Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Upcoming webinars during the month of November and beyond

30 October 2021. G20 Heads of State and Government Summit
G20, under the Italian Presidency, will focus on three broad, interconnected pillars of action: People, Planet, Prosperity.1 November, 2021. UNFSS Independent Dialogue. Regional Dialogue - Food Security in the Sahel Region

1-12 November 2021. Climate COP26, Glasgow

01/11 Hybrid COP26 Event – Lessons from India on Scaling up Natural Farming
Side events EU at COP

2 November 2021. LEAP4FNSSA Stakeholder Engagement Meeting

2 November 2021. National Organic Agriculture Business Summit Abuja 2021

2-3 November 2021. FAO high-level Global Event on Ending Child Labour in Agriculture

3 November 2021. Launch of the ILRI impact book by ILRI

3 + 10 + 17 November 2021. African Food Environments Transformation by Food Environment Research Network
The MEALS4NCDs Project provides Measurement Evaluation, Accountability and Leadership Support (MEALS) for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) prevention in Ghana and beyond.
The project is focused on measuring and supporting public sector actions that create healthy food marketing and food provisioning environments for children and adolescents in Ghana, with the aim to prevent obesity and other nutrition-related NCDs.5 November 2021. Forests, Food, Finance - Solutions for a Healthy Planet - Landscape Forum with the UK Government on the sidelines of COP26

5-6 November 2021. African Summit on Entrepreneurship and Innovation by UNIDO

10 – 11 November 2021. First Joint Food Safety Conference. By the African Continental Association for Food Protection (ACAFP), FAO and AUC

8 - 10 November 2021. AMIs Agricultural Film Conference 2021
The conference will bring together agricultural and horticultural cover specifiers. The focus is on discussing maximising crop yields with an effective use of silage, mulch and greenhouse films to feed the growing global population.

11 November 2021. Attracting Youth into the Agriculture and Food Space
Leaders in emerging African markets talk LIVE. Watch on Youtube 

14 November 2021. Effective Agricultural Extension Systems for Sustainable Agripreneurship in Africa
The AFAAS Africa Wide Agricultural Extension Week (AEW) is an international event that brings together averagely 600 participants from across Africa and the World to deliberate on a selected strategic theme in agriculture.

14-20 November 2021. AFAAS Africa-Wide Agricultural Extension Week. Effective Agricultural Extension Systems for Sustainable Agripreneurship in Africa. By AFAAS, Kampala, Uganda.

15-17 November 2021. Africa Energy Forum see registration

15 - 18 November 2021.Agrobiodiversity Innovation Challenge: Call for innovative solutions in the agri-food tech space
The Agrobiodiversity Innovation Challenge is seeking innovators driven by a passion for solving challenges in the agri-food sector by utilizing or conserving agrobiodiversity.
16-17 November 2021. 2021 ReSAKSS Conference

17 November 2021. 11:00- 12:30 CET: InfoPoint Virtual Conference via Webex Meetings: Moving beyond formal and informal seed system for agrobiodiversity management. Including as speaker: Carla Montesi, Director of INTPA F


17 November 2021. @13:00 CET 2nd Africa Food Environment Research Network FERN2021. This year’s event is held jointly with the International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS)’s e-Symposium for Africa.

17 November 2021. @ 14:00 CET) IMPROVING NUTRITION THROUGH ACCOUNTABILITY 
  • The YouTube streaming link is available here
  • This Nutrition for Growth (N4G) 2021 (nutritionforgrowth.org) side event is organized by the Nutrition Data Partners Group. 
  • Building from N4G data commitment recommendations (https://bit.ly/3kijAHS) released in September 2021, the webinar will highlight recent data value chain investments by a number of countries including India, Guatemala and Niger as well as data-focused 2021 N4G commitments made by governments and development partners.
  • Presentation 3: « Une plateforme Nationale d’Information pour la Nutrition (NIPN) : un outil d’aide à la décision au Niger » · Remarks: Denisa-Elena Ionete, European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Niger ; Presenter: Saadou Bakoye, Secretary General, Ministry of Planning, Republic of Niger
17-19 November 2021. Critical Food Studies Virtual Humanities Conference. Critical Food Studies together with the University of the Western Cape (UWC), University of Pretoria (UP) and the University of Kwazulu-Natal (UKZN)

18 November 2021 (11h00-13h00 CET): Session Innovations in the African agroprocessing sector: the key role of SMEs and businesses by PAFO/ColeACP (Isoline Boto, ex CTA). Discussant: Willi Schulz-Greve, Head of Unit, DG Agriculture, European Commission

18 November 2021. 2nd IFCN Dairy Forum 2021: Greenhouse gas emissions from dairy and solutions for emerging dairy countries

18-20 November 2021. Consultative Workshop on the Development of Continental Strategies for Improving Private Sector Engagement in AR4D - a side event of the annual AFAAS Extension Week.

22 November 2021. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Reflections from a Career in Research for Development
22 November 2021: InfoPoint Virtual Conference via Webex Meetings: "Beyond the UN Food Systems Summit". 
  • Speakers include: Lawrence Haddad Executive Director, GAIN (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition) + Leonard Mizzi Head of Unit, INTPA F3, Afri-Food Systems and Fisheries
22-26 November 2021. 8TH TAP PARTNERS ASSEMBLY
  • The TAP-AIS project is funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the FAO. Project duration August 2019 - July 2024. Budget 5,000,000 EUR. Its objective is to increase the coherence and effectiveness of capacity development interventions for agricultural innovation systems.
23 November 2021. 1:00pm CET.  Scaling up Nutrient Enriched Foods Through Policy: The Role of Public Support Programmes.  This webinar will be hosted by The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

23 - 26 November 2021. Family Farming at the core of Sustainable Food Systems.

24 November 2021. An open Access soil information system. A virtual dialogue was organized by the 
  • Soils4Africa project [https://www.soils4africa-h2020.eu ] in close collaboration with FARA. The Soils4Africa project, aims to provide an open-access soil information system (SIS) with a set of key indicators and underpinning data, accompanied with a methodology for repeated soil monitoring across the continent.

24 November 2021.  Innovative Gastronomy
  • Global Foodnet brings together food innovators in Kenya, southern Africa, Peru and Finland to develop foods from indigenous foods with indigenous knowledge.
24 November 2021. Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future
  • A Series of Online Webinars for Stakeholders in Each of the Six UNEP Regions
  • Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future (SF), with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Civil Society Unit in Nairobi, invites you to take part in one of six new regional capacity-building webinars for Major Group Stakeholders.
  • Focused on the run-up to UNEA 5.2, the resumed session of UNEA-5 from 28 February to 2 March 2022, the webinars will also include content relevant to the Special Session of the Assembly on 3 - 4 March 2022, which is devoted to the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of UNEP in 1972 - UNEP@50.
  • The webinars will also highlight the related and upcoming Stockholhm+50 meeting, convened by the United Nations General Assembly and hosted by the governments of Sweden and Kenya, to be held in Stockholm, Sweden from 2-3 June 2022 to commemorate the 50 years since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which made the environment a pressing global issue for the first time.
  • The theme chosen for the 17th CAADP Partnership Platform was centered on “Ending hunger in Africa by 2025 through resilient food systems”, to take advantage of renewed momentum that has been created by the UN Food System Summit, at a moment when the continent is halfway through the Malabo Declaration timeframe.
  • 22-23 November 2021. Malabo Agricultural Policy Learning Event (MAPLE)
23- 25 November 2021. DJAZAGRO 2021 - Tradeshow for Agro-Food Production
The show takes its name from "DJAZAIR", which means "Algeria" in Algerian Arabic, and from « agro » representing the agro-food sector.

24 November 2021. Scaling Up Innovation for a Fortified Future - part II - new business models, coalition building & advocacy. By GAIN



2 December 2021. 1:30 PM in CET. Digital Lending for Smallholder Farmers: Lessons Learned from the Field by World Bank

  • Global Foodnet brings together food innovators in Kenya, southern Africa, Peru and Finland to develop foods from indigenous foods with indigenous knowledge.
2 et 3 décembre 2021. Forum EPA2021 Connecter les données et la recherche aux politiques pour transformer le secteur agricole. 

2 - 4 December 2021. Food Agro Africa
This event will showcase top products, equipment, and machinery presented by exhibitors from over 26 countries.

5 December 2021 - World Soil Day "Halt soil salinization, Boost soil productivity"

6-10 December 202.1 Africa Agriculture Knowledge Management Conference.
The Conference aims to showcase the KM products and services of CAADP-XP and generate political support for advancing climate-smart KM for Agricultural development in Africa.
KM4AgD site at https://km4agd.faraafrica.org/ for more details.

6-10 December 2021. THE SEVENTH AFRICA HIGHER EDUCATION WEEK AND RUFORUM TRIENNIAL CONFERENCE

11-14 December 2021. AQUACULTURE AFRICA 2021

8 - 14 December 2021. Intra-African Trade Fair 2021
This trade fair brings together exhibitors and visitors from all sectors. It provides a platform for attendees and non attendees to connect. There will also be virtual stands for entrepreneurs to showcase their work across African markets.

15-16 December 2021. LEAP-Agri Knowledge Sharing and Stakeholders Engagement Matchmaking event


25 - 27 February 2022 AgrikExpo & Farming Conference
Machinery & Equipment Input (Seeds, Agro Chemicals, ETC)Livestock Care & Management Biotechnology Poultry Forestry Food Processing & Packaging Infrastructure Afri finanace

3-4 March 2022. The Africa Food Sustainability Summit

9-10 June 2022. Africa Dairy & Drink Innovations Summit & Expo 2021
The dairy, soft and alcoholic beverage sectors may not have a lot in common at first glance, but the line between these sectors has been and is expected to continue blurring into the future, as the pace of innovations gathers steam and as consumer tastes and preferences are transformed

27 June 1 July 2022. Lilongwe. 12th TRIENNIAL CONFERENCE AFRICA POTATO ASSOCIATION

12-15 July 2022. FAO-CIRAD international conference on Geographical Indication.

14-20 August 2022. 31st International Horticultural Congress, IHC2022, Angers, France
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Friday, October 29, 2021

WEBINAR: What do the outcomes of the UN Food Systems Summit mean for African food systems transformation?

28 October 2021. Convened by the Malabo Montpellier Panel in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and IFAD, this High-Level Policy Conversation reflected on the outcomes of the recent UNFSS from a variety of perspectives and discuss the implications for Africa’s food systems transformation, as well as next steps and implementation on the ground.

The discussion also considered the opportunities to align efforts with international agreements such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).


Shared resources: 

Part 1

  • Dr Ousmane Badiane Executive Chairperson, AKADEMIYA2063 Co-Chair Malabo Montpellier Panel
  • Her Excellency Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko Commissioner, African Union Commission's Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Development (AUC-DARBE) “The African Union Commission’s post-Summit agenda” 
  • His Excellency Hailemariam Dessalegn Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Ethiopia Co-Chair Malabo Montpellier Forum “Connecting the dots: leveraging synergies and next steps” 
  • Professor Joachim von Braun Distinguished Professor, Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Co-Chair Malabo Montpellier Panel. 

    "Implementation, as emphasized by the summit outcome must happen at the country level. And at the African regional level, implementation at the country and regional level is central. I quote again, from the Secretary General's statement progress, we require local and global communities of practice and stakeholders, coming together with national governments in particular support and enhance implementation through financing data, science and innovation, governance and trade." 

    "The African Union may consider engaging in the International Science and Policy interface regarding food, share the African experiences internationally and benefit from global opportunities related to the follow up on global topics, such as trade, climate adaptation, and science exchange."

Part Two 

  • Moderator Ambassador Ertharin Cousin CEO & Founder, Food Systems for the Future Member, AKADEMIYA2063 Board of Trustees Speakers 
  • Ms Kanes (?) representing Dr. Agnes Kalibata UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit; President AGRA 
  • Honorable Lobin C. Lowe Minister of Agriculture, Republic of Malawi “The Post-Summit agenda at the country-level” 
  • Mr Jean Claude Musabyimana Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda “The Post-Summit agenda at the country-level” 
    "Agro industry in Rwanda is still in its infancy. The priority in food processing capacity is to be able to process food  which can deal with malnutrition among children and pregnant women. But all kinds of processing of food is equally important according to the market and according to the needs of our food industry which is still at an early stage" 
  • Dr Gilbert Houngbo President - IFAD 
  • Dr Beth Dunford Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development - AfDB 
  • Ms Maura Barry Boyle Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Resilience and Food Security - USAID 
    Through a new green recovery investment platform USAID is aiming to mobilize finance for climate change mitigation and adaptation, for clean energy transition and nature based solutions to increase the resilience of development outcomes across many of the countries where we work"
  • Dr Liz Kirk Senior Adviser, Food Security and Commercial Agriculture – FCDO
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Thursday, October 28, 2021

VIRTUAL EVENT: 12th Africa Day For Food And Nutrition Security

28-29 October 2021. 12th Africa Day For Food And Nutrition Security : “Rediscovering Our Local
African Diets for Sustained Food Systems and Nutrition”

RECORDING  FORTHCOMING

This event was organized by the African Union Commission (AUC), Department of Agriculture Rural Development, Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy (DARBE).

The Africa Day For Food And Nutrition Security has so far been successfully commemorated 11 times following its launch in Lilongwe, Malawi, on 31st October 2010. Ten successive editions of the Day were hosted by Ethiopia, AU Headquarters, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania and Egypt. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 edition of the ADFNS was commemorated virtually under the theme “Resilient Food Systems toward Healthy Diets for the Vulnerable during Emergencies: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic”.

The objective of this year’s edition of African Day for food and nutrition was to “increase awareness on African foods, bring them into the agribusiness domain, and motivate wide acceptability of diets. It aimed at building a compelling case for integrating African foods (both from plants and animals) into different food systems.” Discussions were held along four main sub-themes:
  1. Strategic directions for promoting increased production and processing of nutrient-rich African food crops. Local food suffers from low demand, shortage of quality seeds, and limited technologies to increase productivity. Many of these foods are consumed without significant processing due to lack of processing technologies, and vast quantities are harvested from nature. With no clear market structure, there is a low uptake of indigenous traditional knowledge. To reverse these trends, it was recommended “to increase public education, and investments in indigenous foods and mainstream indigenous foods in national, regional and continental policies and action plans”.
  2. Scaling up innovative technologies for intensive processing and diversification of African diets. More than 200 varieties of bio fortified crops are being tested in different African countries, including African traditional staples, such as cassava, millet, beans, and sweet potatoes. Currently more than 32 million people are benefiting from bio fortified crops. Industrial fortification works at large scale through companies and has the potential to reduce anaemia goitre and decrease the odds of neural tube defects. Participants also underlined the need for product development of indigenous foods and promotion of innovations to improve demand and develop markets.
  3. Enhanced market availability and reach of nutrient-dense African foods. Accessibility of nutritious foods, including African indigenous foods, at the market level is key. In line with the Malabo Declaration and the Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy, investment in research of indigenous foods need to be scaled up to enhance its availability and accessibility. This includes preparation, packaging, and branding to promote commercialization. Such actions also improve the profitability of small-scale farmers and enterprises and the recognition at national, regional, and global levels.
  4. Creating enabling policy environment for leveraging private sector investment in local diets for transformed African food systems through multi-sectoral approach in policy development and implementation.

28/10: Technical sessions

Sub-theme 1: Strategic directions for promoting increased production and
processing of nutrient-rich African food crops

  • Moderator: Prof Linley Chiwona-Karltun 
  • Mphumuzi Sukati, FAO RAF : Strategic options for increased production and processing of nutrient-rich African traditional food 
  • Dr Salome Kasimba, Indigenous Food Researcher: Availability of African traditional food 
  • Ms Maureen Muketha, Indigenous Foods Champion:  Affordability of African traditional food 
  • Ms Anna Mukiibi Bunnya, Deputy Country Director, WFP, Ghana Desirability & value addition of African traditional food
  • Mr Divine Ntiokam, Youth representative and founder of Smart Agriculture Youth Network and Food Systems Champion The role of Youth and women and African traditional food

Sub-theme 2: Scaling up innovative technologies for intensive processing and diversification of African diets

  • Moderator: Dr. Namukolo Covic, A4NH/IFPRI 
  • Opening Remarks Ms. Fati N’zi-Hassane, AUDA-NEPAD 
  • Donald Mavindidze, HarvestPlus  Biofortification: what has been done? What are the adoption challenges and how can they be best addressed; what are the current plans from the Harvest Plus/AUDA-NEPAD partnership? 
  • ICRISAT Conservation and improved utilization of indigenous animal genetics. The challenges and opportunities and what is being done to advance this domain 
  • Victor Owino, IAEA Isotope technologies that have been used successfully in Africa in assessing the nutritional value of traditional foods: What are the adoption challenges and how can we do better? 
  • FTRC (Botswana) Using technology to promote production and consumption of traditional and indigenous foods 

Sub-theme 3 Enhanced market availability and reach of nutrient-dense African foods

  • Moderator: Dr. J. Chris Toe, WFP Senior Advisor for Corporate and Country Engagement
  • Ms. Fati N’zi-Hassane, Supervisor, Human Capital and Institutions Division, AUDA-NEPAD Keynote Presentation & Setting the Scene
  • Mr Fatunbi Oluwole, FARA, Lead Specialist: Innovation Systems and Partnerships Accessibility of nutritious foods, including African indigenous foods at the market level 
  • Saskia Depee, Programme WFP, Analytics & Science for Food & Nutrition Affordability of nutritious foods, including African indigenous foods at the market level 
  • Ms Mildred Jantjies, Pan-African Women’s Organisation for Southern African Regional Office (PAWO-SARO), Executive Secretary Women economic and financial inclusion in nutritious foods value chains at the market level 
  • Mrs Kgaladi Thema Sethoga |Founder of House of Indiza Indigenous teas, grains and legumes of South Africa Preparation and Consumption of African Indigenous Foods: Challenges and Opportunities 

Sub-theme 4 Creating enabling policy environment for leveraging private sector investment in local diets for transformed African food systems

  • Moderator: Ms. Bibi Giyose Senior Food and Nutrition Officer and Advisor, FAO/AUDA-NEPAD 
  • Immaculate A. Nyaugo, AfECN  Nutrition Manager –MOH Nutrition and dietetics Unit. Coordinator Kenya National Food Consumption Survey. Creating enabling policy environment for leveraging private sector investment in local diets for transformed African food systems by  Making local African diets work for young children. 
  • Maggie Kamau-Biruri,  Board Member Africa Early Childhood Network and Head of partnerships, Harvest Plus The extent to which political dialogue and advocacy have raised the level of political commitment on nutrition among member states; 
  • Dr. Béatrice Ekesa, Senior Scientist-Nutrition & Country Representative (Uganda),  Alliance of Diversity International and CIAT National Nutrition Plans  and legal frameworks,  regulatory and voluntary instruments that advance the cause for nutrition and particularly local diets 
  • Dr. Hlamalani Ngwenya, Chief Director: Agricultural Producer Support and Development, Department of Agriculture Western Cape Government  Lessons learned from inter-sector and multi-stakeholder mechanisms/platforms for food security and nutrition 
  • Dr. Tshilidzi Madzivhandila,  CEO and Head of Mission Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) Appropriate technologies and infrastructure (storage, preservation, transport and distribution) to promote local diets and curb waste 

29/10 Main Session

  • Moderator: Dr. Namukolo Covic, Senior Research Coordinator, A4NH/IFPRI; President of African Nutrition Society (ANS)  
  • Dr. Chimimba David Phiri, Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa (SFE) and FAO Representative to the African Union (AU)
  • H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD 
    "We need better consumer education to enable the youth to demand a healthier diet and to give a push to nudge the private sector to start having nutrition as the main objective in a better approach from farm to plate."
  • Godfrey Bahigwa, Director of Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union in behalf of H.E. Amb. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy & Sustainable Environment 
  • Mr. Stanlake Samkange, Chair of CAADP - Development Partners Coordination Group (DPCG) Senior Director for Strategic Partnerships at WFP
  • Summary of the 4 sessions by Liz Ogutu - Policy and Advocacy Officer for Africa · HarvestPlus
  • Professor Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director, Division for Africa | Department of Technical Cooperation, IAEA
  • Nutrition International
  • Amos Laar, University of Ghana and Africa Nutrition Society (Former President): “The role of food environments in fostering a food systems transformation that integrates Africa’s traditional and indigenous foods”. 
  • Professor Anna Lartey, University of Ghana (Former FAO 

Bringing everything together and moving forward to impacts:  

  • AUDA-NEPAD (presenter tbc): UNFSS Africa Common Position on traditional and indigenous food and school feeding as entry points  
  • Dr. Sisay Sinamo, Senior Programme Manager, Seqota Declaration Federal Programme Delivery Unit (Ethiopia): Demonstrating that in aligned multisector actions through The Seqota Declaration, agriculture can make significant impacts on stunting: The Ethiopia example 
  • Ms. Gerda Verburg Coordinator, SUN Movement: Integrating country efforts to reach scale 
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REPORT: Africa Climate Week 2021

Output report. Africa Climate Week 2021. 59 p.

The four-day event held from 26-29 September was hosted by the Government of Uganda and brought together more than 3,400 registered attendees from the region. The thematic session discussions were engaging and will be carried forward to a High-Level Side Event at COP26. 

The ACW 2021 thematic sessions were held online. 3,400+ registered from 137 countries • 2,300+ participants who joined • 190 speakers from 49 countries • 146 events in the program, including: o 62 Side Events o 13 Affiliate Events o 27 Action Hub Videos.

Recommendations related to agriculture and food security in Africa:
  • Compilation and analyses of knowledge and make them accessible to farmers and all stakeholders and users.  
  • More efforts are needed in the area of skills enhancement, formal education through partnership with research and academia, and informal education through farmer field schools, including gender-based approaches and support. 
  • Urban and peri-urban agriculture, such as small-holder farmers, community or household gardens and farms, are suitable strategies to support climate mitigation and adaptation in cities and promote food security to vulnerable urban populations in a changing environment. 
  • A circular economy approach to agriculture also helps with food waste reduction.
  • Adoption and support for agroecology and regenerative practices is critical for the restoration of degraded lands, to support biodiversity and build climate resilience.
  • Using digital technology in Africa to support urban agricultural systems, create markets for small-holder farmers, and offer fresh, sustainably produced food to consumers. 
  • Approaches and practices for climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and nature-based solutions (NBS) across the whole value chain from land to markets/consumers exist already and are bearing results, but we need to scale them up in the continent. 
  • Need to build synergies, strengthen coordination among regional pan-African initiatives and institutions working to scale up CSA and NBS and avoid duplication of efforts. o Organizations include Africa CSA Alliance, The Water Scarcity Initiative in the NENA region, the One Health platforms, AFR100 and Africa’s Great Green Wall. o Globally, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) and UN decade of Family Farming (2019-2028) pave the way for support to NBS across all terrestrial and marine ecosystems in the region.
  • The private sector, including SMEs, also play a key role not only in terms of financing climate projects and developing innovative products, services and technologies but also in climate-proofing business operations and supply chains, particularly in the agriculture sector.
  • For agriculture, Artificial Intelligence for Climate Action in Africa (AI)-based system for yield prediction and plant management can help to increase climate-friendly and climate-resilient agricultural production.
On the occasion of the African Climate Week, FAO and various African municipalities discussed howthe integrated approach of Forestry, Agriculture and Food at the urban level can speed progress to increase cities’ resilience and well-being of dwellers. This is the goal of the FAO Green Cities Initiative. 

The EU’s support for national climate action in Uganda, and throughout Africa through the GCCA+ flagship initiative, highlighted its commitment to partnering for whole society engagement in implementation and managing climate risks in achieving national and regional climate commitments made at the global level.

Related: REPORT: The State of the Climate in Africa 2020 44 p.


See some of the most outstanding climate crisis negative consequences for Africa, as cited by this major multi-organisation report: elaborated by World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the African Union Commission, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) through the Africa Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), UN agencies, and international and regional scientific organisations.

"Africa home to over 1.300 billion inhabitants in 52 countries, bears the heaviest brunt of 80 percent of the climate crisis destructive impacts."

Related: : Boehm, S., et all. 2021. State of Climate Action 2021: Systems Transformations Required to LimitGlobal Warming to 1.5°C. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute: 790 p.


Transformations must occur across every sector at far faster pace than recent trends to keep the window open to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C, according to this Systems Change Lab report authored by the UN High-Level Climate Champions, Climate Action Tracker, ClimateWorks Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund and World Resources Institute.

Recommendations related to agriculture and food security in Africa:
For agriculture general, see: Chapter 9
  • Crop yields per hectare need to increase by 18 percent by 2030 and 45 percent by 2050 to avoid further cropland expansion, necessitating a near-doubling of the recent rate of yield growth—even as climate impacts intensify. Yet recent global yield growth masks wide variation among regions, and yields in sub-Saharan Africa remain very low, warranting particular attention. 
  • In sub-Saharan Africa where climate change without adaptation is expected to significantly depress yields.
  • Soil degradation, particularly in the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa, can keep yields low and threaten food security. Approaches such as agroforestry (integrating trees and shrubs on farmland), rainwater harvesting (practices that block water runoff), and “microdosing” of fertilizer can help increase soil fertility and moisture, boosting yields and increasing resilience to climate change while keeping input costs low. 
  • More research is needed to systematically understand the full range of conditions under which agroforestry systems are successful, in order to scale up their adoption. 
  • An extreme in terms of the structure in the energy demand in buildings is sub-Saharan Africa, where many people today rely on traditional biomass for cooking and heating, implying a huge suppressed demand for electricity.
  • Emissions reductions would be required across all world regions and all emissions sources relative to 2017 but would be less stringent in regions with high projected population and food demand growth, such as sub-Saharan Africa. Both supply-side (e.g., improvements in livestock feed and manure management, improvements in nitrogen use efficiency, improvements in rice management and breeds) and demand-side (e.g., reductions in food loss and waste and dietary shifts) actions are important to achieve the necessary level of emissions reductions.
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WEBINAR: Mediterranean agricultural enterprises


28 October 2021 (4 pm): International workshop “DIALOGUES ON INNOVATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AGRI-FOOD SYSTEM”. Purpose of the conference is to contribute to the identification of strategies for the creation of an environment conducive to the sustainable development of the agri-food sector, a pillar for the socio-economic growth of many Mediterranean countries, by leveraging on young people and on the combination of innovation and competitiveness. Link to register: https://events.iamb.it/p/event/medagrweek + Programme

The purpose of the conference is to contribute to the identification of strategies for the creation of an environment conducive to the sustainable development of the agri-food sector, a pillar for the socio-economic growth of many Mediterranean countries, by leveraging on young people and on the combination of innovation and competitiveness. 

Building on the experience gained by CIHEAM Bari through the "WaterMedyin" project funded by the Italian Cooperation and the "Mediterranean Innovation Partnership" network, thanks to the testimonies of stakeholders and actors from the public and private world, the seminar intends to encourage a discussion on the importance of promoting development initiatives that focus on the link between innovation and competitiveness and on the relevance of youth entrepreneurship. 

This link is in fact a driving force for the creation and change of agricultural enterprises, integrating the three dimensions of sustainable development (environmental, social and economic), in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Some of the issues that will be addressed are: 
  1. Tools and methods to support youth entrepreneurship as an engine for sustainable growth; 
  2. Adaptation and enhancement of the services of specialised organisations (incubators, accelerators, business organisations, etc.); 
  3. Open innovation as a lever to unlock business potential and increase competitiveness; 
  4. Public-private partnerships for innovation; 
  5. Networking at local and international level.

Opening 

  • Maurizio Raeli – CIHEAM Bari Director Michele Emiliano – Apulia Region 
  • President Teodoro Miano – CIHEAM Vice President 
  • Mohammed El Razzaz – Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) 
  • Gianpiero Menza – Senior Partnerships & Innovative Finance Officer, Alliance/CGIAR 

 Methods and tools to support entrepreneurship in Italy's partner countries 

  • Ennio Antonetti – Officer assigned as supervisor of the WaterMedyin project by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) 
  • Alessandro Dessì – WaterMedyin Project Manager, CIHEAM Bari 

Youth and innovation for the sustainable development of the agri-food sector in the Mediterranean: the experience of the MIP - Mediterranean Innovation Partnership 

  • Damiano Petruzzella – Scientific Administrator of Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Area, CIHEAM Bari 

Innovation and competitiveness of the Mediterranean entrepreneurial system 

  • Jihen Boutiba – BusinessMed Secretary General 
  • Marco Gay – Anitec-Assinform Confindustria President 

Innovation and sustainability in the age of artificial intelligence 

  • Roberto Ridolfi – LINK2007 President 

Panel Discussion: Innovation networks, cooperation between research and enterprises in the Mediterranean 

  • Chairman Biagio Di Terlizzi – Deputy Director CIHEAM Bari Moderator 
  • Damiano Petruzzella – Scientific Administrator of Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Area, CIHEAM Bari 
  • Giuseppe Pirlo – Delegate of the UNIBA Rector 
  • Antonello Garzoni – Rector of LUM University
  • Andrea Barzetti – CEO of Almacube Edoardo Negri – Startup Italia 
  • Evelina Visoci – Ministry of Agriculture, Albania - Focal Point MIP 
  • Cyrine Ben Khamlia – Service de soutien aux entreprises – APIA, Tunisia 
  • Akmal Akramkhanov – ICARDA Mediterranean Innovation HUB 

Full programme:

25-28/10. Mediterranean Innovation Agrifood week by CIHEAM Bari
  • 25-27/10: Seminars on strengthening the services and ecosystem of ISOs – Innovation Support Organizations, provided in the framework of a capacity building programme started last July and addressed to the representatives of the MIP network and the ISOs of the Mediterranean region. Link to register: https://events.iamb.it/p/event/wmwebinar2021 + Programme
  • 27/10 (3pm-5pm): MIP-Mediterranean Innovation Partnership Annual Meeting, for the discussion and approval of the 2021-22 action plan. Establishment of the WATERMEDYIN network, an international working group dedicated to innovation and sustainability in the agri-food sector, with the participation of Business Med, Mediterranean Innovation Hub and several ISOs from Tunisia, Palestine and Lebanon. Programme
  • 28/10 (10am-1pm): INVESTOR DAY & BUSINESS MATCHING – brokerage event, dedicated to 15 start-ups, selected in the framework of WATERMEDYIN project, from Tunisia, Palestine and Lebanon. Programme
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Methods for studying gender dynamics in value chains beyond the production node and single commodity analysis

28 November 2021. Over 20 years of research on gender dynamics in value chain development has tended to overemphasize the production node and single commodity chains. Since 2019, the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) has supported a set of six projects that analyze gender roles, responsibilities, and relations in agricultural value chains drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data that look at nodes in the midstream segments of the value chain and/or across multiple chains. Despite COVID setbacks, the projects have generated compelling insights on the differential effects on the benefits that women and men derive from value chain participation. These insights will be shared in a two-part webinar series. 

The first webinar on September 21 focused on findings from these projects, and the second on October 28 focuses on innovative methods used in these studies.

Webinar 1: Gender dynamics in value chains beyond production node and a single commodity focus: Findings

  • Gender dynamics along fish value chains in India: Testing assumptions about the influence of women’s self-help groups (Surendran Rajaratnam, WorldFish)
  • Understanding gender dynamics in the input segment of upgraded value chains for root crops in Vietnam (Vanya Slavchevska, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and Nozomi Kawarazuka, International Potato Center (CIP)
  • Helpers, employees, or owners: Opportunities for women’s economic empowerment in agricultural value chains (Jennifer Twyman, Independent Consultant, formerly the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT)
  • Moderator: Cheryl Doss, leader of the Cross-Cutting Gender Research and Coordination flagship in PIM.

Webinar 2: Methods for studying gender dynamics in value chains beyond the production node and single commodity analysis


October 28, 2021, 10:00-11:00 AM EDT - REGISTER *
  • Understanding the relationship between women’s empowerment and women’s increased participation in poultry value chains in Burkina Faso - Jessica Leight, IFPRI
  • From oil palm mamas to market queens: Measuring the gender footprint of informal and formal market value chains in Eastern Region, Ghana - Emily Gallagher, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
  • Agricultural value chain financing for marginalized women: A multi value chain project in Vietnam and Indonesia Kate Ambler, IFPRI
  • Moderation Rhiannon Pyburn, NL-CGIAR senior expert and senior advisor at KIT Royal Tropical Institute; leader of Collaborative Gender Research cluster PIM
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Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Land & Carbon Lab: Addressing the global land squeeze for climate, biodiversity and people


25 October 2021. Land & Carbon Lab: Addressing the global land squeeze for climate, biodiversity and people

VIDEO FORTHCOMING

Land is vital but finite. How can we reconcile humanity’s competing land demands with the need to combat climate change, protect biodiversity, and improve people’s lives?

WRI’s new Land & Carbon Lab initiative is harnessing the data revolution to monitor the pulse of the planet’s land and its nature-based carbon. The initiative will provide decision-makers everywhere with the actionable information they need to address the global land squeeze—to combat climate change, protect biodiversity, and improve people’s lives.

WRI and partners, including scientists and technologists, discussed plans to build and deploy a comprehensive global land monitoring system. There was also the preview of new data, including trees in mosaic landscapes, forest carbon fluxes and global land cover – showcasing the information that will ultimately create unprecedented transparency about what is happening to the world’s land at any point on the planet, at any time.
  • Andrew Steer, President & CEO, Bezos Earth Fund
  • Crystal Davis, Director of Land & Carbon Lab, WRI
  • John Brandt, Data Scientist, WRI
  • Jorge Pérez Rubio, President of the Interethnic Association for Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP)
  • Marcos Sossai, Manager of the Reflorestar Program, Sate Environmental Agency of Espirito Santo, Brazil
  • Marine de Bazelaire, Group Advisor on Natural Capital, HSBC
  • Matt Hansen, Co-Director, University of Maryland GLAD Lab
  • Nancy Harris, Land & Carbon Lab Research Director, WRI
  • Pablo Vieira, Global Director, NDC Partnership
  • Rebecca Moore, Director of Google Earth and Earth Engine
  • Tom Bewick, Peru Program Director, Rainforest Foundation US
Shared resources
Preliminary tree cover data developed by WRI shows where billions of these trees — previously invisible to governments, investors and the public — are growing across 1.4 billion hectares of Africa and Latin America (an area 40% larger than the entire United States). Most importantly, this “trees in mosaic landscapes” data gives credit to the undervalued and underfunded local communities who work to protect and restore these ecosystems.

Best in Class Data to Monitor the World's Land
Land & Carbon Lab is partnering with leading scientists and technologists to build a comprehensive monitoring system for the world’s land and its nature-based carbon. Our high-resolution geospatial data will help decision-makers everywhere address the global land squeeze and accelerate nature-based solutions to climate change.

Related: 
28 October 2021. High-level launch event for the State of Climate Action 2021 report, which will answer these fundamental questions. Developed by partners contributing to the Systems Change Lab, the report identifies 40 indicators across key sectors that must transform to address the climate crisis and assesses how current trends stack up against targets for 2030 and 2050 to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C. The analysis will highlight both encouraging bright spots that are witnessing exponential change as well as sectors that are well off track and demand urgent attention.

Coming out just before the G20 Summit and the COP26 climate summit, the State of Climate Action 2021 report will arm countries, businesses, philanthropists, and others with a clear-eyed view of where we stand sector-by-sector, and what supportive measures and finance are necessary to accelerate the world toward a safer, prosperous and more equitable future.
Speakers
  • Andrew Steer, President and CEO, Bezos Earth Fund (moderator)
  • Nigel Topping, United Nations High-Level Climate Champion
  • Naoko Ishii, Executive Vice President, University of Tokyo Center for Global Commons
  • Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO, World Resources Institute
  • Surabi Menon, VP, Global Intelligence, Climate Works Foundation
  • Niklas Höhne, Partner, New Climate Institute
  • Bill Hare, CEO, Climate Analytics
  • Sophie Boehm, Research Associate, World Resources InstituteWanjira Mathai, Vice President and Regional Director for Africa, WRI
  • Moderated by Craig Hanson, Vice President for Food, Forest, Water and the Ocean, WRI


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REPORT: True Value: Revealing the Positive Impacts of Food Systems Transformation

A new report True Value: Revealing the Positive Impacts of Food Systems Transformation (81 p.)
presents powerful and compelling evidence that food systems transformation is possible and having an impact now. Conducted by TMG Think Tank for Sustainability, an inclusive and true cost evaluation approach is applied to six food systems initiatives featured in the Beacons of Hope series to understand the breadth and depth of their positive impacts. True Cost Accounting (TCA) is an innovative tool that provides a holistic understanding of the relationships between agriculture, food, the environment, and human well-being.

Using TCA enables us to see the significant monetary and non-monetary benefits sustainable food systems have on issues like public health, biodiversity conservation, climate, workers’ rights, cultural diversity, and gender empowerment. It also demonstrates how TCA can be used for a variety of organizations — from businesses, farmer cooperatives, food banks, research facilities, and more — as a systemic approach to assess, measure, and value the positive and negative impacts of food systems.

The analysis is grounded in multiple capitals-based approaches, accounting for food systems impacts on the environment (natural capital), society (social capital), people (human capital), and the economy (produced capital).

Related: Presentation of the report by Ruth Richardson (Global Alliance for the Future of Food), Canada

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Update on UN Food Systems Summit Dialogues

 

The Synthesis Reports for Member State, Independent, and Global Dialogues are now available on the Food Systems Summit Dialogues Gateway. These reports analyse the outcomes provided in the Official Feedback Forms of over 850 Dialogues in which over 100,000 people from around the world participated.

 

Member State Dialogues

Member State Dialogues Synthesis,
Now Available in UN Official languages! 

 

The latest Member State Dialogue Synthesis consolidates the outcomes of 446 national Dialogues held by 105 Member States. These Dialogues brought together over 46,000 participants from multiple sectors and diverse viewpoints to engage and collaborate in building more sustainable food systems good for people, planet, and prosperity. 

 

The Complete Synthesis is now available in the following languages: العربية | 中文 | Français | English | Русский | Español.
 

 
107 National Pathways Uploaded!
As of 20 October, 107 pathways towards sustainable national food systems by 2030 have been shared on the Food Systems Summit Dialogues Gateway. The pathways are living strategic documents that identify priorities for urgent decision-making and collective action. For more details on the national pathways and the latest version click here.

 

Independent Dialogues

Independent Dialogues Synthesis Deep Dive Reports

 

The Deep-Dive Syntheses provides an analysis on perspectives of several key stakeholder groups: Indigenous Peoples, smallholder farmers and other small-scale producers, youth, and women. The report focused on three areas: 1) why this group’s perspectives are important, 2) overview of some of the key perspectives each group brings to consideration of food systems transformations, and 3) strategies for engaging each group in the Food Systems Summit and beyond. Click the button to read more about the deep dives below

 

Report

Synthesis of Independent Dialogues, Report 3

 

The latest Synthesis of the Independent Dialogues, September Edition, is now published. The report provides an analysis of 447 Official Feedback Forms uploaded in the Dialogues Gateway. A total of 40,978 participants took part in the Independent Dialogues. The synthesis report also highlights 22 Guiding Themes based on the feedback forms submitted through 23 July. 

 

The Executive Summary is now available in the following languages: العربية | 中文 | Français | English |  Русский | Español.

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