The All Party Parliamentary Group on Agriculture and Food for Development

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Agriculture and Food for Development, is a truly cross-party initiative which also draws members from both Houses of the UK Parliament. The Group seeks to bridge the space between Academic, Civil Society and The Ruling Government of the day both in the Developing and Developed World engendering informed, progressive debate in Parliament, but with positive, far reaching effects beyond Westminster. The APPG was established in October 2008 in response to growing concerns over the heightening Food Crisis and a steady decline in the funding of Agricultural projects for International Development.



Upcoming events:

Session 1 - 17th November - Horizon Scanning, Climate Change and Food Crises 14.00 – 15.30
Mike Edwards, Climate Change Director CAFOD
Alun Rhydderch, Government Foresight Horizon Scanning Centre
Andrew Curry, Director The Futures Company (TBC)
Tom Mitchell, Head of Climate Change ODI (TBC)
Pavan Sukhdev, Special Advisor and Head of UNEP's Green Economy Initiative (TBC)

Session 2 - 24th November - Smallholders: Needs, Issues and Successes 14.00 – 15.30
Dan Taylor, Director Find Your Feet
Sunday Uhiene, CAADP Secretariat Planning, Policy Analysis and Statistics, Nigeria
Andrew Dorward, Programme Director: Agricultural Economics, Managing Rural Development SOAS
Calestous Juma, Director, Science, Technology, Globalization Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Harvard
Nick Blazuez, Managing Director, Diageo Africa

Session 3 – 1st December – Agriculture and the Private Sector 14.00 – 15.30
Keith Palmer OBE, Chairman AgDevCo
Sophie LeMouel, Director Technoserve Europe
Helena Leurent, Director, Agriculture, Food & Beverage Community, Centre for Global Industries, World Economic Forum
Salum Shamte, Chairman of the Agricultural Council of Tanzania

Session 4 - 8th December - Education, Training and Capacity Building 14.00 – 15.30
Tim Chancellor, Director of Capacity Strengthening and Learning, The Natural Resources Institute
Adipala Ekwamu, Secretariat Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
Margaret Kroma, Fellowships Manager and Science Coordinator African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD)
Jeff Waage, Director London International Development Centre (LIDC)

Session 5 - 15th December – Linkages to other areas &Evaluation 14.00 – 15.30
Tim Wheeler, Deputy Chief Scientific Advisor and Deputy Director of Research & Evidence Division DFID
Alex Rees, Livelihoods Capacity Building Adviser Save the Children
Rute Caldeira, Agriculture Learning and Impacts Netowrk (ALINe) Institute of Development Studies
Laurie Lee, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Other Speakers TBC

Session 6 - 12th January – International Cooperation &Evaluation 14.00 – 15.30
Myles Wickstead, Head of the Secretariat to the Commission for Africa & Chair of Concern UK
Jeff Balch, Director of Research, European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) (TBC)
Gordon Conway, Professor of International Development Centre for Environmental Policy Imperial College London
Other Speakers TBC

Session 7 - 19th January – Roundtable Discussion for Parliamentarians (Closed Session for Parliamentarians)
John Beddington – UK Government Chief Scientist
Baroness Lynda Chalker, Chairman Africa Matters Ltd
Shenggen Fan - Director General IFPRI
Kanayo F. Nwanze - President of IFAD
Lawrence Haddad Awaiting Confirmation
David Nabarro, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Food Security and Nutrition (TBC)
Ian Goldin - Director Oxford Martin School (TBC)

Session 7 - 27th January - Ministerial Evidence – 14.00
Stephen O'Brien, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development
Gregory Barker, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (TBC)

Niigata International Food Award

On 29 October, Prof Monty Jones, Executive Director of FARA, was awarded the Main Prize of the 1st Niigata International Food Award for his leadership role in the development of NERICA. 


No less than 95 nominations were received from 15 countries. Dr Hideaki Karaki, Vice President of the Science Council of Japan and Chairperson of the 11-member screening committee, defined the screening criteria as follows: ‘The winner’s project should have universal value for the world and/or improve human lives.’

The Niigata International Food Award consists of three separate prizes: the Main Prize, the Sano Touzaburo Special Prize (for increasing food supply/harvest in developing countries), and the 21st Century Hope Special Prize (for young, promising candidates below age 40).

The Main Prize went to Prof Monty Jones, whose leadership in the development of NERICA, which expresses the high yield characteristics of Asian rice and the fast growth and suitability to the African climate of African rice. NERICA rice has improved the productivity of farmers across Africa and raised the food security level of fragile, small family farms. The increased yield of this crop has resulted in reduced reliance on rice imports, and increased independence and financial security for smaller farmers.

The Sano Touzaburo Prize went to Mr Yuan Long Ping, Chief Researcher at the China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center, who dramatically improved harvests far beyond other conventional hybrid rice varieties. Dr Fumihiro Fujimori, winner of the 21st Century Hope Special Prize, an Associate Professor at the Tokyo Kasei University, led a team that developed a large-scale database of the fungal genetic code (cDNA).

Read more:
Niigata Award Ceremony issue 01/12/2010

The 5TH All African Society of Animal Production

25 to 28 October, 2010 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The 5th AASAP was hosted by the Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP). Theme: Commercialisation of Livestock Agriculture in Africa: Challenges and opportunities

The conference examined the research and development progress in the continent and its effect on the environment and socio-economic lives of the people.



See also:

Reporting the 5th All Africa conference on animal agriculture

Preview of State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet

14 October 2010. Over the last year Nourishing the Planet has traveled to 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, talking to farmers, farmers groups, researchers and scientists to learn directly about stories of hope and success in agriculture from people working on the ground. 


During a breakfast panel event at the 2010 World Food Prize Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, they gave a preview briefing of State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet, the culmination of their research. The panel featured Christopher Flavin (Worldwatch Institute), Dyno Keatinge (AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center), Hans Herren (Millennium Institute), and Co-Project Director Brian Halweil, as well the voices and stories from some of the individuals and organizations we’ve met on-the-ground.


AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center Director General, Dyno Keatinge, explained that alleviating hunger worldwide will require more than just providing people with more  calories. He suggests a shift in the direction of global agriculture funding to include more research and support for the production of fruits and vegetables in order to address the growing number of people suffering from malnutrition. “If you can include some of these fruits or vegetable crops,” says Keatinge, “you are much more likely to be able to cope with the problems of lack of vitamin A and vitamin C and minerals which many poor men and women African farmers are facing today. So, I think it makes good sense to say that man should not live by bread alone.”


The Millennium Institute President, Hans Herren, also spoke at the Nourishing the Planet briefing breakfast panel at the World Food Prize and encouraged funders and policy makers to redirect their focus from what he calls “modern technology”—or silver bullet approaches—to “natural means” such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and permaculture. Doing so, he says, will allow the agricultural community to finally “treat the cause” and not “the symptoms” of global hunger.


Nourishing the Planet’s Co-Project Director, Brian Halweil, outlined some of the innovations and principles, featured in State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet, that hold untapped potential to transform rural economies across sub-Saharan Africa and alleviate hunger and poverty worldwide.

Where Would You Like to See More Funding Directed?

21-25 October 2010. The fourth annual meeting of the worldwide Terra Madre network took place in Turin, Italy. A five-day meeting that coincides with the international Slow Food Fair, Salone del Gusto, Terra Madre brought together over 5,000 global representatives of food communities, cooks, academics, youth and musicians united in the ambition of promoting  sustainable local food production in harmony with the environment while respecting traditional knowledge and food cultures.

One of these representatives was Mangeons Local founder Seck Madieng from Senegal who participated in Nourishing the Planet’s workshop on October 24^th , discussing environmentally sustainable ways to relieve world hunger and rural poverty. In the below video, Seck explains why he believes agricultural funding should focus on promoting local foods to improve livelihoods and local economies.

While meeting with Mariam Ouattara, the President of Chigata Fettes et Development (Women and Development), an NGO in N’Ganon village, and founder of Slow Food Chigata, Worldwatch Senior Researcher and Nourishing the Planet co-Project Director, Danielle Nierenberg, asked her about how agricultural funding could help to scale up efforts to promote local food production and consumption to improve diets and livelihoods and preserve local cultures and traditions.

To read more responses on the question "Where Would You Like to See More Funding Directed?", see:

Part 1: Dave Andrews (USA), Dave Johnstone (Cameroon), & Pierre Castagnoli (Italy)
Part 2: Paul Sinandja (Togo), Dov Pasternak (Niger), & Pascal Pulvery (France)
Part 3:  Christine McCulloch (UK), Hans R Herren (USA), & Amadou Niang.
Part 4: Michel Koos (Netherlands), Don Seville (USA), & Ron Gretlarson
Part 5:  Shahul Salim, Roger Leakey (Kenya), & Monty P Jones (Ghana)
Part 6: Calestous Juma (USA), Ray Anderson (USA), & Rob Munro (Zambia)
Part 7: Tom Philpott (USA), Grace Mwaura, & Thangavelu Vasantha Kumaran
Part 8: Peter Mietzner (Namibia), Madyo Couto (Mozambique), & Norman Thomas Uphoff (USA)
Part 9: Tilahun Amede (Ethiopia), Shree kumar Maharjan (Nepal), & Ashwani Vasishth (USA)
Part 10:  Mary Shawa (Malawi), Wayne S. Teel (USA), & Bell Okello (Kenya)
Part 11: Mark Wells (South Africa), Pashupati Chaudhary (USA), & Megan Putnam (Ghana)
Part 12: David Wallinga (USA), Ysabel Vicente, & Esperance Zossou (Benin)
Part 13: Susi Basith (Indonesia), Diana Husic (USA), & Carolina Cardona (Togo)
Part 14:  Rachel Friedman, Jennifer Geist (USA), & Lowden Stoole
Part 15: Antonio Requejo, Alexandra Spieldoch (USA), & Daniele Giovannucci (USA)
Part 16: Mary Njenga (Kenya), Mabel Toribio, & Makere Stewart-Harawira (Canada)
Part 17: Dale Lewis (Zambia), Chris Ojiewo (Tanzania), & Molly Mattessich (USA)
Part 18: Gregory Bowman (USA), Lucila Nunes de Vargas, & Caroline Smith
Part 19: Tesfom Solomon (Sweden), Sahr Lebbie (USA), & Jenny Goldie (Austrialia)
Part 20: Steven Sweet, Vicki Lipski, & Viola Ransel
Part 21: Puspa R. Tiwari, Johan Staal (Netherlands), & Kevin Kamp (USA)
Part 22: Steve Osofsky (USA), John Vickrey (USA), & Michael Levenston (Canada)Part 23: Vasan (India), Excellent Hachileka (Zambia), & Royce Gloria Androa (Uganda)
Part 24: Pam Allee, Dennis Calvan, & Salibo (Burkina Faso)
Part 25: Tony Gasbarro (USA), John Hassall,  & Kamal KhadkaPart 26: Farid Waliyar, Paul Barker (Tanzania), Grace Ndungu (Kenya)
Part 27: Tozie Zokufa (South Africa), Krystyna Swiderska (UK), & Al-Hassana Idriss Outman (Senegal)
Part 28: Jan Helsen (Kenya), Charlie Balanon, and Ronia Tanyongana (Tanzania)
Part 29: Eric Kisiangani (Kenya), Stephen Muchiri, & Luis Gasser.
Part 30: Betty Maeda, Mary Mavanza (Tanzania), & Naude Malan (South Africa).
Part 31:  Theresa Endres (Mali), Gezahegn Ayele, & Kephas Indangasi.
Part 32: Susan Mwangi (Kenya), Keshab Thapa (Nepal) & Francis Lwamugira (Tanzania).
Part 33: Yohannnes Mariam, Tshediso Phahlane (South Africa), & Nancy Karanja (Kenya).
Part 34: Victor Gatonye Kuria (Kenya), Ahamad Kyaruzi (Tanzania), & Frank Place (Kenya).
Part 35: Michael Misiko (Benin), Emmanuel M. Haambote (Zambia), & Anton Ferreira.Part 36: Robert Goodland (USA), Yao M. Afantchao (USA), & Queresh Noordin.
Part 37: Richard Twine (UK), Yiching Song, and Abdelmunem Ahmed (Palestine)
Part 38: Bruce Murphy (Australia), Richard (South Africa), and Paul Van Mele (Benin)
Part 39: NM Nayar (India), Abe Agulto (Philippines), Paul Yao Kpai (Ghana)
Part 40: Sophia Murphy, Roland Sundström, Jones Lemchi
Part 41: Xavier Rakotonjanahary (Madagascar), Tobias Leenaert (Belgium), Kristof Nordin (Malawi)
Part 42: Nazeer Ahmed, Willie Tuimising (Kenya), & Sara Scherr (USA)
Part 43: Caroline Smith, Klaus Droppelmann (Malawi), & Ashley Colpaart (USA)
Part 44: Huriye Kara, Pat Lanyasunya (Kenya), Prince Charles Dickson (Nigeria)
Part 45: Dyno Keatinge (Taiwan), Gizachew Sisay (Ethiopia), and Anne Woodfine (UK)
Part 46: Faruq Banna, Arnold Kauk (Australia), and Shahul Salim (India)
Part 47: Reed Sims (USA), Karen Soeters (Netherlands), and Kebebe Ergano
Part 48: @FoodSecurityNet, Howarth Bouis, Roger Serunjogi (Uganda)
Part 49: Quintino Cabral Quade (São Tomé & Príncipe), Jill M. Smith Warning (USA), & Kathleen Guillozet(Ethiopia)
Part 50: Njoh Wanduku (Cameroon), Brian Cady, & Brian Nugent (Kenya)
Part 51: Gideon Behar (Senegal), Benjamin Tchoffo (Cameroon), & Stephanie Hanson (Kenya)
Part 52: Chris Reij (Netherlands), Matty Demont (Senegal), and Ann Waters-Bayer (Germany)
Part 53: Dennis Karamuzi (Rwanda), Mark Muller (USA), and @Peterballantyne (via twitter)
Part 54: King-David Amoah (Ghana), Tom Hager (USA), & Jim DeVries (USA)
Part 55: Sheila Huggins-Rao, Regassa, & Luc Maene
Part 56: Sandra Kennedy, Ian Walker (Canada), & Shenggen Fan
Part 57: Bhavani (India), Angeline Munzara, & Yvonne Pinto
Part 58: Seck Madieng (Senegal)
Part 59: Albert Rouamba (Mali), Regassa, & Luc Mauene (France)
Part 60: Marceline Ouedraogo (Mali)