Report on the survey among fishers in Benin

30 May 2017. ACED has been awarded a research grant from the Food and Business Applied Research Fund of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) to implement this project. A report has been published (68 pages) on the survey among fishers around Lake Nokoué and Porto-Novo Lagoon in Benin

Despite its contribution to the livelihoods of more than 300,000 individuals, to food security and nutrition in Benin, the fishery sector receives less attention from research and policymakers compared to other agricultural sectors. A study conducted among 1,066 inland fishers (including 227 fisherwomen) provided critical information about their activities, vulnerability, resilience and water sharing rules.

The study recommends the development of a well-established platform where fishermen can timely express their needs, are actively involved in formulation of policies and receive regular feedback from the association concerning their proposals.

Furthermore, such a platform should:

• be representative for the fishers involved;
• be operational at the level of inland lakes;
• use technical, material and financial capacities to implement mechanisms for concerted action; and
• regularly and timely provide feedback to the fisher community.

It is recommended that the government releases resources and facilitates this transdisciplinary process by (re)-establishing such a platform to formalise and facilitate the contact between the fisher association, its members and other stakeholders.

Furthermore, technical and financial support is needed to develop aquaculture activities, finance capacity building initiatives, increase credit access, organise fishers’ associations to cooperatives and facilitate school attendance to fishers’ children.

Download the report.

• Version française: https://www.aced-benin.org/fr/content/que-veut-le-pecheur
• English version: https://www.aced-benin.org/en/content/what-does-fisherman-want

Nutrition Champions Win 2018 World Food Prize

25 June 2018 Drs. Lawrence Haddad and David Nabarro were announced as the 2018 World Food Prize Laureates during a ceremony at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Prize rewards their individual but complementary global leadership in elevating maternal and child undernutrition within the food security and development dialogue at national and international levels with the result of reducing the world’s number of stunted children by 10 million between 2012 and 2017.

“Like Dr. Norman Borlaug before them, Drs. Haddad and Nabarro have dedicated their careers to reducing hunger and malnutrition. Their work has deepened our understanding of nutrition’s impact not only on individual health, but on human capital and economic growth – compelling leaders in countries across the world to invest in evidence-based solutions.”  Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

A pioneer in food policy research, Dr. Haddad brought the issue of nutrition to the forefront by using both economic and medical research to convince development leaders to make child nutrition an urgent priority in the global food security agenda while serving as head of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2014.

From 2014 to 2016, Dr. Haddad prompted further investment in nutrition by co-chairing the Global Nutrition Report, an annual review of the state of the world's progress on nutrition that encouraged greater transparency and accountability among more than 100 stakeholders who had pledged $23 billion to the fight against malnutrition. Dr. Haddad now serves as Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), where he continues to lead private and public sector partners in improving nutrition outcomes.

As head of the UN High Level Task Force on Global Food Security in 2008 to 2014 and Coordinator of the United Nation’s Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in 2010 to 2014, Dr. Nabarro united 54 countries and one Indian state under the SUN Movement to implement evidence-based policies and fight child malnutrition in South Asia and Africa. Many participating countries reported a significant decline in the number of stunted children after adopting SUN guidelines. Dr. Nabarro continues to oversee SUN through his service on its advisory Lead Group.

Francophone Africa Business Forum (FAB Forum)

19 June 2018. The Hague. Francophone Africa Business Forum (FAB Forum)
After a very successful edition last year, the Francophone Africa Business Forum (FAB Forum) was back with another exciting programme.

The FAB Forum was an opportunity to meet close to 200 business men and women (as well as public sector representatives) from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and other Francophone countries, all in a single day

The Francophone African region, which is often overlooked in the Netherlands, offers myriad business opportunities for companies that are interested in discovering new and emerging markets. This year the FAB Forum focused on creating partnerships for sustainable value chains in agribusiness The business that enables the world to grow, trade and feed everyone utilizing the earth’s finite resources.

This year experts shared their insights in different sub-sectors (such as livestock, fruits and vegetables and agro-logistics) during the morning program, while it was possible to network and attend workshops about relevant topics, and be involved in facilitated B2B matchmaking sessions.

Workshops:

• Financing Sustainable Value Chains in Agribusiness - CFC and Financial Access
• From the Field to the Market: the Importance of Agrilogistics - StilFresh
• Animal Feed and Nutrition, What does the Dutch private sector have to offer? - NABC and I Grow Chicken
• How to combat post-harvest losses - AgriProFocus and BoP Inc.
• Agripreneurship Works! Jangolo and Mamococktail
• Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change: how to use Smart Geo Data - Kukua and EARS
• Combating hunger and poverty with hybrid seeds and organic farming - Enza Zaden and OTC Trading
• Realizing the SDGs through public-private partnerships - RVO

Capitalisation d’expériences pour un apprentissage continu / Experience Capitalization for Continuous Learning

Experience Capitalization for Continuous Learning

For the English version see:

This course introduces the methodology and process of experience capitalization. It gives you guidance and tools to help you plan and implement your own experience capitalization process, and ensure its efficiency and effectiveness.

While the units of the course follow a logical sequence from 1 to 5, depending on what your needs are, you can start with the unit of your interest.

• Duration: Up to 10 hours of learning, depending on learning needs.
• Publication Date: October 2016

=============================

Capitalisation d’expériences pour un apprentissage continu

Date de publication :Septembre 2017

La capitalisation d'expériences est un processus méthodologique par lequel une expérience est identifiée, analysée et documentée, et qui aboutit à la création de connaissances (par exemple des bonnes pratiques ou des enseignements tirés) qui peuvent être partagées et utilisées pour générer des changements.

Ce cours présente la méthodologie et le processus de la capitalisation d'expériences. Il offre des conseils et des outils qui vous aideront à planifier et mettre en œuvre votre propre processus de capitalisation d'expériences, et à assurer son efficacité et son efficience.

Chaque unité remplit un ensemble précis d'objectifs de formation de 1 à 5, selon vos besoins, vous pouvez commencer avec l'unité de votre intérêt.

Durée : Jusqu'à 10 heures d'apprentissage, selon les besoins.

ARD funding opportunities

A G R I C U L T U R E

The Horizon 2020' Sustainable Food Security call
This is EC's main contribution to research and innovation in relation to Food and Nutrition Security in Europe and beyond. Its commitment to sustainability implies that particular attention is given to the interfaces between the economic, environmental and social dimensions of food production. The call advocates for food system approaches to tackle the inherent links between ecosystems, food production, the food chain and consumer health and wellbeing.

Download the ENHorizon 2020Work Programme 2018-20209. Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine,maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy (133 pages).

• SFS-12-2019: A vaccine against African swine fever January 2019
• LC-SFS-34-2019: Food Systems Africa. Coordination and support action January 2019
• FSFS-35-2019-2020: Sustainable Intensification in Africa. Research and Innovation action:
  A. [2019]: African Farming Systems, sustainable intensification pathways January 2019
  B. [2019]: Soil system for Africa January 2019

Feed the Future InnovationLab on Food Safety (FSIL)
The Food Safety Innovation Lab will design, lead and implement a program of food safety research and capacity building aimed at addressing the opportunities and challenges, and will additionally serve as a resource to Missions and their partners confronting on the role of food safety in inclusive economic growth, nutrition sensitive agriculture and a nutrition-sensitive approach, gender-sensitive and youth inclusive development, and resilience. (TEA) allows a maximum award ceiling of up to $30,000,000. Eligibility for this award is restricted to U.S. colleges and universities. Closing Date for Submission of Concept Notes: June 22, 2018

Systemic Solutions for Healthy Food Systems: The Positive Health Benefits and Impacts of Sustainable Food Systems

This work supports the Global Alliance for the Future of Food’s ongoing process of research and engagement related to the food-health nexus and involves compiling diverse evidence about the positive health benefits and impacts of food systems, identifying success stories that demonstrate how food systems can be managed for health, and highlighting policies that promote health. Deadline: Friday 27 July 2018

• The Global Alliance is interested in an iterative process where research informs an ongoing dialogue with diverse partners and stakeholders to inform grant-making, highlight pathways to health-focused food systems reform, as well as stimulate local and global action that promotes and amplifies the positive benefits of food systems.
• The Global Alliance understands all of its Impact Area work as interconnected.
• This collaborative initiative will complement the recently released report commissioned by the Global Alliance, Unravelling the Food-Health Nexus: Addressing practices, political economy, and power relations to build healthier food systems – written by IPES-Food (the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems), and four scoping paperscommissioned in 2015. The work will also contribute to the work of TEEB for Agriculture and Food, a project, supported by the Global Alliance, that has developed a holistic food system valuation framework. The food-health nexus research and engagement process will also build on and complement the forthcoming Beacons of Hope work which explores food systems transitions globally.

Conservation, Food and Health Foundation — Local Project Support
The Conservation, Food and Health Foundation supports special projects and programs in the areas of conservation, food, and health in low- and lower-middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The foundation supports projects that demonstrate local leadership; develop the capacity of local organizations; and address a particular problem or question in the field. Eligibility extends to NGOs, community-based organizations and academic institutions. There is no maximum grant size. The average grant is approx. US$20 thousand. Grants exceeding US$30 thousand are rarely awarded. The next application deadline for concept notes is 01 July 2018

Conservation, Food, and Health Foundation — Grants for Grassroots Development
The CFH Foundation makes grants to nonprofit organizations for projects in conservation, sustainable agriculture, and health in low- and lower-middle-income countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. It prefers to support organizations located in low- and middle-income countries, or organizations located in upper-income countries whose activities are of direct benefit low- and middle-income countries. Most recent grants range from US$10 thousand to US$30 thousand. The deadlines for concept applications are 01 January and 01 July of each year.

Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation — Research Grants
ISESCO Research Grants are awarded for high-level and promising scientific research projects in the fields of agricultural biotechnology, biological sciences, and medicinal plants, among others. Researchers are awarded a maximum amount of US$10 thousand for a period of two years. Applicants should be national residents of OIC member states and be under the age of 40 years. Applications are accepted two times per year. The next application deadline is 31 July 2018.

Erbacher Foundation — Support for Rural Development
The Erbacher Foundation supports rural development in subject areas that include livestock husbandry, crop production, drinking water, and environmental protection. The priority countries are India, Tanzania, and Uganda. Applications are invited from Germany charitable organizations involved in development cooperation. Applying organizations need to have partnerships with local NGOs. The German institution is responsible for project administration and coordination. The next application deadline is 01 August 2018.

Agribusiness

Young African Entrepreneurs Competition 2018
The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) is sponsoring a competition for young African entrepreneurs (less than age 40) to showcase their business innovations in agribusiness at the RUFORUM Biennial Conference in October 2018. Although the focus of the competition is agribusiness, business innovations in other themes (e.g., natural resources, meteorology, urbanization, green economy, etc.) will also be considered. The winners will have their expenses paid for travel to the conference in Nairobi, Kenya, and a cash award. Submissions are invited in English or French before 31 August 2018.  

Seed Grants for Women’s Micro-Credit Projects
Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) makes seed grants to support income-generating projects led by women. RSWR’s current priorities are grassroots organizations selected states and districts of India; Quaker groups in Kenya; and grassroots organizations in Sierra Leone. Projects include many in the production and sale of fruits and vegetables; meat and milk; grain crops; fish; fuelwood; and other enterprises associated with small-scale agriculture and rural livelihoods. The application deadline is 30 June.

Stiftung Entrepreneurship — Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition 2018
The Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition is a global programme to mobilize youth-led innovations for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), co-organized by the Goi Peace Foundation, Stiftung Entrepreneurship and Digital Experts United. Young entrepreneurs (age 15-35) from around the world are invited to submit their innovative ideas and projects. Winners of the competition will be announced at the Entrepreneurship Summit in Berlin in October 2018 and will receive international recognition. The deadline for submission is 31 July 2018.

Bio-diversity, environment, climate change

Tackling climate change in agriculture: approaches to climate change adaptation in agriculture and climate smart agriculture
CCARDESA in collaboration with the University of Mauritius is implementing a regional training course with support of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ). The objective of the training is to strengthen the capacity of the SADC member states for climate change adaptation in agriculture and climate smart agriculture.

Corra Foundation — Climate Justice Innovation Funding
The Climate Justice Innovation Fund (CJIF) is open to any Scottish-based organisation, working in partnership with in-country partner(s), to support the delivery of climate justice-related projects in Malawi, Zambia or Rwanda. Projects can apply for up to £100 thousand over three years. Deadline 29 June 2018.

Fellowships/scholarships/grants

MYTOX-SOUTH traineeship call
MYTOX-SOUTH tries to strengthen the human capacity of partners in the South to mentor a new breed of innovators and young researchers. For this reason, MYTOX-SOUTH announces their 2nd call for research traineeships for PhD students for MYTOX-SOUTH partners. Deadline August 30th 2018

Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund 2017-2018
The Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub awards research fellowships to African agricultural researchers for short-term projects at the BecA-ILRI Hub in Nairobi. The Fund supports travel, accommodation, stipend, and research costs. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis through 30 June 2018

NEPAD-SANBio mobility grants 

Supports regional and international travel and accommodation for individuals in the Biosciences field. Deadline: Open till December 2018

Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowships
Project requests to host scholars are submitted by universities and other higher education institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. Past scholars in the program have included several in agriculture, environment, and related disciplines. The next application deadlines are 06 July 2018.

United Nations University — Climate Fellowship Programme
The UNFCCC–UNU Early Career Climate Fellowship Programme offers young people from developing countries the opportunity to start their career at the interface between international climate policy development and research. Deadline: 16 August 2018.

RUFORUM-GODAN Action Open Data Management in Agriculture and Nutrition Online Course. Deadline: 27 June 2018

African Union call for applications for master’s scholarships tenable at universities in the People’s Republic of China. Deadline: 29 June 2018

Call for PhD and MSc applications at the Africa Center of Excellence for Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation at Haramaya University. Deadline: 30 June 2018

Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA) PhD positions now open. Deadline: 30 June 2018

NAWA development assistance for Sub-Saharan Africa. Offers places in higher education institutions in Poland without any fees. Deadline: 15 July 2018

BioInnovate Africa Fellowship for Women Scientists. 

Applicants must be a national of, and resident in, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, or Uganda. Deadline: 20 July 2018

Master of Science in Tropical Animal Health offered by the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Antwerp and University of Pretoria. Scholarships available for developing country applicants.Deadline: 15 August 2018

UNFCCC–UNU Early Career Climate Fellowship Programme. For young people from developing countries. Fellowships may last from six months to two years. Deadline: 16 August 2018

Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Fellowship in Freshwater Science. Fellowships for PhD students, postdocs and senior scientists for 6-24 months. Deadline: 1 December 2018

Awards
Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum — AWIEF Awards 2018
Nominations should only be made relating to achievements made by a female entrepreneur and national of an African country. Nominees can be nominated or self-nominated. The deadline for nominations is 02 July 2018.

Skål International — Sustainable Awards 2018
Companies, NGOs, government agencies, and educational institutions worldwide are welcome to submit an entry in one of nine available categories, including ‘Countryside and Biodiversity’ and ‘Marine and Coastal’. Deadline 30 June 2018.

IDRC Research Awards 2019
This call is open to Canadians, permanent residents of Canada, and citizens of developing countries who have recently completed, or are pursuing, a master’s or doctoral degree at a recognized university. The selected candidates will be granted a one-year paid program to undertake research and gain hands-on experience in research and program management. Deadline 5 September 2018

Takeda Foundation — Young Entrepreneurship Award
The Award is for young entrepreneurs trying to address real technological and social needs by creating goods and services that enhance the well-being of communities around the world. Past winners include projects in the field of water management, disaster-relief and biotechnology, among others. Deadline 30 June 2018.

Nominations for the Second Builders of Africa's Future Awards Now Open
The BAF Awards serves to showcase and award entrepreneurs who are running early-stage for-profit and not-for-profits that are addressing Africa’s unique needs through technology or differentiated business models. These needs are in health, education, energy, financial inclusion, gender inclusion, nutrition, commerce, industrial development, and other socioeconomic good. Deadline: January 2019

Call for papers

Call for papers: Special Issue: “Science of scaling: connecting the pathways of agricultural research and development for improved food, income and nutrition security”
Manuscript submission deadline: 31 December 2018

 
Call for research application summaries/extended abstracts and posters for the RUFORUM Biennial Conference 2018. Deadline: 31 July 2018

Call for conference abstracts and posters for SciDataCon-IDW 2018 on the theme, ‘The Digital Frontiers of Global Science’. The conference will take place on 5-8 November in Gaborone.New deadline: 25 June 2018

Call for abstracts for International Conference On Food Security and Climate Change, 4-5 October, Harare

Call for abstracts for the 2nd International Conference on Food Safety and Security, 15-17 October 2018, Pretoria. Limited NRF sponsorships available for postgraduate students to present their research. Deadline: 30 June 2018

Workshop ERA-NET on climate change and food systems

Maurice Heral
Department Officer in ANR
(French National Research Agency)

18-19 June 2018. Brussels. A workshop was organized together with the Belmont Forum to continue the scoping work for the future ERA-NET on Climate Change and Food Systems.

Scoping workshops involve discussion by scientists to articulate science problems that need to be addressed, usually followed by an announcement of an opportunity. Scoping workshops promote informal networking and discussion, rather than formal collaboration, but could lead to future connections.

Presentations:

• FACCE-JPI ERA-NET on climate change and food systems 
• Belmont Forum CRA on food security and food systems 
• LEAP –Agri ERA-NET

The Belmont forum is also an example of research matching. It has an online facility that allows scientists to register their details, expertise and interest in a call and find out the details of others that have registered in order to develop collaborations. It stays open throughout a call process.

A Scoping workshop for the Belmont Forum Food Security Collaborative Research Action (CRA) took place 10 November in Sao Paolo (Brazil). The launch of this call is expected begin 2019.

Financing Start-ups to Build Tomorrow's African Economies

Financing Start-ups to Build Tomorrow's African Economies

May 2018. 52 pages

Devoting an issue of Private Sector and Development to venture capital and the world of start-ups in Africa means looking at a booming market, understanding the main components and discussing the potential negative externalities which can stem from this. Consequently, this report gives a voice to experts and avid players, who tell us about their experience. 

When reading the articles in this issue, the common thread is that development finance institutions (DFIs), which include Proparco, undoubtedly have a crucial role to play. For Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group, this involves a complementarity of operations. Thanks to the work conducted upstream by AFD to establish an ecosystem conducive to the emergence of start-ups (through the creation of incubators, accelerators, etc.), Proparco, for its part, can actively participate in financing these future “tech” champions in Africa.

Research; Innovation for Food and Nutrition Security – Transforming our food systems

14-15 June 2018. Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Research; Innovation for Food and Nutrition Security – Transforming our food systems. Second FOOD2030 High Level event. The Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of EU organised a Flagship Conference dedicated to Research and Innovation (Research and Innovation) as a driver of sustainable food systems transformation.

This was the second FOOD2030 High Level event. During this event the European drivers of sustainability, resilience, responsibility, diversity, competitiveness and inclusiveness, can deliver on the FOOD 2030 priorities and Sustainable Development Goals. It provided a platform for dialogue, feedback and recommendations towards:

Commission presented an update of the FOOD 2030 process and vision towards shaping tomorrow’s food and nutrition systems. The event discussed how the

• Understanding the complexity of food systems and the implications for Research and Innovation
• Building Research and Innovation ecosystems and place-based solutions to support food systems transformation
• Strengthening Research and Innovation alignment and investments through better governance
• Boosting future investments in Research and Innovation in Europe, leveraging private investments and increasing synergies with public funding
• Identifying how, who and what Research and Innovation is needed to transform our food systems

Extracts of the program:

• Recommendations and conclusions of the EC FOOD 2030 Expert Group Report Krijn Poppe, Senior economist and research manager, Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands (Plenary 2)

  

  Tim Benton: We can go on with business as usual,
  staying in a vicious circle of food systems.
  Or we can dare to switch to "business unusual"
  Do we really have a choice?

• Progress towards the SDGs – for which food cuts across them all Patrick Caron, Chair of the United Nations High-level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (Plenary 2)
• How to tackle food system's complexity and deliver on SDGs Tim Benton, School of Biology of University of Leeds, United Kingdom (Plenary 3)
• Reducing food-related GHG to mitigate climate change Emile Frison, International, Environmental & Agricultural R and D, Belgium
• How food system transformation can increase the resilience of coastal communities Peter Bossier, Aquaculture Laboratory and Artemia Reference Center, Ghent University, Belgium 
  
• Innovative financing for food systems transformation Arnold Verbeek, European Investment Bank, Luxemburg

Breakout Session 6: How to strengthen diversity of food systems by 2030? 

See video recording Hall 7: http://food2030plovdiv.eu/

• Digital transformation of food systems Heike Bach, Vista Remote Sensing GmbH, Germany 
• New technologies in food systems linking land and sea Katerina Moutou, University of Thessaly, Greece 
• Role of culture in food system transformation Talis Tisenkopfs, University of Latvia, Latvia 
• Transformation of organic food chains 5 | Page Conference: " Research and Innovation for Food and Nutrition Security: Transforming our food systems" Jaakko Nuutila, Natural Resources Institute, Finland 
• How to foster diversity in diets and nutrition Laura Fernandez, EUFIC, Belgium 



Philippe Mauguin President INRA:
Participatory systemic research is needed
to tackle the urgency to transform foodsystems

• Role of women and gender in transforming food systems Iordanka Alexieva, University of Food Technology - Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Breakout Session 7 Strengthening Research and Innovation alignment and investments through better governance

• Strategic approaches to Research and Innovation policy alignment in view of MS national priorities in the eastern region Barna Kovács, BIOEAST Initiative, Hungary 
• Alignment of research networks through improved synergies between Member States Minna Huttunen, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland 
• Leveraging investment and increased Research and Innovation impact through public-private collaboration Philippe Mengal, BBI JU, Belgium 
• Leveraging investment and increased Research and Innovation impact through collaboration with philanthropic organisations Mathilde Douillet, Fondation Daniel et Nina Carasso, France 
• Role of European regions and smart specialisation to foster food system transformation Arjen Droog, Regio FoodValley, the Netherlands

Side event 3: “Workshop on Future-Proofing Food Systems”
13 June 2018. The FOOD 2030 side event entitled: “Workshop on Future-Proofing Food Systems” was jointly organised by SCAR Food Systems SWG and JPI HDHL, FACCE-JPI and JPI OCEANS. The objective was provide clear recommendations on how to move forward on sustainable food systems: to set the direction and to decide what the next steps are for future-proof food systems, in particular with a focus on the role of national Research and Innovation  funding bodies within the context of FOOD 2030.

Webinar: Delivering African Climate Information Services Sustainably

14 June 2018. Since the institution of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) in 2009, the need to deliver climate services has become mainstream (and expected) amongst National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and climate science research institutions. In addition, the GFCS framework expects the development of climate services to include appropriate engagement and capacity development of users of climate information. However, the delivery of user-relevant climate information may not previously have been within the remit of NMHSs and research institutions and many will have to develop the expertise and capacity required to deliver it meaningfully.

This webinar showcased learning from an assessment of the effectiveness and sustainability of seven African NMHSs to deliver CIS (Senegal, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Niger), and responses from an African NMHS, research institution, and donor to the assessment. For more information on the webinar content and speaker biographies, click here.

Speakers:

• Dr Mark Tadross (Climate Systems Analysis Group, University of Cape Town); 
• Dr Tufa Dinku (International Research Institute, Columbia University); 
• Mr Kinfe Hailemariam (National Meteorological Agency of Ethiopia); Prof. Amadou Gaye (University of Cheikh Anta Diop); 
• Dr Tegan Blaine (USAID)
• Facilitator: Ms Erica Allis (World Meteorological Organization, Global Framework for Climate Service)

Video recording forthcoming

Conflict-sensitive adaptation to climate change in Africa

Conflict-sensitive adaptation to climate change in Africa
Bob, Urmilla and Salomé Bronkhorst (Eds.) Climate Diplomacy Series. Berlin: Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag.

This edited volume focuses on conflict-sensitivity in climate change adaptation strategies and practices in Africa and brings together the voices of academics, practitioners and policymakers from across the globe and Africa. Key questions that frame the contributions are: how do climate change and/or climate adaptation projects cause or contribute to conflicts, and how can adaptation measures be conflict-sensitive?

Extensive research provides insight into climate change effects and various mitigation and adaptation strategies – often in conflict prone or post-conflict states. Further, drawing on African experiences, the highly multi-disciplinary nature of the policy and practice of conflict-sensitive adaptation emerges. The volume provides compelling analyses and recommendations for the development of conflict-sensitive adaptation tools and policies.

Related

18-24 June 2018. Climate Diplomacy Week is a time, where EU Delegations around the world reach out to communities and partner organisations, highlighting positive global action and collaboration on climate change. 2018 will see two Climate Diplomacy Weeks: the first one from 18-24 June and the second one from 24-30 September 2018. 

On 22 June, High Representative Frederica Mogherini will convene and host a high-level event on climate security.

Resources:

• Climate Diplomacy - 10 Key Publications
• Video Series on Climate Diplomacy

Related:
13 June 2018. New video series on climate change, foreign and security policy.
Increasingly inconsistent climate patterns are pushing vulnerable populations to migrate both within and across borders. Spillover effects, such as terrorist recruitment and rapid ubanization, put a strain on global security. How can the international community best use its resources to help stabilize livelihood systems and halt this upwards trend? Louise van Schaik, Senior Research Fellow at The Clingendael Institute, gives insights into this underexplored aspect of climate security.

The Climate Diplomacy initiative is a collaborative effort of the German Federal Foreign Office in partnership with adelphi. The videos are supported by the Planetary Security Initiative.

Additional interviews:

Strengthening the African climate security agenda - Interview with Aliou Dia, UNDP

Security in the African continent is severely undermined by climate-related impacts such as droughts, floods and conflicts for resources. However, deep-seated ad-hoc approaches hinder a long-term perspective over the effects of these shocks on the continent's development. Aliou Dia, Africa Team Leader Climate Change and Energy at UNDP, stresses the need to mainstream climate security in national and regional agendas as a development issue.

Understanding conflict dynamics to prevent migration – Interview with Ayan Mahamoud -Platform Coordinator for Regional Programming for the IDDRSI

xx

It cannot be overstated how valuable regional cooperation is for tackling the security dimensions of climate change. Ayan Mahamoud, shares how the programme's resilience building efforts are looking into the causes of resource-related conflicts in the Horn of Africa in order to develop a conflict-sensitive approach to the region's climatic challenges.

When conflict breeds other conflict: Natural resource conflicts in Mali – Shreya Mitra - Adviser for Climate Change and Security at International Alert.

As conflicts over natural resources play out in Mali, spillover effects can be felt throughout the Sahel region. Shreya Mitra, stresses the necessity of analyzing the underlying causes - internal and cross-border - and of applying conflict- and climate-sensitive approaches when responding to natural resource conflicts.

Africa is the continent of the future – Interview with UNEP Deputy Executive Director of UN Environment (UNEP): Ibrahim Thiaw

Africa is extremely vulnerable to climate change. However, the continent is young and powerful. Why we have good reasons to be optimistic illustrates Ibrahim Thiaw.

Other interviews:

• The Hague Declaration on Planetary Security - Interview with Alexander Carius -
  Should the UN Security Council take up climate change and if so how? Interview with Prof. Ken Conca - 

General Assembly of the Donor Platform for Rural Development

13-14 June 2018. Berlin. Young and ready to move – empowering the new generation in the rural space. Annual General Assembly of the Donor Platform for Rural Development.

• CONCEPT NOTE AGA 2018.PDF (PDF, 135.3 KIB)
• COMPENDIUM - DONOR ENGAGEMENT WITH RURAL YOUTH.PDF (PDF, 654.9 KIB)
• AGA 2018 BOOKLET.PDF (PDF, 1.3 MIB)
• AGENDA OF THE AGA 2018 (UPDATED).PDF (PDF, 797.0 KIB)

The general objective of Annual General Assemblies (AGA) was to provide an open space for debate and possible consensus building by Platform members, partners and invited guests on emerging topics in agriculture and rural development (ARD).

The theme of this year was: Young and ready to move – empowering the new generation in the rural space. The AGA 2018 brought together the donor/IFI community and young women and men for a dialogue: 

• Provide an effective exchange of information and knowledge between the young rural generation and the AGA participants on how to make ARD programmes more youth-responsive; 
• Present donor / IFI engagement in rural youth empowerment and provide insights of private sector engagement; and receive feedback from the young generation and what are the priorities in moving forward 

Extracts of the agenda

Young Generation of Agriculturalists – Key Priorities from Different Perspectives

• Ms. Nono Sekhoto (GrowthShoot), Managing Director 
• Mr. Lanz Espacio (ASEAN/PAKISAMA), Program Manager, Legal, Policy and Advocacy Development 
• Ms. June Syowia (Farmaction), Co-Founder

Joint Donor and Youth ThinkTank – Interactive Dialogue on Responses to Youth Aspirations 

• Mr. James Kyewalabye (RASA), Founder and Executive Director 
• Ms. Fatuma Namutosi (Byeffe Foods Company Limited), Director 
• Mr. Peter Ngoma (Lakeshore Agro-Processors Enterprise), Executive Chairman 
• Donor representatives: Ms. Meredith McCormack (USAID), Program Analyst, Global Engagement and Strategies Office, Bureau for Food Security 
• Ms. Pernille Borgbo (DANIDA), Global Youth Adviser, Head of section UPF-Development Policy and Financing 
• Ms. Mei Y. Kok (ADB Youth for Asia), Youth for Global Goals Coordinator and Partnership Manager

Young Farmers and Decent Rural Employment – New Strategies by the International Community

• Moderator: Mr. Leonard Mizzi (EU), Head of Unit Rural Development, Food Security, Nutrition 
• Mr. Stefan Schmitz (BMZ), Deputy Director-General 
• Mr. Martin Fregene (AfDB), Director of Agriculture and Agroindustry 
• Mr. Alexandre Kolev (OECD Development Centre), Head, Social Cohesion Unit 
• Mr. Anders Aeroe (ITC), Director, Division of Enterprises and Institutions

Enhanced Development Effectiveness for Youth Inclusion

• Moderation:  Mr. William Cobbett (Cities Alliance), Director 
• Ms. Cornelia Richter (IFAD), Vice President 
• Ms. Farah Karimi (Oxfam Novib / Netherlands), Executive Director 
• Ms. Lindsay Wallace (MasterCard Foundation), Director, Learning and Strategy 
• Mr. Fadel Ndiame (AGRA), Regional Head for West Africa 
• Ms. Nichola J. Dyer (World Bank), Program Manager, Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP)  

Working group 1: Cash and Ground: Unlocking Finance and Land for the Youth

• Moderation: Ms. Lindsay Wallace (MasterCard Foundation), Director, Learning and Strategy 
• Mr. Harold Liversage (IFAD), Lead Technical Specialist Land Tenure 
• Mr. Norbert Tuyishime (EAFF), Program officer Agribusiness and Trade 

Related:
Stefan Schmitz | Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation. The above video is an edited version of the interview, for the GIZ sector project "Rural development" during Global Landscapes Forum December 2017.

Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum)

5-6 June 2018. New York, USA. Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum)

As part of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism mandated by the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the annual collaborative Multi-stakeholder Forum on science, technology and innovation for the sustainable development Goals (STI Forum) provided a venue for facilitating interaction, matchmaking and the establishment of networks between relevant stakeholders and multi-stakeholder partnerships in order to identify and examine technology needs and gaps, including with regard to scientific cooperation, innovation and capacity-building, and also in order to help facilitate development, transfer and dissemination of relevant technologies for the sustainable development goals.

It discussed science, technology and innovation cooperation around thematic areas for the implementation of the sustainable development goals, congregating all relevant stakeholders to actively contribute in their area of expertise.

Extracts of the programme:

Session 4: STI for sustainable consumption and production patterns (SDG 12)

The session discussed the status of existing knowledge and technology, and explore the potential for how science, technology and innovation can support the achievement of SDG 12 on sustainable consumption and production. The session identifedgood practices and policy recommendations, as well as challenges and needs, especially as they relate to international cooperation, innovation and capacity-building, with a view to facilitate the development, scaling up adoption and dissemination of relevant technologies for SDG 12.

Innovation pitches:

• FoPo Food Powder, Gerald MarinFoPo fruit/veggie powder made from surplus produce, perfect for quick smoothies, muesli toppings and vegan baking
• Land for Life: Inga Alley-Cropping for Sustainability, Marian Van NoppenWorking with farmers and communities to halt the devastating practice of slash and burn agriculture by providing a sustainable, organic and low cost alternative: Inga alley-cropping.
  
  This 3-minute film shows why Inga Alley Cropping represents a revolutionary breakthrough in the fight save the world’s rainforests.

Panelists

• Mr. Shenggen Fan, Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
• Mr. Arun Sundararajan, Professor and Faculty Fellow, Stern School of Business, New York University (NYU) and author, The Sharing Economy
  Some new digital platforms have much in common with traditional “gift economies”, in which services are exchanged based on trust and reputation.
• Ms. Erika Kraemer-Mbula, Associate Professor, University of Johannesburg, South Africa 
• Mr. Marco van der Ree, Director of Business Development, Climate-KIC, European Institute of Innovation and Technology

Side event: Implications of emerging biotechnologies in the context of biologic diversity: multi-stakeholder perspectives on the risks and trade-offs

Related: Ms. Erika Kraemer-Mbula, Associate Professor, University of Johannesburg, South Africa @ WIPO.
Is the informal economy in developing countries a hidden engine of innovation and source of intellectual property (IP)? Informal manufacture in South Africa.

Maximizing Finance for Development in Agricultural Value Chains

“Townsend, Robert; Ronchi, Loraine; Brett, Chris; Moses, Gene. 2018. Future of Food : Maximizing Finance for Development in Agricultural Value Chains. World Bank, Washington, DC. © World Bank.

"Future of Food: Maximizing Finance for Development in Agricultural Value Chains" provides details on maximizing finance for development in agricultural value chains.

It highlights financing gaps, identifies a range of potential funding sources, and suggests possible actions to help crowd-in more private investment while optimizing the use of public resources.

The recommended actions are aligned with the aim to address the market failures that lead to inadequate levels of privately provided goods and services to achieve global development goals. Implementation of MFD in agricultural value chains will require an approach to diagnostics that is more oriented to the private sector, as well as structured, inclusive public-private dialogue to help inform the design of a robust reform and investment program.

Main Messages:

• Current levels of investment in agricultural value chains are insufficient to achieve key development goals including ending poverty and hunger and boosting shared prosperity through more and better jobs.
• Crowding-in private investment in the agriculture sector can help achieve development goals and optimize the use of scarce public resources.
• Sources of finance for private sector investments in agricultural value chains are expanding. Sources include own-savings, local and international banks, value chains actors, impact investors, development financing institutions, private sector foundations, and agricultural investment funds.
• Factors that can help maximize finance for agricultural development include: Improving the enabling environment for the private sector, promoting responsible investment, improving the policy and regulatory environment, and using public financing to improve private incentives and to reduce transaction costs and risks—including through blended finance.
• There is still a critical need for public resources to finance essential public goods and services such as human capital, agricultural research, and complementary public infrastructure.

Click here to read the working paper.

The Economics and Nutrition of Soy in School Lunch: Evidence from the Field

12 June 2018. The Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) hosted a webinar entitled “The Economics and Nutrition of Soy in School Lunch: Evidence from the Field,”.

The event discussed SIL’s investigations into the nutritional value and financial cost of adding soy to school lunches. School lunch programs are a common strategy for fighting malnutrition in children, but little research exists on the actual nutrition consumed by the children, the associated true cost and the nutritional benefits of protein fortification with soy.

In collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), SIL interviewed and observed caterers who cook hundreds of school lunches every day for the Ghana School Feeding Program (GSFP) to find out the nutrition students receive from a school lunch in Ghana, and the role soy my might play in economically boosting the nutrition levels.

In this webinar, SIL researchers and partners discussed its field research findings and their implications for improving school lunches and other institutional feeding programs around the globe with soy protein.

Related:
SIL researchers Dr. Juan Andrade (University of Illinois) and Dr. Francis Amagloh (University for Development Studies, Ghana) released the final report from their Early Childhood Nutrition Study conducted in northern Ghana. The report, entitled “Community-Level Adaptability and Feasibility Assessments of Soy-Containing Complementary Food Blends by Women and Children in Rural Ghana,” details SIL’s work towards developing and scaling soy-fortified complementary foods.

Learn more about SIL’s work with Complementary Foods.

CBA12: Local experience driving climate action

11-14 June 2018. Lilongwe. 12th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation.

The CBA12 event was being organised by IIED in partnership with the Climate Justice Resilience Fund, GIZ, the Global Resilience Partnership, the International Development Research Centre, Irish Aid and Practical Action.

The CBA12 programme inluded two days of workshops, followed by two days of multi-stakeholder dialogues.

Days one and two brought practitioners together under three workstreams:

1. Transforming 'lived experience' and local knowledge into evidence that drives better policies and investments
2. Building a shared understanding of effective devolved climate finance, and
3. Innovating in applying adaptation technology.

Policymakers and investors joined the multi-stakeholder dialogues on days three and four to discuss: how to propose and plan locally-driven climate investments; the enabling environment needed for scaling-out and up; and ways to further strengthen the community of practice.

On day four the UNFCCC and the Least Developed Countries Expert Group convened the Regional National Adaptation Plans (NAP) Expo as part of CBA12. This follows the Regional NAP Expo programme at CBA11 (PDF), and the workshop explored issues including how well locally-driven climate action is working within NAPs.

See further: CBA12: Daily updates

Related: Guideline – Assessing Climate Risks and Vulnerabilities in Market Systems seeks to orientate and support practitioners by bringing a climate risk perspective into market system development projects and identifying the most climate-resilient sub-sectors in a given context.

 In its applications in Nepal and Madagascar, the Guideline proved to effectively support the shift from reaction to proactively addressing climate variability and supporting changes in market systems. It also allows identifying new opportunities in a changing climate.

The Guideline helps (small-scale) businesses in better understanding climate risks and opportunities in their sub-sector, identifying emerging market opportunities and developing a comprehensive climate risk management approach for the enterprise. 

The overall objective of the Guideline is to identify the most climate-resilient sub-sectors in a given context and to determine potential impacts and relevant measures in the field of adaptation to climate change and disaster risk management to further increase resilience in the market system.

The Guideline combines two approaches: 

1. the adaptation process and 
2. the market system development approach. 

The joint approach leads to a series of eight steps, structured according to MODULE A and MODULE B. In short, the Guideline is not a new tool, but builds on existing approaches (i.e. risk assessment tools such as the Community-based Risk Screening Tool, Adaptation and Livelihoods – CRiSTAL; the Climate, Environment Disaster Risk Integration Guidance – CEDRIG; and approaches related to market systems development).

How companies address undernutrition in low-income countries

23 May 2018. The Access to Nutrition Foundation (ATNF) published the 2018 Global Access to Nutrition Index – the third Global Index that ranks the world’s 22 largest food and beverage (F&B) companies on their contributions to addressing the twin global nutrition challenges of overweight and diet related diseases and undernutrition.

• The Index measures companies’ contributions to good nutrition against international norms and standards. 
• The Index also includes a separate ranking of the world´s leading manufacturers of breast-milk substitutes (BMS), as well as a newly added Product Profile, which measures the healthiness of companies’ product ranges in nine markets.
• The 2018 Global Index received a significant amount of media coverage with news outlets in the Netherlands, France, Spain, the U.S, the U.K, Brazil, China picking up the story.

See extracts of the Full report (May 2018, 216 pages)
The full press release can be found here.

A crucial starting point for addressing undernutrition in low-income countries is for companies to make a commitment to do so. Eleven out of 18 companies have committed to playing a role in addressing undernutrition, three more than in 2016. Arla, Kellogg and Mars have published new commitments. Nine of the 11 have undertaken a Board-level strategic review of the commercial opportunities available to them in addressing undernutrition and/or developing products for the undernourished, underlining the importance to the business. Two companies have undertaken strategic reviews but not at Board level.  (page 127)

New commercial initiatives, or new initiatives linked to existing commercial strategies, were reported by some companies. For example, Unilever integrates a program to stimulate healthy eating and address iron deficiency anaemia in a priority population in Nigeria with its existing commercial strategy to sell iron-fortified Knorr cubes. The program addresses a lack of meat and leafy green vegetable intake, sources of dietary iron, and aims to change the cooking habits of women. This approach has the potential to extend the impact on healthy diets beyond companies’ own products, but the effectiveness of such approaches should be verified independently.  (page 128)

Companies need to undertake market research and studies into the nutritional status and deficiencies of target populations as a basis for designing their strategy. They should seek expert input to advise on setting up and adapting their approach over time.  (page 128)

Although a number of companies publish the amount they spend on philanthropy, it is unclear in most cases what part of this budget is spent addressing undernutrition in developing countries, as companies’ activities often include non-nutrition related activities or activities in developed countries. (page 129)

An effective way for companies to make a contribution to tackling undernutrition is to partner with leading international expert organizations, such as the SUN Business Network or World Food Programme. (page 130)

It is not always necessary to fortify food products with added micronutrients. Micronutrient deficiencies may be addressed as well through ingredients that are naturally high in the micronutrient(s) of public health interest or through (bio) fortified staple foods. Nestlé was the only company in 2016 to commit to seeking to use such ingredients, including fortified staple foods, but in 2018 Danone, FrieslandCampina and Kellogg make this commitment as well. (page 132)

Unilever runs the Shakti project in India, using a wide network of microentrepreneurs to sell a variety of products, including fortified products to address undernutrition in populations that are hard to reach. Currently, Unilever supports two additional programs with a similar setup: Project Zeinab in Egypt and the ‘Gbemiga’ program in Nigeria. In both cases Unilever works with external organizations and combines a focus on undernutrition, e.g. making local women entrepreneurs and ambassadors for nutrition, with other important aspects such as hygiene and reading and writing skills.  (page 137)