Blog posts related to ARD activities in November 2017

Please find hereunder the blog posts related to ARD activities in November 2017. To view the whole blog instead of separate postings click on http://paepard.blogspot.com/ 

Veuillez trouver ci-dessous les ressources du blog se relatant à la RAD pour le mois de novembre 2017. Pour consulter le blog dans son entièreté au lieu de nouvelles distinctes cliquez sur http://paepard.blogspot.com/. Pour la traduction en français cliquez dans la colonne de droite du blog sur « automatic translation » et choisissez votre langue !

Por favor, encontre aqui os posts do blog relacionados à ARD atividades. Para visualizar todo o blog, em vez de postagens em separado clique em http://paepard.blogspot.com/. Para a versão em Português, clique na coluna da direita do blog "tradução automática" e escolha o seu idioma!

1.       5th EU-Africa Summit + video

29-30 November 2017. Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The central theme for the Summit is 'Youth', which has become a key priority for Europe as well as Africa, in a context of African demographic trends creating major challenges for young people in terms of migration, security and employment.

2.       REGIONAL FORUM FOR THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE

29 November 2017. Sofia, Bulgaria.

3.       AFAAS Webinar and post-harvest management

28 November 2017. As part of the dissemination of principles, practices and methods for postharvest management through online channels, AFAAS together with its partners AGRIDEA, Helvetas and FANRPAN are conducting a series of webinars on postharvest management.

4.       NEPAD SANBio / BioFISA II Study Tour to Finland

27 November-5 December 2017.  Since 2009, the BioFISA partnership, established between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in South Africa and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA), has supported the Southern African Partnership programme to strengthen the NEPAD/SANBio Network.

5.       Opportunities and challenges for aquaculture in developing countries

April 2017. 25 pages. The Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO), Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the German International Development Agency (GIZ) commissioned this common reference document

6.       IITA Research for Development conference + video

24-25 November 2017. Ibadan. This IITA conference was part of the IITA R4D (Research for Development) Week, during which IITA scientists from all over Africa congregated

7.       Sustainable financing for biodiversity conservation

The report presents insights for conservation funders, but is also highly relevant for conservation practitioners.

8.       Discovering Myxomycetes: towards applications for bio-control

Myxomycetes were collected in Austria from maize plants in 2015 and 2016 at the end of the growth season.

9.       Upcoming events in Agriculture for Development (ARD) PAEPARD activity

10.   Bringing together the public, scientists, policy-makers and industry to help address the global challenge of food security PAEPARD participation

23-25 November 2017. Brussels. Meise Botanical Gardens. Stakeholder meeting of the BigPicNic consortium. The Face behind the Food shows portraits of Belgians of African origin.

11.   EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa

24 November 2017. The Trust Fund for Africa is worth over €3.2 billion – with over €2.9 billion from the European Development Fund and other EU financial instruments, and €260.5 million from EU Member States and other partners.

12.   Regional information/sensitization of private sector

22 – 24 November 2017. ABIDJAN (COTE D’IVOIRE). The USAID/West Africa Regional Mission supports the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to advance their vision to create an economic union and common market.

13.   Addressing land degradation and desertification

23 November 2017. DevCo Infopoint.

14.   Status of seed sector development in Africa

22 November 2017. AGRA Webinar

15.   GFAR webinar on webinars

21 November 2017. This webinar was co-organized by the GFAR (Global Forum for Agricultural Research and Innovation) and GLF (Global Landscapes Forum). It is part of the GLF Digital Summits series.

16.   Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems in Africa

22-24 November 2017. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AU Conference Centre.

17.   Pastoralism in the current global changes

20-24 November 2017. Dakar. The colloquium explored jointly the alternatives around which breeders, research, public organizations and policy makers could guide their future actions.

18.   Afri-Veg Forum 2017 PAEPARD participation

20 - 22 November 2017. Cotonou, Benin. The main objective of the conference was to bring together a global community of stakeholders (the academia, NGO, donor agencies, and industry) working on issues related to African indigenous vegetable to drive the process of promoting entrepreneurial development in the vegetable sector.

19.   African Agri Investment Indaba

20 - 22 November 2017. Cape Town. Over 100 meetings have been scheduled by the matchmaking team, ensuing attendees make the most of their time at the event and get dedicated time with potential clients and partners.

20.   GID-FastDev pour l’agriculture 2017 PAEPARD participation

20-21 Novembre 2017. Abidjan. Les métiers de l’agriculture ouvrent des perspectives d’avenir ; il est impératif de donner envie et espoir aux jeunes africains de s’y installer.

21.   Regional perspectives on hunger and migration

20 November 2017. Brussels. The European Parliamentary Alliance on the Fight Against Hunger brought together Members of the European Parliament as well as high-level representatives of the UN and leading international organisations to discuss long-term solutions geared towards achieving Zero Hunger.

22.   Energizing Finance: Scaling and Refining Finance in countries with large energy gaps + video

16 November 2017. Bonn. This side event at the COP explored the findings from Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL),

23.   3rd Organic innovation days

15-17 November 2017. Brussels. This year’s edition was also enriched with the OK-Net Arable Final Conference where the best practices to improve yields in organic farming were presented and followed by a discussion on knowledge exchange and innovation support in organic farming.

24.   13th African Dairy Conference

15-17 November 2017. Johannesburg. This three-day conference had six topical sessions from strategic information on the world and continental dairy industry outlook, trends, future projections, practices, opportunities and challenges to policy issues impacting on dairy industry development, trade and competitiveness and sustainability, and technical issues of interest to players along the value chain.

25.   Building agribusiness relations for sustainable profit

13 - 24 November 2017. Ibadan, Nigeria. ICRA course

26.   FAO/WHO Regional Symposium on Sustainable Food Systems

16-17 November 2017. Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. The Africa regional symposium was an opportunity to present the third edition of FAO Regional Overview on Food Security and Nutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa.

27.   Strategies for feeding the world more sustainably with organic agriculture

14 November 2017. The Guardian. Converting land from conventional agriculture to organic production could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the run-off of excess nitrogen from fertilizers, and cut pesticide use.

28.   Mobile phones in Mali with weather and climate information

16 November 2017. RIC4REC has innovated to benefit Malian producers regarding increasing mobile phone adoption to provide weather and climate information to farmers.

29.   Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA-2017) + video

14-17 November 2017. Addis Ababa. This second Conference on Land Policy in Africa was hosted by the Land Policy Initiative (LPI), which is a joint initiative of the African Union Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and the African Development Bank.

30.   Info Day on Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 2 Sustainable food security PAEPARD participation

14-17 November 2017. Brussels.

31.   The Public-Private Producer Partnership (4Ps) programme

14 November 2017. Kampala. The Ugandan Government in partnership with SNV Netherlands Development Organization, have decided to rollout a new approach called the Public-Private Producer Partnership (4Ps) programme.

32.   Learning videos enhanced farmers’ knowledge on climate-smart agriculture in Mali

14 November 2017. This paper assesses the climate smart agricultural practices triggered by learning videos on integrated striga management, soil fertility and cost-benefit evaluation practices.

33.   FAO launched new Climate-Smart Agriculture web platform

10 November 2017, Rome.  online Climate-Smart Agriculture Sourcebook - Second Edition 2017

34.   The Uganda multi stakeholders´ smallholder pig platform + video

10 November 2017. Pig value chain development project in UgandaPig production is a major and increasing source of livelihoods for more than 1.1 million households in Uganda,

35.   Pastoralism and conflict resolution in Eastern Africa PAEPARD participation

9 November 2017. Brussels. This Infopoint Lunch conference was organised at DG DevCo Pastoralism and conflict resolution in Eastern Africa

36.   Highlight: ethno e-empowerment + video

8–9 November 2017. Brussels, Belgium. The 2017 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Coalition of European Lobbies for Eastern African Pastoralism (CELEP). One of the partners of the AGM is up4change, an NGO with the mission to bring new educational opportunities with multimedia e-learning programs to illiterate communities around the world.

37.   Coalition of European Lobbies for Eastern African Pastoralism (CELEP) PAEPARD participation

8–9 November 2017. Brussels, Belgium. The 2017 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Coalition of European Lobbies for Eastern African Pastoralism (CELEP) was organised by VSF-Belgium.

38.   Smallholder dairy development in Africa with a particular focus on pastoralist systems

7 November 2017. Brussels, European Parliament. Smallholder dairy development in Africa with a particular focus on pastoralist systems.

39.   Increasing Groundnut Safety and Value through better harvest and post-harvest practices... + video

7 November 2017. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) led by the University of Georgia, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and University for Development Studies in Ghana, found that providing farmers with training on recommended practices led many to adopt them

40.   Incubating Agribusiness in Africa. the 2SCALE experience

7 November 2017. Utrecht. 2SCALE shared five years of experience in agribusiness.

41.   Financial challenges by farmers

6 November 2017. Brussels. How smallholder farmers feed the world. Which financial challenges to overcome?

42.   Farmer to farmer videos boosting rural incomes

3 November 2017. This video shows how one farmer in Mwanza district Malawi named Lester Mpinda Chizumeni managed to organise his fellow farmers and started growing chili for the first time as a commercial crop after watching Access Agriculture farmer to farmer video.
On October 31, 2017, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) hosted the Compact2025 Forum in Lilongwe

43.   Webinar: Private Sector Perspectives on Responsible Land-Based Investment

2 November 2017. USAID LandLinks, along with Agrilinks, Microlinks, and a panel of experts, hosted an interactive online discussion on the Business Case for Land Rights

44.   Rural Africa in motion

2 November 2017. Rome. A first atlas to offer a better understanding of complex rural migration patterns in sub-Saharan Africa has been published.

45.   GFAR webinar on TAPipedia

24 October 2017. TAPipedia is a global information system to enhance knowledge sharing in support of developing capacities for agricultural innovation, established with support of the EU-funded project Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation System (CDAIS).

46.   Agrifood Atlas – Facts and figures about the corporations that control what we eat

October 2017. Number of Pages: 56

47.   ARD funding opportunities PAEPARD activity

48.   ICRISAT scientists use double-defense biotech appr...

17 October 2017. Researchers from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and partners successfully developed aflatoxin-free peanuts

49.   Aflatoxin mitigation initiatives in Malawi

The government of Malawi, through the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, has produced a video documentary to sensitize the public on the causes, risks, prevention and control of aflatoxins.

Total number of page views in the month of November 2017: 18,812

Most viewed pages on PAEPARD blog over the past month:

Entry	Page views
ARD funding opportunities	3,404
Upcoming events in Agriculture for Development (ARD) - Africa	588
EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa	558
Incubating Agribusiness in Africa. the 2SCALE experience	500

More:  forthcoming ARD conferences: at the bottom of the PAEPARD wiki and PAEPARD blog

REGIONAL FORUM FOR THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE

29 November 2017. Sofia, Bulgaria. REGIONAL FORUM FOR THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE. The European Landowners' Organization (ELO), Syngenta, BAALO (Bulgarian Association of Agricultural Landowners) and NAABS (National Association Bulgarian Black Sea) organised a Regional Forum for the Future of Agriculture.

The conference addressed three key questions:

1. Panel 1: How the Sustainable Development Goals can help address global agriculture issues?
2. Panel 2: Where is the Common Agricultural Policy reform going?
3. Panel 3: How can competitiveness and environmental protection coexist within the Bulgarian agriculture landscape?

Panel 1: How the Sustainable Development Goals can help address global agriculture issues? 

• Keynote speaker: Robert Flies, Former Advisor to the Director in the DG Environment, European Commission - 
• Respondent: Prof. Dr. Hristina Yancheva, Rector, Agricultural University Plovdiv - 
• Respondent: Juan Gonzalez- Valero, Head public policy and sustainability, Syngenta - 
• Respondent: Michael Salm zu Salm, FCS President

Related:
'CAP: thinking out of the box' report
Released on March 27th 2017, this report, directed by Allan Buckwell, shows how the current CAP does not make best use of the considerable resources deployed to support land managers through the necessary transition and suggests some procedural changes to kick-start a more effective reform process which brings together more constructively the conflicting interests in agricultural policy.

CAP Executive Summary (26 pages)
CAP Full report: executive summary + appendixes (82 pages)

5th EU-Africa Summit

29-30 November 2017. Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The central theme for the Summit was 'Youth', which has become a key priority for Europe as well as Africa, in a context of African demographic trends creating major challenges for young people in terms of migration, security and employment.

EU-Africa Summits of Heads of States and Governments take place every three years alternatively in Africa and Europe. These Summits take stock of the progress made in the implementation of commitments made and provide political guidance for further work.

Approximately 5302 participants attended this meeting, 83 of which are Heads of States representing 55 African countries and 28 European countries, delegations from various partner countries, the African Union Commission, the European Union Commission, international organizations, and regional and sub regional organizations.

This Summit built on a series of preparatory events, aiming to bring the views of the key stakeholders of the Partnership. It includes the following:

• Africa-EU Civil Society Forum (11-12 July)
• Africa-Europe Youth Summit (9-11 October)
• Africa-EU Economic and Social Actors Forum (16-17 November)
• EU-Africa Business Forum 2017 (27 November)
• Africa-EU Local Governments Forum (27 November)
• Parliamentary Summit (27-28 November)

At the summit, African and European leaders discussed the future of AU-EU relations, and focus on investing in youth. This is a key priority for the AU and the EU as 60% of the African population is under the age of 25.

Other priorities of the AU-EU partnership were equally discussed during the summit. These included:

• Peace and security
• Governance including democracy, human rights, migration and mobility
• Investment and trade
• Skills development
• Job creation

Live: UA-UE Summit 2017 – Day 1

Related:
Macron répond aux questions des étudiants burkinabés à Ouagadougou

 

NEPAD SANBio / BioFISA II Study Tour to Finland

27 November-5 December 2017.  Since 2009, the BioFISA partnership, established between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in South Africa and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA), has supported the Southern African Partnership programme to strengthen the NEPAD/SANBio Network. The first Phase of the programme was launched in the beginning of 2009 and lasted until the end of September 2012. The second phase, BioFISA II, is a four year programme from 2015 to 2019 with a total budget of EUR 7.82 million, contributed from Finland, South Africa and participating member states.

BioFISA II aims to support the mission of SANBio which includes the facilitation of innovation in support of the development of the regional economy in Southern Africa by:

• supporting an effective and dynamic regional research network, including the establishment of sustainable funding structures for collaboration;
• enhancing human and infrastructure capacity in the region; and
• supporting the development of innovative products within the priority focus areas of health and nutrition, including the development of entrepreneurial skills.

A NEPAD SANBio / BioFISA II Study Tour was organised to Finland in which following companies are participating:

• Elvema Nutrition (Pty) Ltd (www.elvema.co.za) is the manufacturer and distributor of Elvema Instant Nutritional products. Elvema manufactures a variety of teas, nutritious bars, Nutri-Veg shakes and instant porridges in various flavours. Elvema’s nutritional food products contain Moringa Oleifera and the products are at the cutting edge of cellular dysfunction repair, providing a wealth of natural ingredients to help nourish bodies. Elvema was established in 2011 and manufactures its products through Nutritional Food, a facility that is ISO 22000 and HACCP accredited. Some Elvema products are licensed under CSIR Biosciences.
• University of Pretoria, South Africa: Biscuits from sorghum flour • Fermented or acidified drinks from sorghum flour • Bogobe jwa lerotse – extruded, instant sorghum-melon porridge To develop, manufacture and market healthy SMA 2RT food products with traditional values that meet the needs and aspirations of urban-living African Millennials with the aim of creating viable business enterprises
• NEPAD Fish Node - LUANAR, Malawi: Insects for Feed and Food in collaboration with Scaled Impact NPO (South Africa) and Department of Research and Specialist Services (Zimbabwe)
• Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe: Ash-based Vitamin Mineral Block Lick for Beef Cattle Ash-based Vitamin Mineral Block Lick for Goats In collaboration with RAEIN Africa (South Africa). Commercial partner: Capital Foods (Zimbabwe)
• The University of Swaziland (UNISWA), Swaziland: 1) Nutritious and medicinal pellets for livestock 2) Goat yoghurt In collaboration with Chinhoyi University of Technology (Zimbabwe) and Arrowfeeds (Pty) Ltd and Parmalat (Swaziland)
• Sleek Foods (Pty) Ltd was borne out of the founder’s passion for cooking and fine foods. In 2014, Mrs Nkata Seleka, founder and owner who is a seasoned ICT Specialist, took a giant leap of faith to pursue her interest in the food industry. The result is a range of original and unique sauces, pastes and condiments made with recipes which have been tested and refined over time until perfection. Sleek Foods original line of Ready-to-Eat and versatile pastes are made using Olive Oil and no preservatives (and a shelf life of over 2 years), which come in Onion and Tomato flavour (Hot, Mild and Lemon & Herb). These are sold in major Supermarkets around Botswana. This product line has, amongst other accolades, won the First prize at the prestigious Botswana Beef Festival in Botswana in 2014. Sleek Foods is also the 2017 Botswana winner of the FemBioBiz competition and came 3rd at the final round of the same competition in Cape Town at the South African Innovation Summit which was held from the 6th to the 8th September 2017. 
• Kiyomisandz Beauty Products is a two-time INNOVATION AWARD winning cosmetic manufacturing company based in Windhoek, Namibia. It was started up by owner and cosmetic chemist, Sandra Mwiihangele, whose passion and expertise lies in cosmetic development. She was also listed on Forbes Africa 30 under 30 Class of 2017. Kiyomisandz offers 3rd party cosmetic manufacturing services to clients, hotels, etc. such as R&D, Stability Testing & Manufacturing.

Opportunities and challenges for aquaculture in developing countries

Opportunities and challenges for aquaculture in developing countries

April 2017. 25 pages

The interest in aquaculture projects is growing. Considering the specificities of aquaculture and the potential challenges linked to the development of this sector, the Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO), Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the German International Development Agency (GIZ) commissioned this common reference document for use by colleagues in European Union Delegations (EUDs) and in GIZ/AFD country offices. 

The purpose of the document is to highlight the opportunities and the challenges of sustainable aquaculture development in developing countries. This reference document should not be considered as a set of guidelines, but rather as a compendium of established concepts and past experiences useful for those interested in developing, funding or managing aquaculture projects. As will become apparent, there are no simple, universal solutions to developing sustainable aquaculture in all its different forms; this document is intended to outline the fundamentals required when considering possible interventions.

A key process in this document’s preparation was a two-day meeting of aquaculture experts in Brussels over 12–13 September 2016, where the concepts in this reference documents were framed and discussed. 

IITA Research for Development conference

24-25 November 2017. Ibadan. This IITA conference was part of the IITA R4D (Research for Development) Week, during which IITA scientists from all over Africa congregated at the Headquarters in Ibadan, to deliberate on the research orientation for the future. A number of world-class scientists were invited to this conference, to come share ideas with the team of IITA researchers. There was also a field visits to research and delivery facilities of the institute.

The second day of the Conference included an “Open Day” event, with opportunities for visiting various booths exhibiting research and delivery products, methods and tools.

• Download program
• Download Speaker profiles
• Download Speaker abstracts

Extracts of the program

Technical Session 1:

• The Renaissance of Farming Systems Research in Africa – Prof Ken Giller, Wageningen Centre for Agroecology and Systems Analysis, Wageningen University 
• Transforming African Agriculture in the face of climate change – Dr Bruce Campbell, Director, CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), CIAT 
• The rise of the processing sector in African agriculture: Economic Recovery, urbanization, and transformation of traditional staple value chains – Dr. Ousmane Badiane, Director for Africa, IFPRI

Technical Session 2:

• New opportunities from molecular science for removing constraints to sustainable farming – Prof John A Pickett, Michael Elliott Distinguished Research Fellow, Rothamsted Research Institute, UK
• The Future Prospects for NERICA rice in Food Security over the next 50 years – Prof. Monty Jones, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Sierra Leone. Formerly: Executive Director of FARA; World Food Prize laureate (2004) 
• Building sustainable food systems for the 21st Century: the potential of diversified agroecological farming – Dr Emile Frison, Member of IPES-Food and former Director-General of Bioversity International, Rome, Italy

Technical Session 3:

• Transforming African Agriculture: IITA’s research and delivery orientation into the future – Dr May-Guri Saethre, Deputy Director-General (R4D), IITA 
• Young people and rural transformation in Africa: Looking back to look forward – Dr. James Sumberg, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK 
• Developing world-class genebanks to keep pace with users – Ms Charlotte Lusty, Coordinator, CGIAR Genebank Platform, Global Crop Diversity Trust

Sustainable financing for biodiversity conservation – a review of experiences in German development cooperation

Sustainable financing for biodiversity conservation – a review of experiences in German development cooperation
by: Augustin Berghöfer, Lucy Emerton, Alonso Moreno Diaz, Julian Rode, Christoph Schröter-Schlaack, Heidi Wittmer, Hugo van Zyl 

The degradation of protected areas and the loss of biodiverse landscapes with its multiple benefits are key topics on the sustainability agenda in many African countries.

Harnessing conservation and sustainability finance is one of the principal response strategies. However, there is much more to it than searching for 'innovative' mechanisms that could fill the funding gap.

The report presents insights for conservation funders, but is also highly relevant for conservation practitioners. Based on expert interviews and document analysis in eight countries (incl. five from Africa) the report explores the following questions:

1. What is the current mix of funding flows and financing mechanisms?
2. What are the principal challenges to sustainable biodiversity financing?
3. What can be learned from the ‘interplay’ between different financing mechanisms?
4. What are the experiences with private sector involvement?
5. What are the overall impacts of different forms of biodiversity finance on the ground?
6. What is the potential of innovative financing approaches for German development cooperation?

AFAAS Webinar and post-harvest management

28 November 2017. As part of the dissemination of principles, practices and methods for postharvest management through online channels, AFAAS together with its partners AGRIDEA, Helvetas and FANRPAN are conducting a series of webinars on postharvest management.
Go to the webinar.

The main objective is that principles, practices and methods for postharvest management are known, shared and used by stakeholders in agriculture and related fields. 

The presenters were:

1. James Murangira shared the experience of Sasakawa Global 2000 in Uganda.
2. Rakesh Munankami shared the experience of the Grain Postharvest Loss Prevention Project (GPLP) in Tanzania;

Related:

The first webinar took place on the 24th October 2017. The theme was "Effectiveness, profitability, business opportunities, accessibility, acceptability and adoption of technologies and good practices for postharvest loss reduction. The main presenters were: 

• Prof. Brighton. Mvumi, from the University of Zimbabwe, 
• Mr. Munhamo Chisvo, a consultant on Cost-Benefit Analysis of postharvest technologies.

Go to the webinar  

Discovering Myxomycetes: towards applications for bio-control

Discovering Myxomycetes: towards applications for bio-control
Myxomycetes are a class of Amoebozoa of which only few practical applications are published in literature. This article reports the first results towards the use of selected slime mould species as antagonist in agricultural applications.

Antagonists in this context are organisms used to control plant pathogens, protecting the plant host against invasion by e.g. bacteria and fungi. Mycotoxigenic fungi from the Genera Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium and Alternaria as well as selected plant pathogenic bacteria were used in the tests.

Myxomycetes were collected from maize plants in 2015 and 2016 at the end of the growth season. Five different species including soil-borne Physarum and Didymium spp. were identified. It was demonstrated that slime moulds can have at least 3 different known types of antagonism:

1. direct antagonism due to feeding (phagocytosis) on fungal spores and plant pathogenic bacteria, 
2. indirect antagonism due to antibiotic and antimycotic activity in the glycocalyx and solubilisation of fungal mycelium using extracellular lytic enzymes, and 
3. competition for feed such as plant pollen and anthers which are required nutrient sources for specific plant pathogens (e.g. Fusarium species) during plant infection.

Further references:

• Fungus Flora of Tropical Africa, the Myxomycetes Volumes. / de Haan, Myriam; Ndiritu, George G.; Degreef, Jérôme .Abstract book the 9th International Congress on the Systematics and Ecology of Myxomycetes, Tanabe, Japan, 18-23 August 2017. 2017.
• Mayotte, additions to the tropical Myxomycetes of France. / de Haan, Myriam; Seraoui, El-Hacène; Pélissier, Maurice; Buyck, Bart.abstract book the 9th International Congress on the Systematics and Ecology of Myxomycetes, Tanabe, Japan, 18-23 August 2017. 2017.
• Towards bio-control using Myxomycetes: predatory activity of the myxomycetes Physarum polycephalum and P. pusillum against mycotoxigenic fungi. / Gangl, Johann; de Haan, Myriam; Lemmens, Marc.Abstract book the 9th International Congress on the Systematics and Ecology of Myxomycetes, Tanabe, Japan, 18-23 August 2017. 2017.
• Towards bio-control using Myxomycetes: identification and isolation of slime moulds from maize. / Jabbarimalayeri, H.; de Haan, Myriam; Maloku, Imer; Lemmens, Marc.Abstract book the 9th International Congress on the Systematics and Ecology of Myxomycetes, Tanabe, Japan, 18-23 August 2017. 2017.
• Discovering Myxomycetes: towards applications for bio-control. / Lemmens, Marc; de Haan, Myriam.abstract book the 9th International Congress on the Systematics and Ecology of Myxomycetes, Tanabe, Japan, 18-23 August 2017. 2017.
• Scientific user requirements for a herbarium data portal. / Vissers, Jorick; Bosch, Frederik Van den; Bogaerts, Ann; Cocquyt, Christine; Degreef, Jérôme; Diagre, Denis; Haan, Myriam De; Smedt, Sofie De; Engledow, Henry; Ertz, Damien; Fabri, Régine; Godefroid, Sandrine; Hanquart, Nicole; Mergen, Patricia; Ronse, Anne; Sosef, Marc; Stévart, Tariq; Stoffelen, Piet; Vanderhoeven, Sonia; Groom, Quentin.In: PhytoKeys, Vol. 78, 24.03.2017, p. 37-57.

Upcoming events in Agriculture for Development (ARD) - Africa

28 November. London. Future of Renewable Energy in Africa
28 November. Webinar 2ND WEBINAR ON POSTHARVEST MANAGEMENT. Organised by AFAAS
29 – 30 November. Kigali. Regional sharing on farmer/pastoralist field schools in Eastern Africa
28 – 30 November. Johannesburg. 4th Global Science Conference On Climate Smart Agriculture
28-29 November. Abidjan. Africa-EU Youth Summit 2017
28-29 November. Abidjan. Summit of Head of States from EU and Africa
29 November. Sofia, Bulgaria. REGIONAL FORUM FOR THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE
The conference will look into the possible ways to use the SDGs to help address global agriculture issues. Additionally, different panels will focus on the European common agricultural policy reform and the specific issues within the Bulgarian agriculture landscape.
29-30 November. Kampala. Agribusiness Congress East Africa
29 November - 1 December. Luxembourg. European Microfinance Week (EMW)
30 November. The Hague.. PPPLab Day: Achieving the Catalytic Potential of PPPs for Transformational Change
1 December. The Hague. Research and Policy: two peas in a pod? A dialogue for food security impact
3-6 December. Cape Town, South Africa. 3rd International Conference on Global Food Security
4-5 December, Madrid, Spain. International Summit on Organic Farming 2017
4-5 December. Milano, Italy. 8th International Forum on Food and Nutrition
6 December. Webinar E-agriculture. ZFU Ecofarmer Combo. The ZFU Ecofarmer Combo is a bundle of services developed by Econet, the largest Mobile Network Provider in Zimbabwe,
6 December. Webinar Innovative Annual Reports (co-organized by GFAR and GLF)
6-7 December. Amsterdam. The European Mineral Fertilizer Summit. This two day event will provide an exclusive platform for collaboration and discussion between a variety of industry perspectives including manufacturers, suppliers, distribution/logistics, academia but some other involved areas as policymakers, NGO’s, nutrition and environment preservers.
7 December. Accra, Ghana. Network meeting and launch of BiomassNet
7-8 December. Nigeria. Nigerian Poultry Feeds Research and Development
7-8 December. Utrecht. The Netherlands. Climate change adaptation: community-based adaption in multistakeholder landscapes

8-11 December. Cape Town, South Africa. 3rd International Conference on Global Food Security
12 - 13 December. Queen Mary University of London. Universities and Climate Change: The Role of Climate Change Research and Projects in Fostering Climate Action 

11-12 December Brussels, Annual Meeting European Forum for Agricultural Research (EFARD)
12-14 December 2017 in Rome, Italy. GACSA ANNUAL FORUM 2017. Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture.
13-14 December. 's-Hertogenbosch the Netherlands. AgriFoodTech 2017. Sensors, drones, autonomous robots, smart farming, big data, vision technology, smart LEDs …innovations within the Agri and Food sector are developing rapidly.

14 December 2017 in Buenos Aires. FORUM ON MIGRATION, TRADE AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. ICTSD’s upcoming Forum on Migration, Trade and the Global Economy will be held on , in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration and Fundación Foro del Sur.19-20 December. Bonn. Global Landscapes Forum

10 January 2018. Webinar. How are the pathways to resilience in pastoralist areas of Eastern Africa evolving?
15-18 January 2018 (TBC). Nairobi. GIZ. Innovators conference
15-19 January 2018. Stellenbosch, Soouth Africa. African Crop Science Society meeting
18 January 2018. Berlin, Germany. GLOBAL FORUM FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE 2018 The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is an international conference that focuses on central questions concerning the future of the global agri-food industry.

22 January 2018. MONTPELLIER, FRANCE. LIVING TERRITORIES 2018. The conference will look into the benefits of territorial approaches to agricultural production, agri-chain regulation and services provision. Furthermore, specialists will explore ways for territorial strategies to contribute to renovating the framework for development.
23-26 January 2018. Switzerland. 48th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

15 February 2018. Sharm el-Sheikh. First International Conference of the Egyptian Society of Food Safety
6-8 March 2018. Nanyuki. Kenya. 3rd ECHO East Africa Pastoralist Symposium
7-9 March. Dakar, Senegal. AAIN Agribusiness Incubation Conference
19-20 March 2018. Nairobi, Kenya. 1st Biocontrol Africa Conference
19 March 2018.WASHINGTON D.C., USA. WORLD BANK LAND AND POVERTY CONFERENCE 2018.
21-23 March 2018. Nairobi, Kenya. 16th New Ag International Conference
27 March 2018. Brussels. The annual Forum for the Future of Agriculture (FFA) Debate on the future of European and world agriculture. 

25-26 April 2018. Hohenheim, Germany. Agrinatura General Assembly.
9-12 April 2018. Cape Town South Africa. Sorghum in the 21st Century Conference
18 - 19 April 2018. Berlin Germany. Global Bioeconomy Summit 2018.
14-15 May 2018, Ibadan, Nigeria. Second Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation in Africa, Theme: “Fostering African resilience and capacity to adapt.” Deadline for abstracts 20 January 2018.

31 May -1 June 2018. Pretoria. IAALD – AFRICA CONFERENCE
24-27 June 2018. Mombassa, Kenya. 2nd African Symposium on Mycotoxicology
3 - 5 July 2018. Stuttgart, Germany. 5th International ISEKI Food Conference

17-19 September 2018. Gent, Belgium. Tropen Tag. Annual interdisciplinary conference on Research in tropical and subtropical agriculture, Natural Resource Management and Rural Development. Conference theme:Global food security and food safety: The role of universities
7-11 October 2018 in Berlin. IWCSPP 2018 - 12th International Working Conference for Stored Product Protection.
15-19 October 2018, Accra, Ghana. 7th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture, "Innovations to secure the future of animal agriculture in Africa in a globalizing world.” Call for papers: (deadline for papers 30 April 2018).

Rural Africa in motion

2 November 2017. Rome. A first atlas to offer a better understanding of complex rural migration patterns in sub-Saharan Africa has been published. The atlas – Rural Africa in motion. Dynamics and drivers of migration south of the Sahara – also highlights the important role rural areas will continue to play in shaping the continent’s migration for decades to come.

“Population growth translates into a massive expansion of the labour force. Some 380 million new working age people are expected to enter the job market by 2030. Of those about 220 million are likely to be in rural areas. The challenge is to generate enough employment to absorb this booming labour force. This is why agriculture and rural development must be an integral part of any response to large migratory movements to harness the potential of migration for development,” Kostas Stamoulis, FAO Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social Development Department.

Through a series of maps and in depth case studies, the 20 authors of the atlas, representing different research institutions, think tanks and international organizations from and outside Africa, explore the complexity of the interrelated causes that drive people in Africa to leave their homes. They shed light on regional migration dynamics and perspectives, and foster understanding of rural migration.

The atlas is the result of a partnership between the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), with technical support from the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn) in South Africa.

“This atlas is an innovative contribution which will support the policy debate not only between governments and the international community, but also between and with local stakeholders,” Jean-Luc Khalfaoui, CIRAD’s Director General for Research and Strategy.