Monday, February 28, 2022

Upcoming webinars and events

1 March 2022 at 17:30. Nature Based Solutions to achieve Human-Wildlife Coexistence by Wageningen University

1 March 2022 COVID-19 in Traditional Markets — Evidence of Consumer and Vendor Resilience During a Global Pandemic by Agrilinks/USAID

1 March 2022. Speed Matters: How Digital Imaging Can Create a More Resilient Crop in a Changing Climate by Agrilinks/USAID

2 March 2022. FAO Scientific and Academic Sector Consultation Latin America and the Caribbean


3 March 2022. A Multi-Actor Dialogue: Bamboo Sectoral Development for a Green Circular Economy in West Africa by INBAR West Africa Regional Office (WARO).

3 March 2022. 3 PM CEST/CAT Geodata for Improved Water Management and Climate Action. By World Bank


7 March 2022. 12:00 CET/CAT Agrifood systems facing climate change in the MENA region: gender equality for better resilience


7 March 2022. 15:30 CET/CAT Women’s Land Rights and Access to Results-Based Climate Finance in REDD+ programs Webinar registrants will receive a copy of the full report and country profiles with the webinar recording.

9 March, 2022. Future Foods - Johannesburg, South Africa

9-10 March 2022. Virtual Conference The Future of ICT for Ag (see below extracts)
10 March 2022. 12:00 CET/CAT Policy brief launch by Agroforestry Network by SIANI

10 March 2022, 1 pm CET, 3 pm East Africa Time (EAT). Launch of the Third (3rd) CAADP Biennial Review (BR) Report
  • In the 3rd BR cycle, 51 countries (out of 55) reported performance across 46 indicators.
  • The 3rd BR report, titled “Accelerating CAADP Implementation for a Resilient African Food System” will be an important basis for dialogue and action on agricultural development in Africa.


10-11 March 2022.  16.00 – 17:30 (CET). Symposium: 200 years Gregor Mendel: of peas, cows and people

14 March 2022 Less talk, more action: turning the soil story around A pre-ForumforAg 2022 event



15-17 March 2022. SOUTHERN AFRICA'S AGRI-TECH TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY EVENT
Africa Agri Tech is positioned as the annual meeting point where the Southern African agricultural community can gather to explore the technological and scientific advances that will assist agribusinesses to maximise their outputs and increase their profitability in the future.

15-17 March 2022. Soil Regeneration Summit: Farming for the Future
  • 15/03 What is Regenerative Agriculture? Discover some of the various perspectives and definitions from pioneers in the field in this rapidly evolving movement. Presenters will share some of their techniques and insights along with the challenges they have faced.
  • 16/03 Solutions Offered by Regenerative Practices. Resilience to extreme weather events, protection of biodiversity, and improvements to human health: these are just a few of the potential solutions that Regenerative practices can offer.
  • 17/03 The Science Behind Regenerative Ag. We’ll take a deep dive into the world of soil, plants, and biology with an array of topics and scientists.


16 – 18 March: First session of the COAG Sub-Committee on Livestock


16-18 March 2022. First session of the Committee on Agriculture (COAG)  Sub-Committee on Livestock  by FAO

17 March 2022. 11:00 CET Zoonoses, food production and WaSH with presentations from Kenya and Burkina.

  • Book available online: Lele U., Agarwal M, Baldwin B.C. , and Goswami S. (2021)  Food for All International Organizations and the Transformation of Agriculture # 1063 p.
  • This volume analyzes the structure, coordination, and management of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Food Programme (WFP), World Bank --the largest international funder of policy advice and investment projects, and CGIAR, a leading funder of international agricultural research.
22-25 March 2022. Farming System Design (FSD7)
  • 22/03. 10:00AM-12:00PM (GMT+2) Webinar 1: Systemic transformation of agri-food systems
  • 23/03. 10:00AM-12:00PM (GMT+2) Webinar 2: Designing climate smart and resilient cereal-livestock based farming systems for food and nutrition security in the drylands of Africa and Asia
  • 24/03. 10:00AM-12:00PM (GMT+2) Webinar 3: Webinar 3: Multi-scale and multi-criteria trade-off analysis in the SDG1-SDG2 nexus, to co-design sustainable and healthy agri-food systems and inform policies.
  • 25/03. 10:00AM-12:00PM (GMT+2) Webinar 4: Accelerating and amplifying systemic transformation of agri-food systems with digitalization of research and advisory services to family farmers and decision makers
  • There are eight different sessions set to take place throughout the three weeks.
  • March 22. 14:00 to 15:30 UTC Sharing experiences and creating digital dialogues in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • March 24. 14:00 to 15:00 UTC Creating an RDA community in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • March 29. 14:00 to 15:30 UTC Plant-pollinator interactions data standards
  • April 1. 9:00 to 10:30 UTC Ethical and legal issues around agricultural data
  • April 4. 14:00 to 15:30 UTC Platforms for agricultural data: how to address the fragmented landscape?
  • April 5. 14:00 to 15:30 UTC FAIRifying data and code for Artificial Intelligence in agricultural production
  • April 6. 15:00-16:30 UTC Governance of farm-level digital technologies and agricultural data
  • April 7. 15:00-16:30 UTC Platforms for agricultural data: how to address the fragmented landscape? (Part 2)
23 March 2022. The Africa-EU Energy Partnership - seventh edition of its Energy Talks
  • This webinar will explore the energy outcomes of the EU-AU Summit and the priorities Africa and Europe should focus on ahead of COP27.

23 March 2022. APRA e-Dialogue on 'Transition Pathways and Strategies for Food System Transformation - This dialogue will begin with a set of short presentations and expert commentaries, including:
  • Oil palm commercialisation, changing gender relations, and agricultural transformation in Ghana
  • Gender and social differentiation in the context of Malawi’s groundnut commercialisation
  • Rice and sunflower commercialisation and differential pathways for livelihood improvement: A Tanzania case study
  • Politics, power and social differentiation in African agricultural value chains
  • Policies and strategies to support inclusive agricultural commercialisation and food system transformation



23-25 March 2022. Integrating TAP common framework into African Research and Extension organisations 
  • The 3 days course will develop capacity of the trainees on Tropical Agriculture Platform common framework, Agricultural Innovation Systems concepts and tools, systems thinking and functional capacity development.

24 march 2022. 15:30 - 16:45 CET.  Developing and scaling regenerative agriculture


24 March. 2 PM CET Women's roles in agriculture
  • By World Food Price Digital dialogue.| She Who Provides: Agriculture and Climate Essentials
  • unique gender-based constraints women face to ensure our food systems are sustainable and the critical functions women have in addressing climate change and agriculture.
  • With CHARITY MUTEGI
28-29 March 2022. The Global Solutions Summit, taking place in hybrid format in Berlin, will focus on policy recommendations for the G7 and the G20.


28 March 2022. 14:00 CEST. John D. Lui: Ecosystem Restoration Camps | Soil Food Web School

28 March 2022. Part 1 16:00 - 17:00 | Part 2: 21:00 - 24:00 CEST “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all - our responsibility, our opportunity”

29 March 2022. AKADEMIYA2063 Board Seminar
  • The event aims to raise LDC actors’ awareness and understanding of SRM techniques and the governance challenges they present and the context for even considering them, such as to how to compare use and non-use scenarios to support decision making, and to explore how to enable further learning and capacity building.
29-30 March 2022. ECHO East Africa Pastoralist Sympoium

  • This panel will bring together diverse voices from the frontlines of addressing OH implementation for strengthening public health and food systems resilience in a Global south context.


31 March 2022. 10:00-12:00 EST. Agriculture Trade : opportunities for SMEs and businesses in export markets IICA-COLEACP Caribbean Agrifood Business Session

31 March 2022. Youth - From ‘’who and how’’ to countries’ examples by FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa (RNE)/FAO Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP)

31 of March 2022, 13h00-15h00 CEST/GMT+2. Putting food system thinking into sector practice: Policy decision making on food system transformation.

5-6 April 2022. Regional consultation Africa Stockholm+50
  • Working Group 4: ‘SUSTAINABLE AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS
  • Working Group 5: ‘CIRCULAR ECONOMY
4 - 9 April 2022. Applying agricultural interventions and rural development strategies: Sustainable and bio-diverse agro-ecosystems for smallholder resilience.
  • The workshop is organized as part of the project “RLC Platform for Young East African Scientists – Improving the Productivity and Resilience of Smallholder Farming” which is jointly conducted by the RLC Campus Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Ger-many, the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’ awarded organization Biovision Africa Trust, Nairobi, Kenya, the RLC Campus Lund, Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), Lund University, Sweden, among other partners.
  • Who can apply? PhD students from East Africa that are currently completing their PhD at an East African university. The deadline is March 6, 2022

6 - 8 April 2022. Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) restricted meeting

7 April 2022. Applying lessons from 4R Solutions in a time of uncertainty ( (Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place) by AFAP


8 April 2022. 12:30 CEST. High-level virtual event: Scaling up Agroecology Initiative
  • Three years into the implementation of the Initiative, this webinar aims at sharing initial achievements, success stories and collective understanding of the enabling environment that takes agroecology forward on the ground, in different contexts and at different levels.
  • Check out the programme and register here or follow via webcast.
12 April 2022, 16:00 - 18:00 JST, 08:00 -10:00 CET. Asian Regional Launch of Digital Agri Hub

  • The online seminar, is organized by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) alongside the XV World Forestry Congress.
  • This opportunity is open for all journalists from around the world with a passion for learning and raising awareness about the essential role of forests in the global sustainable agenda.
25 April - 8 May 2022. Convention on Biological Diversity (Part 2) - Kunming, China

2-6 May 2022. XV World Forestry Congress


2-3 June 2022. Stockholm+50

7 June 2022. World Food Safety Day

17 June 2022. World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

20 June - 1 July 2022. The Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy conference. The call for abstracts is now open.

21-22 June 2022 European Development Days (EDD 2022) – taking place in Brussels and online. The 15th edition will focus on “Global Gateway: building sustainable partnerships for a connected world.”


7-18 November 2022. UN COP27: Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
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Friday, February 25, 2022

Enhance the viability of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in Asia and Africa.

25 February 2022. The Vulnerability to Viability Global Partnership (V2V) is a transdisciplinary global partnership and knowledge network aimed at the co-creation of knowledge and the development of a community-based capacity to reduce vulnerability and enhance the viability of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in Asia and Africa.

In this presentation hosted by V2V and led by WorldFish’s Director of Science and Research, Edward Allison will discuss how current research and policies are sufficiently well developed to support viable pathways to enable small-scale fisheries and fisherfolk to thrive. However, there has been a systematic under-investment in implementing the proposed reforms, which will lead to systemic failings at the research-policy-practice, further exacerbating vulnerability and hindering the path to viability.

Systemic failings at the research-policy-practice
  1. shortcomings in the data and information required by decision-makers and investors, 
  2. lack of effective partnerships with other food-system and ‘blue economy’ actors outside the fisheries sector, 
  3. continuing exclusion of small-scale aquatic food system actors from large-scale water resource and coastal zone management planning, 
  4. failure to recognize common-cause with sustainable aquaculture that complements (rather than displaces) fisheries and; 
  5. exclusion of the aquatic food systems from national systems of innovation in agriculture and food. 
In all these areas, a failure to address social and power differentials within the sector – gender, class, ethnicity and landlessness – exacerbates vulnerability and hinders the path to viability.

This argument is the basis for the CGIAR’s new USD 35 million 3 year- research initiative on ‘Resilient Aquatic Food Systems for Healthy People and Planet’ (RAqFS)– which seeks to galvanize policy action and investment to address key systemic failings identified. During the presentation, Allison will highlight the RAqFS initiative’s proposed program of work and invites collaboration and welcomes participants’ insights and discussion.

Speaker:
Edward H. Allison is an interdisciplinary scholar with over 30 years of academic and policy experience, who works closely with researchers across social and natural sciences and the humanities, as well as a steward of natural resources in communities, civil society organizations, development actors, governments and the private sector. Allison’s influential livelihoods and food systems work spans the globe thanks to his research, teaching, and policy experience in fisheries and aquaculture with links to sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, North America, and Europe. In 2020, he was listed by Clarivate/Web of Science in the top 0.1 percent most cited of the world's researchers in the cross-disciplinary category.

Click here to watch the event live on the day

Related:
The aquaculture industry has responded to the volatility of fishmeal by substituting soybean meal, but has found that a diet based on plant proteins can lead to gut inflammation, disease, and other adverse side effects in numerous commercially important species. It’s clear the industry needs new sources of dietary proteins like the SCP independent of pelagic fish or terrestrial plants that are better purposed to feeding humans. In addition to reducing pressure on declining wild fish stocks and creating healthier fish, a SCP Meal is sustainable. A 100-acre KBM fermentation facility can produce more high quality protein than a 10,000-acre soy farm, dramatically reducing the environmental impact, eliminating the need for fertilisers and pesticides, and reducing energy use.  
Source: Single cell protein: Promising new protein for fish
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Healthy Soil for Healthy Communities – An Introduction to Soil Health Practices for Africa

17 February 2022. AFSA & SKI are delighted to announce the publication of a new book on agroecological practices: AFSA and SKI (2021) Healthy Soil for Healthy Communities – An Introduction to Soil Health Practices for Africa. #33 p.

There is a growing awareness across Africa that we need to improve the health of soils dramatically if we are to produce nutritious food and use water sustainably. The first step in beginning a soil regeneration process is to shift mindsets—to unlearn the ways we think about soil—or indeed—fail to think about soil.

With this in mind, the Healthy Soil Healthy Food (HSHF) initiative was jointly established by AFSA and SKI, bringing together 15 soil regeneration organisations that are working closely with smallholder farmers across the continent.

The HSHF initiative held 12 online learning and sharing sessions from September to December 2020, and it was from these sessions that the content was predominantly drawn for the HSHF publication we wish to proudly announce: Healthy Soil for Healthy Communities – An Introduction to Soil Health Practices for Africa.

This publication is not a technical book. Rather, it aims to help people move towards this mindset shift around soil. Within its pages, it presents the kind of understanding of soil needed if we are to have any chance of successfully regenerating soils, as well as covering recent practices that can help farmers transition to agriculture that prioritises soil health and is in greater harmony with nature.

Related:

20 - 21 February 2022. As part of the World Social Justice Day commemoration, AFSA organised a two-day social media campaign promoting Agroecology as a viable option for ensuring social justice for African smallholder food producers. The campaign will take place on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram  with the official hashtag #Agroecology4SocialJustice.

Related:

This session during the Africa-Europe Week (14-18 February 2022) set out the challenges facing African communities - from the corporate capture of African lands and natural resources to the industrialisation of African food systems and the climate crisis. Key speakers outlined the struggles - for African civil society voices to be heard, for land justice, for women’s land rights, for corporate accountability, and for the transition to agroecology – a people-centred system of sustainable agriculture, combining indigenous knowledge with cutting edge science, working with nature to nourish healthy and resilient communities.

Related:

6 - 9 December 2021. The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) organized a three-day strategy meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss and reflect on emerging themes and issues concerning the African movement for food sovereignty and food system transformation that facilitates Africa's transition to agroecology. 

The primary goal of the 2021 AFSA meetings was to evaluate progress since 2018 and develop a clear strategy for a future engagement at the continental, regional, and national levels. More than seventy people from 32 African countries attended the conference. 

The first two days were devoted to four separate working group meetings; each focused on a detailed review of activities carried out in the previous two years and planning for the coming year. Working groups:

  1. Land and Agroecology
  2. Resilient Seed Systems and Agroecology
  3. Citizens for Sustainable Food Systems
  4. Climate Change and Agroecology

    The Climate Change and Agroecology meeting was a side session in which the members reflected on the work that the group had done in 2021 but also proposed what they would do in 2022 regarding the transition to Agroecology for Climate Action. Over the period of last year 2021, the AFSA Climate Change working group members carried out various activities.

    The links hereafter refer to some of the vast engagements that were carried out by the members in campaigning for the transition to Agroecology for Climate Action.     COP26 Key Climate Action Demands – These were generated immediately after the Africa Climate Week 2021 and endorsed by various organisations; Zimbabwe – Nigeria – Zambia – Rwanda – Kenya – Ghana – Cameroon 



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Thursday, February 24, 2022

Advancing agroecology practice/natural farming: Healthy Soil Healthy Food

24 February 2022. Advancing agroecology practice/natural farming: Healthy Soil Healthy Food

AFSA is organizing 4 sessions in which organizations who are part of AFSA members share how their work with farmers to advance agroecology practice/natural farming is going. 27 January, 10 February, 24 February, 10 March. This is the link to the recording of the session on February 10th in which RUCID, OACK and Scope-Malawi shared some of their experiences of putting agroecology into practice through the lenses of the natural farming principles.

This webinar presented the work of:
  1. Groundswell who work with partners across West Africa, 
  2. Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre in Zambia, 
  3. Chinyika in a drier part of Zimbabwe.

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Wednesday, February 23, 2022

European Union-African Union Summit, Science and Innovation side events, 14-18 February 2022

14-18 February 2022. The AERAP Africa-Europe Science Collaboration Platform organised side events at the AU-EU Summit. 

The purpose of these meetings were to promote awareness of the contribution of collaborative research and development as a critical aspect of EU-Africa relations and collaborations, in particular in addressing global challenges together.

The discussed topics included:

  • The Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument, NDICI, also known as Global Europe, needs to reflect the enormous potential of collaborative and inclusive science to address the policy objectives addressed by the instrument, including digital transition and the Green deal. The Communication from the Commission on the Global Approach to Research and Innovation is a key paper: the Communication is intended to serve as a guide in implementing the international dimension of the new EU programme for civil research and innovation, Horizon Europe, and its synergies with other EU programmes, in particular the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe.
  • Accelerate an inclusive approach to collaborative research, recognising Africa leadership and the untapped potential of women and girls to contribute to science and innovation. This needs to start with a more cohesive and inclusive approach to policymaking and regulations impacting Africa and research collaborations with Africa.
  • Consider how to leverage synergies between funding mechanisms led by the EU and development finance provided by the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank and others.
  • Raise awareness of the unforeseen and unintended impact of EU regulations on potential research collaborations. These include data privacy, the General Data Protection Regulation, the In-vitro Diagnostics Regulation (IVDR), the Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) and the Clinical Trials Regulation. Good regulation cannot act as a barrier between EU and African researchers. African nations need to build their enabling regulatory environment and regulatory compliance with the EU. There is also an urgent need to create an enabling environment for trust-based relationships.
  • Indigenous knowledge can as a force for good and part of the equation when promoting Africa-Europe science collaboration, including developing relevant information services and linking indigenous knowledge to data capacities; patent data. WTO TRIPS Art. 66.2 is critical also in this regard.
Extracts of the programme:


14/02 Impact of regulations on science and innovation in Africa - convened by AERAP

14/02 Promoting a sustainable EU-AU partnership through university collaboration - Convened by African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA)

15/02. Making the green deal a reality in the tropical world - Convened by CIFOR-ICRAF

16/02 A presentation on the interface between Horizon Europe and NDIC/Global Europe
  • Nienke Buisman is Head of Unit International Cooperation Policy in the European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation
  • She is in charge of developing and implementing the ‘Global Approach to Research and Innovation’, Europe’s strategy for international cooperation, specifically focussing on Africa, Asia
16/02 Africa IP SME Helpdesk

17/02 Africa-EU collaboration on the SDGs and Local2030 - Convened by AERAP and UNDP

18/02 South -South Science and Innovation Cooperation - Convened Professor Mammo Muchie by Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa

18/02 Using Science Diplomacy as a powerful instrument to foster European-African cooperation
Many African countries have made significant progress toward meeting some of their ambitious objectives for development and political integration, the need remains to further progress the link between science interacting with diplomacy. Science diplomacy should, therefore, be recognized as a priority in shaping continental as well as national policy and development agendas. Science Diplomacy in Europe, on the other hand, has been on the rise over that last few years. It already plays a role in the new EU Global Approach and the Global Gateway Initiative of the European Commission.

Speakers
avatar for Jackie Kado

Jackie Kado

Executive Director, Network of African Science Academies (NASAC)
Jackie Kado is the Executive Director of the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) based in Nairobi, Kenya. NASAC is a consortium of twenty-eight science academies in Africa, whose membership is drawn from all spheres of science.  She has served science academies in various... Read More →
avatar for Nienke Buisman

Nienke Buisman

Head of Unit International Cooperation Policy, European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation
Nienke Buisman is Head of Unit International Cooperation Policy in the European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation since 2019. She is in charge of developing and implementing the ‘Global Approach to Research and Innovation’, Europe’s strategy for international cooperation, specifically focussing on Africa, Asia and the Middle East... Read More →
avatar for Jean-Pierre Bourguignon

Jean-Pierre Bourguignon

IHES
JEAN-PIERRE BOURGUIGNONProfessor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon is President ad interim of the European Research Council (ERC) (from 27 July 2020 until the next ERC President is selected and takes up duties).Previously, he was the ERC President from January 2014 until December 2019.Prior... Read More →
avatar for Daan du Toit

Daan du Toit

Deputy Director-General: ICR, Department of Science and Innovation
Daan du Toit started his career in the South African Government with the then Department of Foreign Affairs where he trained as a diplomat. Since 2002 he has been attached to the Department of Science and Innovation, where he has notably served as the Department's representative in... Read More →
avatar for Hambani Masheleni

Hambani Masheleni

African Union Commission
Mr. Hambani Masheleni is a holder of an MSc Applied Physics and BSc Physics Honours degrees. He has a broad range of training and work experience in public sector through promoting formulation and implementation policies for science, technology and innovation. Currently he is employed... Read More →
avatar for Maria Cristina Russo

Maria Cristina Russo

Director for Global Approach and International Cooperation in R&I at European Commission, European Commission
Maria Cristina Russo is Director for International Cooperation in DG Research and Innovation with responsibility for developing and implementing the EU international strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation and the international dimension of the Horizon programme.She... Read More →
avatar for Mobolaji Oladoyin Odubanjo

Mobolaji Oladoyin Odubanjo

Chair of INGSA African Chapter, Nigerian Academy of Science
Dr Mobolaji Oladoyin Odubanjo is a public health physician who currently serves as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) where he leads the Academy’s work in science advice. He was previously the Chair of the Association of Public Health Physicians of... Read More →
avatar for Jane Olwoch

Jane Olwoch

Executive Director, SASSCAL
Dr Jane Olwoch has been appointed as SASSCAL’s Executive Director with effect from 1 February 2017. Dr Olwoch formally succeeds Dr Henry Mwima as well as Dr Yonah Seleti who had been acting in the position during the interim period.Dr Olwoch is a climate change impact specialist... Read More →


18/02 Ireland Africa Rural Development Committee with Tom Arnold

Shared reports:
3 reports were released last week relevant for FNSSA research (food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture):

EC (2021) Recommendations on how to make R&I a driver for sustainable development in AU-EU relations #131 p.

This policy study is authored by the Advisory Group (AG) on R&I for Africa-Europe cooperation commissioned by the European Commission's Directorates-General for Research and Innovation and for International Partnerships. The document presents the group's findings on how to best mainstream and boost R&I-cooperation with African partners in the field of (1) health, (2) R&I capacities, (3) technology and innovation and (4) green transition.
The most comprehensive and essential concept to ensure healthy soils in Africa will be the soil security framework. This relatively new concept has been developed and advocated by European scientists and presents soils as the main connector of our major societal challenges.

Abuse of pesticides and monoculture cropping directly affects soil biodiversity, with a 40% loss under monoculture and an 80% loss due to pesticides. Pesticides also end up in rivers and groundwater. An important part of this work is to differentiate African soils from European soils, a key step in ensuring the right science and innovation for Africa’s green transition.

Farmers’ organisations and cooperative involvement in R&I projects must be promoted better and a balanced and inclusive participation in projects both in Africa and Europe must harness the potential role of the private sector.

A major effort is needed to encourage African politicians to become part of the green transition and to collaborate with everyone involved, since these politicians will be among the most important players. A framework that will fully involve and inform politicians throughout the whole process is very important for taking intercountry decisions and actions, aspects that fall under the good governance umbrella.
Highlights:
  • Mohammed VI Polytechnic University – UM6P.
  • The science granting councils initiative (SGCI)
  • Southern Africa innovation support programme (SAIS Phase II)

EC (2022) EU-AU R&I Partnership on FNSSA: investment strategies and measures identification. #73 p.
This report on the “mapping” of projects pertaining to the EU-AU R&I partnership on FNSSA, identified the most promising research projects from a socio-economic development and innovation standpoint and to document the specific needs that should be addressed for such projects to turn into tangible business and development opportunities.
With regards to the needs and next steps, most projects would need additional funding for a successful scale up to occur. Moreover, many projects would need some type of business development support in order to translate the research outputs into economic and entrepreneurial opportunities. Furthermore, some would need assistance in transferring the results to the private sector and/or in managing IP rights.

[Research project] Coordinators usually do not know about the existence of many public funding programmes and often lack the connections or visibility with private investors.

There is a need for more professional institutionalised Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs). These are important institutions for the successful transferability of research outputs to entrepreneurs.
EC (2021) Participation of African researchers and innovators in COST Action #32 p.
This report is a result of the joint work between SFIC Africa Working Group and the COST Association. This blog posts lists the 12 COST Actions on Green transition with at least one African partner.
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