRbZEfNB_rqhNryXA/viewform

African Research and Innovation Partners Synergize to Accelerate Agricultural Knowledge Scaling

 

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — December 13, 2024 — The CGIAR and CAADP-XP4 Partners successfully concluded the “Second Workshop to Operationalize the African Agricultural DSpace Repository” at the ILRI Campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This three-day event, held from December 11 to 13, brought together Knowledge Management Officers, IT and web developers from CAADP-XP4 Partners (FARA, CCARDESA, AFAAS, CORAF, and ASARECA) alongside CGIAR experts led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The workshop reinforced partnerships and took concrete steps toward advancing the African Agricultural Research Information and Innovation Space (AARIISpace).

Key Achievements of the Workshop
The workshop provided an invaluable opportunity to:

• Take Stock of Collaborative Progress: Participants reviewed achievements and challenges in implementing the Knowledge Management Partnership Framework signed during the AASW8 in Durban.
• Build Capacity and Share Lessons: The sessions drew on ILRI’s decade-long experience with CGSpace, enabling the integration of Indigenous knowledge, metadata standardization, and AI-driven insights into AARIISpace.
• Develop Technical Configurations: We discussed common vocabularies and functionalities for the AARIISpace platform, laying the groundwork for operational efficiency.
• Set Clear Actions: A timeline to configure, launch, and roll out AARIISpace by mid-2025 was agreed upon, ensuring widespread accessibility among regional and national partners.

Speaking at the event, Michael Victor, Head of Communications, Advocacy and Knowledge Management at ILRI, and Benjamin Abugri, Knowledge Management, Digitalization and Learning Lead Specialist, speaking on behalf of the partnership, noted, “This workshop underscores our shared commitment to transforming agricultural research and innovation through knowledge ... Read More

Food Plant Solutions Australia

Food Plant Solutions Australia created educational materials that explain what nutritional food is, why our bodies need it and how to grow and use it. It focuses on what are often neglected and underutilized plants, plants that are growing in and adapted to their environment, and are high in the most beneficial nutrients. 

The Food Plant Solutions materials are designed to empower people, but particularly women, so that they can make informed choices on what plants to grow and eat that will nutritiously feed themselves and their families. This project is cost effective, proven to work, sustainable and enables self-sufficiency.

Develop a Community or School Garden

• Malnutrition reduces. Some programs have seen reductions between 80-95%.
• The students at the schools enjoy the benefits of the plants they have grown as they are provided with a nutritious lunch at school.Initially children only tend the plants at school, but within a short time-frame they can be provided with seeds to take home and plant there. Families then start to grow more of their own plants and vegetables.
• The skills the children learn will benefit them should they become farmers.
• Schools save money from not having to buy food, which allows this money to be redirected to other necessities for the school.
• School enrollments increase as parents feel more confident in the school’s ability to provide for their children nutritionally and give them safe clean meals. This in turns frees up parents to increase their household income as they have more time to work when their children are at school for the full day.

Economic performance and climate change mitigation potential of agroecology

12th of December 2024. Agroecology webinar with Maria Luisa PARACCHINI, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate D - Sustainable Resources and with Felix REMBOLD, Carlo REGA and Caroline CALLENIUS. 

• Report of the meeting forthcoming
• Shared resource by a participant: Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture
• 439 persons registered and 125 persons attended online

The Joint Research centre’s core mission is to provide scientific evidence to European policymakers. And this includes agroecology. JRC is not engaged in primary research about agroecology. In the last three years, together with other research centres such as CIRAD but also several European universities, JRC has started several systematic scientific reviews of scientific literature and also meta-analysis.

Maria Luisa PARACCHINI presented findings from systematic reviews on the impact of agroecology on food security, on socioeconomic performance, and food system sustainability, highlight ongoing review on climate change mitigation and adaptation. She  pointed to open research questions and emphasize the need for more quantitative data. 

The session highlighted the importance of agroecology in EU Development Cooperation and presented findings from studies demonstrating positive socioeconomic outcomes associated with agroecological practices compared to conventional systems. Discussions identified significant knowledge gaps, particularly concerning social capital and resilience, and emphasized the need for long-term monitoring and context-focused research. The impact of agroecology on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration was explored, alongside a Q&A session that addressed biases in existing studies and the connections between agroecology, nutrition, and health. The webinar concluded with a summary of discussions and a call for ongoing collaboration and future research directions in the field. Action items included compiling identified knowledge gaps for further exploration.

JRC Studies

1. Contribution of Agroecology to Food Security

The JRC has collaborated with CIRAD (Montpellier, FR), ISARA (Lyon, FR), and independent experts to synthesize available scientific information on social, economic, and environmental benefits of implementing agroecological practices in 26 developing countries: The main conclusions include:

• A positive contribution of agroecology to food security is reported in at least 50% of the analysed literature: improved yields, availability of more nutritious food, diversified diet, higher resilience to climate shocks, higher income. Information is mostly qualitative rather than quantitative;
• Information on agroecology at country level is limited and scattered. Most studies describe agroecological farming practices and very few analyse the economic and social aspects
• Improvement of soil fertility is a major need across the regions, and this directly links to the management of nutrients and organic matter;

This research work is organised in 2 volumes:

1. Volume 1: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Kenya, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Zimbabwe.
2. Volume 2: Bolivia, Burundi, Cameroon, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Pakistan, The Gambia, Uganda.

To complement this scientific literature review, 10 case studies have been carried out in 10 African countries to analyse the impacts of the adoption of agroecological practices at grassroots level. The cross-analysis of these case studies reveals two major outcomes: the increase of smallholder farmers’ incomes and improved resilience to climate change.

The first reviews were specific to developing countries. 19 out of 26 are in Africa. It was an opportunity to characterize what agroecological practices are being implemented. There is a clear positive impact of agricultural practices on food security. It's not only through yield and production, but it's also very clearly in terms of increased availability of nutritious food and dietary diversity (the link 

between food security and health).

2. Contribution of Agroecology to Sustainable Food Systems

The broader contribution of agroecology to sustainable food systems is explored in this study. The analysis highlights linkages and potential win-win contribution of agroecology in several food system sustainability dimensions, but empirical studies are still limited.

There is less literature on the agroecology- food nexus available. JRC 

compared the principles of agroecology with the food systems framework and food systems sustainability dimensions. Most evidence is there on the agro-biodiversity- food security/nutrition nexus. Increased biodiversity has a positive impact on food systems resilience 

3. The Socio-economic Performance of Agroecology

This research demonstrates that agroecological practices at the farm level positively impact socio-economic factors, such as increased incomes, higher revenues, enhanced productivity, and improved efficiency.

In 80 peer reviewed papers scientific JRC found clear positive association with farmers income, with revenue and also with efficiency and productivity. But, agroecology is also labor intensive and can increase costs. It is always a question of trade offs and cost benefit. It is important to look very specifically at local context to understand whether the overall effect on income prevails on the increase of costs or on pressure, for example on gender inequality that can be linked to the increase of labor need. 

4. Can Agroecology Support Sustainable Development in Africa?

The article is coming forth soon in the Journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development.

The study shows that agroecological practices can provide positive social, economic and environmental outcomes across all agro-climatic zones in African countries with high food insecurity. One-third of articles reported benefits to food security, incomes and economic growth, and the environment. 96% of the publications report positive impacts on economic outcomes, in particular on agricultural income or production costs.

5. Agroecologcial Practices for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Study coming forth soon.

Climate change mitigation. JRC is currently close to finalizing a review of 16,000 scientific papers about the potential of agroecology in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. There is strong evidence that agroecology has a potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in particular CO2 and N2O thanks to the reduced carbon intensive inputs and thanks to the use of less fossil-based fertilizers. From the 16,000 papers 300 papers have full text contributions and some have quantitative data. There is scientific evidence about the fact that the agricultural practices can clearly and strongly increase the carbon stocks in the soil through the various practices from mulching to practices that increase organic material in the soil and agroforestry which clearly contributes to Carbon Sequestration. Rice producing 

systems are contributing very strongly to methane. Methane can be reduced by different agroecological practices. The same applies also to livestock. 

Climate change adaptation. There is a strong body of evidence that some aspects or some practices in 

agroecology and in particular diversification at the farm level have a strong potential to contribute to climate change adaptation. Increased biodiversity can support resistance to drought or drought tolerance. 

Case Studies

1. Cameroon – Agroforestry - Cooperative learning and participatory tree selection and propagation. "Due to farmers’ cultural affinity for agroforestry practices, agroforestry has become the most popular method that farmers use to alleviate the effects of land degradation, climate change, and hunger in rural areas."
2. Ethiopia – Silvopasture - Spreading silvopastural system through farmer exchanges. "Goats feed on Ficus thonningii leaves harvested from silvopastoral systems; Its drought tolerance has reduced the water requirements for livestock fodder production by 85%, a critical improvement in such an arid climate."
3. Kenya – Push-pull technology - Farmer-to-farmer exchanges and field schools to spread push-pull throughout Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania. Scientists, together with thousands of Kenyan smallholder farmers, experimented with different approaches to perfect a new low-cost technique of agroecological pest management: push-pull.
4. Madagascar - Crop diversification (varietal mixtures), crop fertilization (improved manure) -Participatory evaluation of rainfed rice varieties and improved manure. The introduction of locally-adapted rice varieties lowered production costs and the risks of crop failure due to climate or disease. As a result, rice production has become more accessible to farmers of varying altitude and socio-economic positions.
5. Malawi - Crop diversification, organic fertilization, legume intercropping, plant-based pesticides. Participatory approach to spread agroecological practices. A participatory approach helped to revalue and share existing agricultural knowledge in farming communities, while encouraging farmer experimentation facilitates the adaption of practices to future social and environmental conditions.
6. Niger - Improved fertilization (wood ash and manure), seed balls, crop diversification, legume intercropping, tree planting, crop-tree-livestock. - Supporting agroecological innovation through participatory research and knowledge and seed dissemination. Gender inequity is addressed through equal representation in membership (women make up 52% of FUMA Gaskiya), and targeted participation in research programmes and experimentation. Women notably played an essential role in selecting a millet variety with high potential for pest and drought resistance.
7. Nigeria - Crop rotation, mulching and composting, tree-crop integration, crop diversification - Revitalizing farmer livelihoods through agroecological management of farms and forests. Reforestation efforts with indigenous species improved the local availability of forest products while agroecological farming approaches, applied in combination with improved seed varieties and drip irrigation technology, successfully increased incomes from vegetable production.
8. Tanzania - Legume intercropping, livestock and fish farming integration, beekeeping, tree planting, contour ridges and bunds - A village territory approach based on a large number of principles of agroecology. The project also trained farmers in fish production, further increasing farm-level diversity. Beekeeping and tree planting enhanced biodiversity at the landscape level, increasing both pollinating services and habitat for wild flora and fauna
9. Uganda – Coffee-Banana Intercropping - A traditional approach to diversified farming. After integrating bananas into coffee fields, women were more motivated to work in the fields, as bananas can be used for household consumption.
10. Zimbabwe - Improved crop rotations, companion planting, intercropping, cover crops and composting, integrated pest management, livestock integration - The process of building agroecological markets to support farmer livelihoods. More farmers sought and received training on agroecological practices and marketing, and formed associations to produce organic horticultural products, certified through the Participatory Guarantee Scheme.

Challenges 

1. One of the challenges with the scientific reviews was to consider practices which are not named as Agroecology. Another challenge throughout all these reviews is that many research papers work on single practices. So the complexity and the systemic aspects are very difficult to evaluate. 
2. Policymakers need not only conclusions about the potential and whether the associated impact of agricultural practices is positive or neutral or negative. They need also more quantitative data. JRC started working on and as well as other research centres. 
3. There is a need for more modelling to also provide quantitative information, possibly in local contexts and not just globally. 
4. A lot of research is focused on the farm and on production aspects and not on the other parts of the food system. There is clearly a research gap. The identification of research gaps is the second benefit of the literature review, after identifying the main comparative advantages of agroecology with conventional agriculture. This is also something JRC is discussing with the colleagues of RUFORUM, FARA and others: to identify the research gaps so that new initiatives can focus on those gaps. 

7th Asia-Pacific Biopesticides Community of Practice event

 27 November 2024. 7th Asia-Pacific Biopesticides Community of Practice event.

APAARI launched the Asia-Pacific Biopesticide Community of Practice (ABCoP) in May 2024 which serves as a dynamic platform that brings together key players from the biopesticide sector—spanning industry leaders, researchers, policymakers, government agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders from the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The primary objective of ABCoP is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, foster collaboration, and advance biopesticide promotion and trade opportunities across the region.

 27 November 2024.

Presentation 1: The Minor Use Foundation: building global partnerships and leveraging crop protection technologies for the cultivation and supply of specialty crops 

Speaker: Dr. Adriana Castañeda Consultant Minor Use Foundation 

Abstract: The Minor Use Foundation, a non profit organization was created in 2019 as a result of the STDF projects implemented in Asia, Africa and Latin America, aimed to increase capacity in pesticide residues in the region. The foundation started working with governments and researchers on chemical pesticides data generation, but has migrated towards working with biological solutions as well. Some of the current projects will be shown during this session. 

Presentation 2: Global Cooperation in the Authorization of Biopesticides 

Speaker: Dr. Imme Gerke, Government and Industry Advisor, Canada 

Abstract: The differences in the use of crop protection products have created massive trade barriers that we can only overcome jointly. Therefore, between 2000-2017. the chemical industry has cooperated with regulators on 5 continents to jointly approve 55 chemicals. The same path is available to the approval of biologicals. Farmers, processors and traders cooperate in product selection. Regulators cooperate in data review, risk assessments and product approvals (OECD). What is missing is the biopesticide industry that develops, manufactures and sells biopesticides. I want to encourage you in seeking product approvals through Joint Reviews

Related:

All the recordings, presentations, and presenters' notes from the previous meetings are available here:  https://www.apaari.org/asia-pacific-biopesticide-community-of-practice-abcop/

Nutrition-sensitive food value chain in the Africa region – investing in MSMEs for delivering healthy diets

5 December 2024. Nutrition-sensitive food value chain in the Africa region – investing in MSMEs for delivering healthy diets by IFAD

• Webinar Summary_Nutrition sensitive value chains & Role of MSMEs.pdf # 5 pp.
• Concept Note - virtual dialogue on nutrition-sensitive food value chain_03.12 # 3 pp.

The virtual event attended by [102 participants / 319 registrations] aimed at advocating and raising awareness of the issues towards creation of sustainable and inclusive food value chains to meet food and nutritional demand for consumers. The specific objectives of the event were: 

• bring innovations and different technologies, exchange of share good practices and case studies in promoting sustainable food products development by SMEs that are environmentally friendly, ecologically sustainable, safe and nutritious. 
• discuss the issues and challenges for ensuring sustainable consumption, including reducing food loss and waste 
• identify policy and investment options for promoting sustainable food products development by SMEs and promotion of sustainable consumption. 

Speakers:

• Welcome Remarks – delivered by Ms Sara Mbago, Regional Director, IFAD East and Southern Africa Regional Office ESA
• Why invest in value chains? - Sustainable value chains introducing eco-friendly, safe and nutritious food products that support local and traditional safe and nutritious foods cultivated by small-holder farmers (e.g. adding value to traditional foods; processing of safe, better quality and nutritious food products; packing using environmentally friendly degradable packaging system, food labeling) – Ms Betty Kibaara, Director, The Rockefeller Foundation, Africa Region Office
  
  Citing the example of investing in school feeding (in Ghana), Ms. Kibaara clarified that children in schools comprise 48 billion dollar market globally and the need to encourage aggregator models that supply schools with locally procured nutritious value chains. She emphasized the need to collaborate with governments to accelerate impact through institutional procurement including embracing initiatives like capacity building to strengthen local sourcing.


• What technologies and innovations can be offered? Working with MSMEs to deliver nutritious diets: food fortification as means to combat micronutrient deficiencies in Africa: – Mr. Penjani Mkambula, Deputy Director, Programme Services, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) 
• Investing in nutrition-sensitive value chain in Africa - Dr. Kennedy Bomfeh, Senior Director, The Ajinomoto Foundation 
  
  Dr. Kennedy Bomfey gave five key points on how to leverage the public-private partnerships: i) The need for both sectors to understand the problem in context in order to co-create synergistic interventions; ii) The need to provide a science based response to understand the context thus enabling participation for scale up of proposed solutions; iii) collaboration for holistic impact by using evidence as a bridge to link private sector and public sector; iv) localizing for uptake or utilization of locally available raw materials by ensuring local food culture is respected to protect local food value chains; v) The use of market based distribution for sustainability by leveraging public private partnerships to enhance market penetration mechanisms. 
  
  See for more information: 08/10: In the spotlight: Forgotten Foods / Opportunity Crops and Nutrition in the First 1000 Days
  
  
• facilitated by Ms Nomindelger Bayasgalanbat, Senior Technical Specialist (Social Inclusion – Nutrition), IFAD, ECG 

Panel with representatives of MSMEs

• 
  Moderated by Ms Putso Nyathi, Senior Value Chain Specialist, IFAD, PMI
  
• Creating safe and nutritious local food products at affordable price, – Ms. Marie Claire Nyirankundizanye, Farm Fresh Foods Ltd (Rwanda) - Precooked beans biofortified
  
  The FarmFresh Food Company is an innovative Kigali-based food processing company that markets branded, fully cooked Rwandan beans in laminated pouches 
  
  
• Increasing utilization of local foods for healthy diets: Ms. Rachel Gikonyo, Eden Harvest Limited, Vegetables value chain, Kenya 
  
  Eden Harvest Limited, an agricultural enterprise that specializes in farming, aggregating, packing, and distributing high-quality, fresh agricultural produce to schools, restaurants, supermarkets, and households.
  
  
• Diversifying products to support nutritious diets: Insects as Future Food - Dr. Geoffrey Ssepuuya, INSFOODS Limited, Uganda 
  
  
• 
  Creating safe and nutritious local food products at affordable price - Mr. David Kamau, Fortified Whole Grain Alliance, Eastern Africa focus on Burundi 

Closing Remarks – delivered by Sara Kaoukou, ESA Regional Lead Portfolio Advisor, IFAD

Related: 

From December 1–3, 2024, the Micronutrient Forum convened a “Regional Dialogue on Improving Access to Locally Produced Nutritious and Safe Complementary Foods in Low- and Middle-Income Countries” in Dakar, Senegal. 

This important meeting, supported by the European Union and Expertise France through their EU4SUN project, brought together local producers, policymakers, regulatory authorities, funders, social impact investors, and technical agencies. The discussions focused on applying a systems approach to address barriers to producing safe and nutritious, locally made complementary foods. 

Read the meeting pre-read material, “Barriers to improving access to locally produced nutritious and safe complementary foods in low- and middle-income,” available in English and French.

Micronutrient Forum. Barriers to improving access to locally produced nutritious and safe complementary foods in low and middle-income countries. Washington, D.C.: Micronutrient Forum; 2024. # 14 pp.

Vision for Adapted Soils and Crops (VACS)

11 - 12 December 2024. Berlin, Germany. 21st meeting of the CGIAR System Council

• 09/12 EIARD meeting
• 10/12 Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS)

10/12 Vision for Adapted Soils and Crops (VACS)

This side event brought together the CGIAR/CIMMYT – FAO Partnership to Advance the Global Vision for Adapted Soils and Crops (VACS) as well as all four VACS implementers to present insights to CGIAR System Council donors on the value proposition of VACS and the importance of sustained investment in implementation.  

The session demonstrated how VACS contributes to global food security, climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture through coordinated action across major agricultural organizations. 

The event was a combination of high-level strategic perspectives with implementer experiences in a structured dialogue for CGIAR donors: 

• Co-Chairs Opening Remarks: Robert Bertram (USAID) and Daniela Vega (CGIAR/CIMMYT VACS Partnership Executive Secretary a.i.) Strategic importance of VACS, investment case for donors and role of donors in scaling impact 
• Introductory Remarks: Ismahane Elouafi, CGIAR Executive Managing Director 
• VACS Partnership Overview – How it all fits together: Daniela Vega: VACS mission, objectives, and current implementation status 

Implementers Value Proposition: Implementation insights, achievements, and strategic priorities

• FAO: Maximo Torero (Chief Economist, FAO) 
• Crop Trust: Stefan Schmitz (Executive Director, Crop Trust) 
• IFAD: Ron Hartman (Director for Global Engagement, IFAD) 
• CGIAR: Prassana Boddupalli (Maize Program Director, CIMMYT) 

Closing Remarks - Cary Fowler, World Food Prize Laureate 2024 and Special Envoy for Global Food 

Security of the US State Department 

Question raised by GFAiR: @Chowdhury, Jahan-Zeb (IFAD) As this is an African program, why are the Secretariat or Trust Fund of VACS not entrusted to the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA/Ghana), or another African research organisation with continental outreach? Are ownership, capacity building, alignment with country needs and a demand led approach by National Agricultural Research Institutes not key for VACS implementation?

Answer by IFAD: Very good question. VACS is not solely focused on research; its scope extends beyond that to include market development, capacity building, and fostering resilience in agricultural systems. The VACS Trust Fund at IFAD also offers a significant leveraging advantage, drawing on over $1 billion in supplementary funds mobilized by IFAD annually, along with $3.5 billion of its core resources. This ability to pool and allocate  resources enhances the reach and impact of the program. Creating  market demand for VACS crops is critical, and IFAD brings valuable experience in this area, ensuring that these crops can become viable and sustainable options for farmers. Importantly, the demand for VACS initiatives must originate from national governments, aligning with their priorities and needs. This approach does not detract from the essential role of African ownership, capacity building, and alignment with country-specific goals. IFAD’s role is not to replace African institutions but to complement and empower them. Happy to discuss further offline.

Question raised by GFAiR: @BODDUPALLI, Prasanna (CIMMYT-Kenya) What will be the collaboration of VACS with ICRISAT's Smart Food Africa Initiative? (re-launched 30/10/24 https://paepard.blogspot.com/2024/10/15th-africa-day-for-food-and-nutrition.html)

We are exploring the possibility of linking the Smart Foods Initiative with the demand side work on opportunity crops and the products from these. In essence, this is important for creating sustainable demand for the opportunity crops in targeted countries in Africa.. something we can take as a learning from the work happening on this front in countries like India.

 

EU Agri-Food Days

10 - 11 December 2024 EU Agri-Food Days

This annual event brought together agri-food system stakeholders, civil society, consumers, academia and policymakers from across the EU. 

They discussed the latest agricultural trends, policy options, market developments, as well as how research, innovation and digital technologies are shaping European agriculture of today and tomorrow.

Extracts of the programme

11 December: Presenting the EU Agricultural Outlook Report: Focus on the Changing Environment Driving Markets

This session featured a keynote on the drivers shaping the market outlook, the presentation of the latest

EU Agricultural Outlook report, and a panel discussion with representatives and experts of international

organisations on challenges and opportunities of the Outlook.

• Seth Meyer, Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Keynote speech: What has changed in the environment of agricultural markets in the ten last years and what lessons can we draw for the future?
• Bence Toth, Acting Head of Unit Analysis & Outlook, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission - Presentation of the 2024 EU Agricultural Outlook Report

Panel discussion

• Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, Director for Strategy & Policy analysis, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
• Marion Jansen, Director of Trade and Agriculture Directorate, OECD
• Seth Meyer, Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Johan Swinnen, Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
  
  "This report is important as the European Food regulations and standards have a great impact on the rest of the world."
  
  
• Monika Tothova, Senior Economist, FAO/ AMIS Secretary
• Alessandra Zampieri, Director Sustainable Resources, Joint Research Centre, European Commission 

Resource:

EC (2024), EU agricultural outlook, 2024-2035. European Commission, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, Brussels. # 82 pp.

The Medium-term outlook report provides an overview of the medium-term prospects for major EU agricultural markets, income and environment until 2035.

The report's highlights relevant to low-income countries include:

Global Food Security and Nutritional Trends: 

• Calorie intake in low-income countries is expected to increase by 4%, driven by staples, livestock products, and fats.
• Despite adequate global food production, low-income countries face challenges in food affordability and distribution​

Agricultural Trade:

• The EU remains a net exporter of agri-food products, with potential for reduced imports of oilseeds and sugar due to increased domestic production. This could influence global trade dynamics, affecting low-income countries dependent on EU imports​ 

Climate and Resource Challenges:

• The report highlights increasing global challenges like droughts and water scarcity, which are particularly acute in low-income countries. 
• Technological and policy advancements in sustainable farming and resource management in high-income regions could serve as examples for low-income countries​

Protein Transition:

• There's a global shift from animal to plant proteins due to cost and sustainability, which may influence the food supply chains of low-income countries, particularly those exporting or importing plant-based proteins 

Macroeconomic Environment:

• Slower global economic growth and stabilizing commodity prices could affect the purchasing power and investment capacities in agricultural sectors of low-income countries​ 

11 December: Future R&I agenda for competitive, sustainable and resilient agri-food systems in the EU and globally

This session will present the EU approach to the agricultural research and innovation (R&I) and showcase examples of innovative solutions generated by Horizon-funded R&I projects. A panel discussion will provide insights on the future R&I agenda for competitive, sustainable and resilient agri-food systems in the EU and globally.

• Master of Ceremony: Sasha Twining
• Diego Canga Fano, Acting Deputy Director-General in Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission - Keynote speech

Presentation of innovative solutions generated by Horizon 2020 projects

• Andrea Schubert, Representative of Horizon 2020 project TOMRES: A novel and integrated approach to increase multiple and combined stress tolerance in plants using tomato as a model
• Souzana Lorentzou, Representative of Horizon 2020 project NOMAD: Novel organic recovery using mobile advanced technology
• Stefano Mocali, Representative of Horizon 2020 project EXCALIBUR: Exploiting the multifunctional potential of belowground biodiversity in horticultural farming
• Anders Wolf, Representative of Horizon 2020 project VIVALDI: Veterinary validation of point-of-care detection instrument
• Tora Råberg, Representative of Horizon 2020 project RUBIZMO: Replicable business models for modern rural economies

Panel discussion and Q&A session

• Thierry Caquet, Scientifc Director, France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE)
• Kerstin Rosenow, Head of Research and Innovation Unit in Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
• Kelli Talving, Farmer, Ahisilla taluaed
• Andrew Carlin, Director of Missions & Strategic Programmes, EIT Food
• Elena-Teodora Miron, Head of the Competence Centre for Research and Innovation Projects, Coordinator of Horizon Europe project ModernAKIS, Austrian Chamber of Agriculture 

12 December: Overcoming Hurdles: Unlocking the Potential of Digitalisation in Agriculture

The session will explore the current level of adoption of digital tools in agriculture in the EU and address the key challenges hindering further implementation. 

• Alessandra Zampieri, Director for Sustainable Resources, Joint Research Centre, European Commission - Keynote speech 

Panel discussion and Q&A session

• Elli Tsiforou, Secretary-General, Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations - General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives (COPA-COGECA)
• Prof. Dr. Engel Arkenau, Deputy Director General for Digital and Data Policy, Innovation and Transfer, Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Germany
• Caroline van der Weerdt, Senior Consultant, TNO Innovation for Life
• Stefan Top, President of the European Agricultural Machinery Association (CEMA), CEO, AVR Machinery
• Evangelia Mourmoura, Team Leader for Digitalisation, Data Governance Unit, Directorate-General Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
• Catherine Geslain Lanéelle, Director for Strategy and Policy Analysis, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission, explores the potential of Artificial Intelligence.
• Tassos Maltezos, farmer, shares his experience with smart farming infrastructure from the field

Food & Agriculture Pavilion @ UNCCD COP16

2–13 December 2024, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia UN | UNCCD COP16

As the global platform for land issues, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the leading forum where governments, businesses, and civil society address today's challenges and plan for a sustainable future for land.

Below are some extract of the (CGAIR) Food & Agriculture Pavilion and the IFPRI events.

Food & Agriculture Pavilion

09/12 Harnessing science and public-private partnerships to advance agri-tech innovations for drought resilience and sustainable land use in the Middle East and North Africa

This side event explored how science and public-private partnerships can help tackle drought, desertification, and food insecurity in the MENA region. By encouraging multi-stakeholder engagement, it seeks to develop actionable strategies to advance agricultural technology adoption. Industry experts covered topics such as scientific research, partnerships, funding mechanisms, and policy recommendations to enhance resilience and promote sustainable land use. Core discussions focused on agri-tech case studies, effective collaboration models, and ways to integrate technology into traditional farming practices.

Speakers 

• Ramy Boujawdeh - Berytech
• Sandrine Jauffret - Senior natural resources management specialist, The World Bank
• 
  Malak Chabar (see picture) -  Communication for climate advocacy and youth inclusion | Youth4Climate, UNDP Rome Centre
  She referred to Timbuctoo – UNDP’s bold, pan-African innovative and far-reaching initiative to spark a start-up revolution in Africa.
  This programme was initiated by UNDP Africa in 2021. Its primary aim is to get a lot of private and public sector partners to help set up eight Timbuktoo Hubs in places that are known to have strong startup ecosystems, such as Accra, Nairobi, Cape Town, Lagos, Dakar, Kigali, Casablanca, and Cairo. 
• Theophilus Dela CEO Ento Organics Ghana
  Also known as E-Organics, is dedicated to empowering small-scale farmers in drought-prone areas through innovative precision agriculture and regenerative practices. Its mission is to enhance agricultural productivity, sustainability, and resilience, particularly focusing on women farmers who constitute a significant portion of the agricultural labor force in rural Ghana.
• Angela Bonato - BeadRoots, BeadRoots is  one of 7 startups in the FoodSeed program. FoodSeed is a joint initiative of promoters and investors CDP Venture Capital, through the Accelerator Fund, Fondazione Cariverona and UniCredit. The project also involves Eatable Adventures, one of the largest accelerators specialized in the sector worldwide, as co-investor and operational manager of the program. 
• Abd El Hamid Sherief - Agrican.
• Martino Melli, Head of Cairo Office/Carmelo Armetta, Team Leader for Rural Development and Environment, Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development AICS Cairo 
• Moderator: Claudia Zaccari, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

IFPRI @ UNCCD

12/12 Gene Banks and Legal Frameworks: Building Resilience in Agricultural Systems

Co-organized by the Seed Center & Plant Genetic Resources Bank of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Panelist: David Spielman, Director, Innovation Policy and Scaling (IPS), IFPRI

YPARD at the UNCCD COP16

December 2 to 13, 2024. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

YPARD's is actively participating in the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), held in 

The involvement of YPARD underscores its commitment to sustainable land management and youth empowerment in agricultural development.

Download the policy position of the YPARD Policy Working Group.

Key Events and Contributions:

1. Investing in Sustainable Agrifood Systems Transformation

The GEF Food Systems Integrated Program (FSIP) Launch
· Date & Time: December 5, 17:30–19:00
· Collaborators: FAO, IFAD, GEF

2. Transforming Agri-Food Systems for Resilient Ecosystems, Food Security, and Nutrition through Regenerative Agriculture

· Date & Time: December 5, 12:30–14:00
· Collaborators: YPARD

3. The Gateway to Land Restoration and Resilience: Pathways to Land Tenure for Women & Youth

· Date & Time: December 7, 09:00–10:30
· Collaborators: YPARD, CIFOR-ICRAF, CA4SH, UNCCD Youth Caucus, YOUNGO Food and Agriculture WG, WOCAT, Action on Food Hub, International Land Coalition

4. Empowering Marginalized Voices through Inclusive Land Restoration

· Date & Time: December 7, 14:00–15:00
· Collaborators: CGIAR, YPARD, Bioversity-CIAT

5. Collective Action for Our Land, Our Future: Empowering Marginalized Voices through Inclusive Land Restoration

· Date & Time: December 10, 13:00–14:30
· Collaborators: YPARD, CGIAR

6. A Tapestry of Policy: Can Civil Society Unite the Rio Conventions?

· Date & Time: December 10, 10:00–11:00
· Collaborators: Global Landscapes Forum, Youth in Landscapes Initiative, YPARD, Global Youth Biodiversity Network, International Forestry Students’ Association, Youth4Nature

CGIAR Week of Scaling

3 - 5 December 2024. CGIAR Week of Scaling

CGIAR’s Scaling Week 2024 is an event focused on advancing the conversation around scaling innovations in the agrifood sector. It aims to inspire a global network of scientists, practitioners, and funders, with a focus on South–South collaboration. Participants will engage in panel discussions, interactive thematic tracks, share knowledge, and celebrate progress to create lasting impact in global food systems. Throughout the event, our experience designers will create impactful activities with participants, to deepen human connections within our scaling community.

Collaborative discussion featuring scaling insights from the CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy Initiative, CGIAR Plant Health Initiative (PHI), and CGIAR Mixed Farming Systems (MFS) Initiative.
🔹 Scaling experiences from CGIAR initiatives driving sustainable agriculture.
🔹 Real-world examples of use cases, scaling hubs, innovation platforms, and public-private partnerships.
🔹 A unified Scaling Approach for the Sustainable Farming Science Program, grounded in practical lessons and success stories.

Learn More About Last Year’s Impact:

Scaling Week 2023 Report
Kalibata Talk with Agnes Kalibata
Inclusivity & Sustainability in Scaling

Casting the Vision of the Soil Initiative for Africa #SIA for National Actors Response

 As we celebrate #WorldSoilDay2024 today, join The Global Soil Partnership of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Webinar on "Casting the Vision of the Soil Initiative for Africa #SIA for National Actors Response"

#AFSH

Register via 🔗 https://bit.ly/3UZVfsE to participate via Zoom NOW

Read more on " Elevate Africa’s voice regarding soil health" HERE...