Thursday, July 28, 2022

Main reports and recordings May-July 2022

REPORTS

AKADEMIYA2063 (2022) UKRAINE CRISIS BRIEF SERIES. Country Exposure, Contagion, and TradeEff ects: Summary of Findings and PolicyImplications, # 5p

AKADEMIYA2063 (2022) Contagion and Exposure of AfricanCountries to Global Wheat TradeDisruptions # 8p

EC (2022) Everyone at the Table: Transforming food systems by connecting science, policy and society Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, # 70 p.

FAO (2022) Soils for nutrition: state of the art. Rome. # 96 p.


FAO (2022) FAO Science and Innovation Strategy May 2022 # 18 p.

FARA (2022) Opportunities and Challenges for Local Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers: Insights from Benin Republic. FARA Research Report 6 # 125 p.



IPES (2022) ANOTHER PERFECT STORM? # 20 p.

OBG, OCP (2022) The Agriculture in Africa 2022 Focus Report Oxford Business Group, June 2022, #39 p.


Saha Turna N, Havelaar A, Adesogan A, Wu F (2022). Aflatoxin M1 in milk does not contribute substantially to global liver cancer incidence. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in press. # 9 p.

Waters-Bayer A.; Tadicha Wario H. (2022) Pastoralism and large-scale Renewable energy and green hydrogen projects. Potential & Threats # 44 p.

WWF (2022) Europe eats the world: How the EU's food production and consumption impact the planet #15 p.

ZEF (2022) Can the agroprocessing sector create jobs in Africa? Evidence from Ethiopia, Ghana and Tunisia. (ZEF Working Paper 215) # 39 p.

RECORDINGS JULY

26 to 29 July Global Symposium on Soils for Nutrition - This virtual Global Symposium on Soils for Nutrition - “Soils, where food begins,” brought science and policy together to review the status and challenges of soil fertility in relation with crop, animal and human nutrition.

5 May + 28 June + 26 July Dialogues on nutrition and food security - In support of the AU’s 2022 Year of Nutrition, AKADEMIYA2063 and the Senegalese National Council for Nutrition Development (CNDN) organize a series of 5 continental level dialogues on nutrition and food security with a broad group of stakeholders.

25 July. Addressing the global food security crisis: Strengthening research and policy responses by IFPRI/GIZ

21 July. Strengthening policy research and analysis capacity: The role of institutional development programs by IFPRI - Includes the presentation: Building Locally Led Agricultural Policy Analysis Capacity in Africa

21 July. FAO Science and Innovation Strategy and its relevance for the Committee on Agriculture (COAG)

19 July. Powering Agri-food Value Chains with Geothermal Heat in Africa - Includes several resources

15 July. UN Food Systems Summit follow-up Special side event contributing to the 2022 HLPF

13 July. Creating an International Research Consortium on Food, Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture: A Platform for Research and Innovation between Africa and Europe  by LEAP4FNSSA

6 July. Successes in exporting to the EU markets from SMEs and entrepreneurs by PAFO/ColeACP

RECORDINGS JUNE

30 June. Building and financing climate-resilient agriculture and food systems in Africa - Organised by E3G, an independent climate change think tank and co-founder of London Climate Action Week, and WRI, co-lead of the Food and Land Use Coalition,

28 June. Effects of Disasters and Shocks on Africa's Food Systems: a case of the Russian-Ukrainian War. by ReNAPRI - Upcoming event: 1-3 November 2022. Windhoek, Namibia. 9th ReNAPRI stakeholders annual conference

24 June. Deepening our understanding of climate change through an agroecological perspective by AFSA


22 - 23 June. Upscaling private sector participation and science-based outreach in West Africa by LEAP4FNSSA

21-22 June. European Development Days (EDD 2022)

16 June. The role that social mobilisation/capital has played in the Natural farming programme in Andhra Pradesh By AFSA


30 May. Land Restoration and Biodiversity by FANRPAN a series of 2 webinar recordings and 4 thematic briefs


25 May. Launch of Africa Catalyzing Action for Nutrition (AfriCAN)

19 May. Soil Biology for Crop Nutrition and Reduced Pathogen Outbreaks

9 - 20 May. 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) AFDB, FAO, GLF, CGIAR


12 May. Farmer Field Schools for the agroecological transition

11 May. FoodTech Innovation Revolution: The 2022 Game-Changers - Spoonshot analyzed more than 7000 foodtech startups and measured their innovativeness using several criteria including novel ingredients, health benefits, and consumer reviews. Presentation of a Nigeria and Kenya start-up

10 May. New research about Aflatoxin M1 is revealed

10 May. Africa-Europe scientific collaboration on climate change and agriculture EC/INTPA Infopoint.
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Announcement: Science and Partnership for Agriculture Conference

13 - 16 September 2022. Science and Partnership for Agriculture Conference

The joint conference will provide the opportunity to leverage the participation of high-level individuals in Africa and European agriculture to jointly address pertinent emerging issues affecting the continent. 

The four conferences and their constituents will provide important technical and policy information from different engagements.


1. Biennial Africa Climate Smart Agriculture Conference (CSA) 

The Biennial Africa CSA conference will give the opportunity to take stewardship of the CSA actions especially the spate of technology generation and a foresight analysis of the plausible futures. The conference will host the continental dialogue on the Africa Climate Smart Framework (ACSAF); 
ACSAF is developed to respond to and plan the implementation of the AU-developed Africa Climate Change Strategy. The ACSAF dialogue also provides the opportunity to prepare adequately for CoP27 in Egypt. The conference will also host a side event for stakeholders’ consultation towards the development of the Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA). There will also be a side event that will host the meeting of the High-Level Technical Think-Tank set out to respond to emerging technological issues in African agriculture. The various side event will generate outputs that will flow into the conference outputs.

Please use the link below to register your participation in the CSA Conference.
Register here

2. Knowledge Management For Agricultural Development (KM4AgD) 

The Knowledge Management for Agricultural Development (KM4AgD) is an activity of the CAADP-XP4 organizations. The KM4AgD Challenge & Conference is an annual event that seeks to build appropriate capacities, establish communities of practice for Knowledge Management and strengthen the knowledge ecosystem to accelerate the achievement of the CAADP Malabo goals by 2025 and the SDGs by 2030. The Challenge is implemented through an integrated, strategic, educational, and transformational approach. It aims to strengthen the capacity of the knowledge management experts and run an investiture of new experts. 

Please use the link below to register your participation in the KM4AgD Conference.
Register here

3. Long-Term Europe-Africa Research And Innovation Partnership For Food And Nutrition Security And Sustainable Agriculture (LEAP4FNSSA) 

The LEAP4FNSSA was a project supported by the EU to provide a sustainable platform for Europe and African institutions to partner around innovations in food and nutrition. It achieved its goal through synergies and coherence between actors, research and innovation projects, initiatives, and programs, through the development of institutional alliances and clusters of projects The project will end in October 2022 and it has commenced its sustainability plan and transition into an International Research Consortium (IRC). The conference will host its closing general assembly and the launch of its replacement initiative, the IRC. 

Please use the link below to register your participation in the LEAP4FNSSA Conference.
Register here

4. Pan-African Network For Economic Analysis Of Policies (PANAP) 

Pan-African Network for economic Analysis of Policies (PANAP) is established by the European Union commission and aims to foster the development of centers of excellence in Africa and to promote both the Europe-Africa and intra-Africa scientific collaboration as an element to vitalize synergies between the two continents on economic policies. PANAP was officially launched at the AU in November 2019 with the participation of 19 African partners. Its action also fosters scientific cooperation among the PANAP member . The PANAP conference will create opportunities for synergies with other relevant scientific communities and networks operating at the Africa’s continental level in agriculture.
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Thematic Briefs Knowledge Management in African Agriculture

In 2021, CAADP-XP4 Partners (FARA, AFAAS, ASARECA, CCARDESA & CORAF) jointly designed and rolled out the annual Knowledge Management for Agricultural Development (KM4AgD) agenda (Challenge & Conference) in partnership with the Knowledge for Development Partnership. 

The annual Challenge seeks to build appropriate capacities, establish communities of practice for Knowledge Management and strengthen the knowledge ecosystem. It is implemented through an integrated, strategic, educational, and transformational approach. 

The KM4AgD Challenge is the lighthouse project for knowledge-based development in AR4D in Africa. It will take place annually in a growing number of countries. In 2021, twenty-eight (28) participants from twenty-two (22) countries (NARES) joined the Challenge.
As part of the outcomes, they identified 10 KM Challenges and developed 6 thematic briefs to guide African institutions in addressing the Knowledge gaps. 

These have been published through the FARA Policy Briefs (FPB) Series in the FARA library and are accessible for free.

Knowledge Management and Decision Support initiatives are crucial for catalyzing agricultural innovation and climate-relevant interventions. In the last decade, there has been a significant increase in knowledge management and decision support interventions in development programmes across Africa. 
Existing agricultural and agribusiness knowledge and statistics are spotty and unreliable in Africa. Despite the existence of official statistics agencies in most, if not all, African countries (housed either by national bureaus of statistics, the national chamber of commerce, or within ministries of agriculture) with the responsibility to collect, manage, and make available reliable agricultural knowledge. The ability to manage knowledge is becoming increasingly more crucial in today’s knowledge economy. 
1. Strengthening knowledge Partnerships in African Agriculture 
Abugri B., Brandner A., Mbigidde V., Issa F.O., Humulane A., Yeboah M., and Hinckley E. (2022). Strengthening knowledge Partnerships in African Agriculture Thematic Policy Brief No 1/10.  (April 2022) # 11 p. 

Abugri B., Brandner A., Atsu P., Kabuya D., Mvubu B. and Waleling A. (2022). Knowledge Management (KM) Awareness. Thematic Policy Brief No 2/10. (April 2022): # 12 p.

Abugri B., Brandner A., Atsu P., Kabuya D., Mvubu B. and Waleling A. (2022). Fake News and Misinformation in the Agriculture Sector. Thematic Policy Brief No 3/10. # 12 p.

Abugri B., Brandner A., Asiimwe E., Baijang L., Bappa M., Arunga P., and Abdulai Z.
(2022). Organizational Knowledge Management Professionalization. Thematic Policy Brief No 4/10.
 # 13 p.

Abugri B., Brandner A., Asiimwe E., Baijang L., Bappa M., Arunga P., and Abdulai Z. (2022). Strengthen Knowledge Management Competence Centres to drive the Transformation of African Countries into Knowledge Societies Policy Brief No 5/10.  # 14 p.
Abugri B., Brandner A., Masereka C.Y., Ngumba F.N., Kang’omezulu A., Nyikwagh E.T.,
and Mahava V. (2022). Advocating for Knowledge Inclusion and Adoption of Viable Business
Models in the creation and Dissemination of Knowledge within National Agricultural Research
Services (NARS) Policy Brief No 6/10. # 13 p.
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Can the agroprocessing sector create jobs in Africa?

Kubik Z., Getahun T., Omari R. and M. Oueslati Zlaoui. 2022. Can the agroprocessing sector create jobs in Africa? Evidence from Ethiopia, Ghana and Tunisia. (ZEF Working Paper 215) # 39 p.

 Agroprocessing sectors in Ethiopia, Ghana and Tunisia differ greatly in terms of the size and structure, and, accordingly, the stages of industry lifecycle, from nascent industry in Ethiopia to a relatively mature sector in Tunisia. Also, the type of jobs and their quality differ between the three countries even though they are generally considered to be good jobs compared to other jobs available to the same workers. 

So far, the potential of the agroprocessing sector remains largely untapped. Formal sector employs between 60 and 80 thousand people in each of the study countries, and the figure is around five times higher if employment in the informal sector is included. As of now, employment in agroprocessing activities accounts for only around 5% of total employment in the food economy. However, over the last two decades, it has grown rapidly. 

In Ethiopia, Ghana and Tunisia, the agroprocessing sector exhibits high employment elasticities of output, from 0.55 in Ghana and 0.66 in Tunisia to 0.85 in Ethiopia. This suggests that the agroprocessing sector is labor-intensive and presents high employment generation potential, both in absolute terms and compared to other sectors of manufacturing. 

On the other hand, if agroprocessing firms shift toward more capital intensive production structures and use more mechanization and automation, the expected employment effects remain ambiguous.

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Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Global Symposium on Soils for Nutrition


26 to 29 July 2022. The virtual Global Symposium on Soils for Nutrition - “Soils, where food begins,” brought science and policy together to review the status and challenges of soil fertility in relation with crop, animal and human nutrition. Humans, like plants, and animals, need sufficient food to survive. But food must be safe and nutritious not only to provide energy and basic nutrients, but also to prevent disease and the intake of harmful toxins. About 95 percent of our food comes from soils, which have a natural capacity to support plant growth by providing them with nutrients through the soil solution.

The main objectives of the Symposium were to review the state of the art on the role of soil fertility in delivering sufficient, high quality, safe, and more nutritious food for better nourished people, animals and plants. The Symposium is expected to identify critical knowledge gaps and provide the basis for discussion among policymakers, food producers, scientists, the fertilizer industry, practitioners, and other stakeholders on the creation of solutions that can provide more nutritious agri-food systems for enhanced human health and wellbeing while protecting the environment. 
  1. THEME 1: STATUS AND TRENDS OF GLOBAL SOIL NUTRIENT BUDGET 
  2. THEME 2: SUSTAINABLE SOIL MANAGEMENT FOR FOOD SECURITY AND BETTER NUTRITION 
  3. THEME 3: IMPACTS OF SOIL NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE 
  4. THEME 4: GOVERNANCE OF SOIL FERTILITY/SOIL NUTRIENTS

Webcasts

Extract of the programme (focus on Africa):

DAY 1: 26 July 2022

Plenary session


OPENING OF THE SYMPOSIUM

  • Mr QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

OPENING REMARKS

  • Mr Garba Yahaya, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture of Niger
  • Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
  • Mr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organization (WHO)
  • Mr Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)

DAY 2: 27 July 2022

Parallel session 5

THEME 2: Sustainable soil management for food security and better nutrition

  • Linking adsorption-desorption characteristics with grain Zn concentrations and uptake by teff, wheat, and maize in different landscape positions in Ethiopia - Mr DESTA Mesfin Kebede, University of Nottingham - Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom
  • Soil factors influence the geospatial variation in zinc nutritional quality of maize in Malawi - Mr BOTOMAN Lester, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resource, Malawi
  • Where do we need to apply Zn fertilizers in sub-Saharan Africa? - Ms VAN EYNDE Elise, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
  • Biofortified maize in Zimbabwe: nutritional quality depending on field position and crop management - Mr HAEFELE Stephan, University of Nottingham — Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom
  • Selenium biofortification of staple maize: a way to combat hidden hunger in Malawi - Ms LIGOWE Ivy Sichinga, Chitedze Agricultural Research Station Soil and Plant Nutrition Section, Malawi

DAY 3: 28 July 2022

Parallel session 5

THEME 4: Governance of soil fertility/soil nutrients

  • Manure management and soil biodiversity: Towards more sustainable food systems in the EU - Ms KOENINGER Julia, European Commission Joint Research Centre, Italy
  • Sustainable soil management for food security and better nutrition - Mr BABA Mutala, CSIR - Soil Research Institute, Ghana
  • Effect of Government of Ghana fertilizer subsidy policy on major cereals yield - Mr LABOAN Bright Mayinl, CSIR - Soil Research Institute, Ghana
  • Sustainable Soil Management technologies upscale through Research-Extension-Farmers-Input Linkage System; Implications for effective policy implementation in Nigeria - Ms ADEJUMO Adeola, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, Nigeria

DAY 4: 29 July 2022

Plenary session

OPENING OF THE FOURTH DAY OF THE SYMPOSIUM

  • Fifty years of Integrated Soil Fertility Management: what is next? - Mr Bernard Vanlauwe, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Kenya
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Application of FAOSTAT for research and decision making

27 July 2022, 14:00 CEST; 15:00 EAT Application of FAOSTAT for research and decision making

RUFORUM in collaboration with the FAO are organising a Webinar to introduce and discuss the operation of the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT), an open access tool that can be applied for research, statistical, and scientific purposes.

The Webinar aims to showcase the FAOSTAT Data base and to build capacity of researchers and practioners in using this statistical tool for research and decision making processes in Africa. It will also provide opportunity for participants to share their experiences from using FAOSTAT and to gain further technical knowledge from the different FAOSTAT domain experts.
  • MR. NICOLA GRAZIANI Statistical Clerk FAO 
  • MR. ROBERT ASIIMWE Assistant Lecturer Makerere University 
  • DR. CHARLES B. CHISANGA Lecturer Copperbelt University 
  • DR. PIERO CONFORTI Deputy Director of the Statistics Division FAO 
  • MODERATOR DR. ALICE MWEETWA Deputy Executive Secretary, Program Development and Implementation
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The Importance of Timely Analyses for Decision-Making during a Period of Crisis

27 July 2022. @3:30 PM CEST The Importance of Timely Analyses for Decision-Making during a Period of Crisis. By Agrilinks and IFPRI

The event, will feature interventions from IFPRI, the International Fertilizer Development Center, and AKADEMIYA2063 and provide a snapshot of a series of country analyses by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on the Impacts of the High Food, Fuel and Fertilizer Prices exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
  • Upendra Singh Head of Research IFDC, Vice President, Research, specializes in soil fertility and systems modeling. 
  • Ousmane Badiane Executive Chairperson AKADEMIYA2063 
  • James Thurlow Senior Research Fellow IFPRI 
  • Chris Hillbruner Division Chief, Analysis and Learning USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security 
  • Alan Tollervey: EU Research at the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)

Resources:


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Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Impacts of the Russia-Ukraine War on Nutrition, Food Security & Poverty in Africa

26 July 2022. 1 pm GMT or 3 pm CEST/CAT Session #3 of the Nutrition & Food Security Dialogue Series on the “Impacts of the Russia-Ukraine War on Nutrition, Food Security & Poverty in Africa: Challenges & Opportunities to Building Resilient Food Systems”

The third dialogue, will focused on the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war on nutrition, food security, and poverty in Africa and its implications on the ability of African governments to build food systems that are more resilient to economic, health and environmental shocks. 

Dialogue participants also discussed the challenges and opportunities faced by African countries in achieving the different targets related to nutrition, food security and well-being by 2025 and 2030.

Background

In support of the AU’s 2022 Year of Nutrition, AKADEMIYA2063 and the Senegalese National Council for Nutrition Development (CNDN) organize a series of 5 continental level dialogues on nutrition and food security with a broad group of stakeholders.
  1. 5 May 2022. Africa’s progress toward meeting nutrition and food security targets, successes, challenges, and lessons learned, including the importance of applying a food systems lens and multi-sectoral approaches to addressing hunger and malnutrition. 



  2. 28 June 2022. The role of trade and food safety in advancing nutrition and food security objectives and the need for policy alignment. 



  3. 26 July 2022. Impacts of the Russia-Ukraine War on Nutrition, Food Security, and Poverty in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities to Building Resilient Food Systems 



  4. Balancing nutrition goals with climate and environmental goals, shifting to more sustainable consumption patterns, and building resilience in nutrition and food security 
  5. Africa’s rapid urbanization and impacts on diet quality, both in rural and urban areas.  

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The Agriculture in Africa 2022 Focus Report


OBG, OCP (2022) The Agriculture in Africa 2022 Focus Report Oxford Business Group, June 2022, #39 p.

While Africa has the potential to feed the world's population in the coming years, in order to accomplish this, land must be developed sustainably by addressing pressing issues such as deforestation and inefficient agriculture practices. 

This focus report explores avenues to boost productivity through circular and green economy practices, such as water reuse and converting organic waste into productive inputs, alongside climate-smart interventions. It also explores the importance of renewable-powered technologies and support for research, development and engineering systems.

The Agriculture in Africa 2022 Focus Report, produced in partnership with OCP Group, contains interviews with key figures in the agriculture sector.

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Monday, July 25, 2022

Addressing the global food security crisis: Strengthening research and policy responses

25 July 2022. Addressing the global food security crisis: Strengthening research and policy responses by IFPRI/GIZ

This policy seminar analyzed the impacts of the war in Ukraine on food security in low- and-middle-income countries, highlight GAFS, and showcase how CGIAR’s immediate and longer-term responses can support policy initiatives.

Germany holds the G7 presidency in 2022 and is thus in a leadership role to address these interrelated challenges and crises. Together with World Bank President David Malpass, Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), recently established the Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS) to catalyze an agile, immediate, and coordinated response to the unfolding global food security crisis.

As the world’s largest international agrifood research consortium, CGIAR plays a pivotal role in providing research to help shape context-specific policies and solutions. More than ever, close collaboration between CGIAR, national governments, and international organizations is needed to meet the strong demand for innovations and ensure their delivery, scaling, and impact.

Opening Remarks
  • Stefan Kachelriess-Matthess, Project manager, Fund International Agricultural Research, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Setting the scene: Implications and responses to the global food security crisis
  • Martin Fregene, Director, Department of Agriculture and Agro-Industry, African Development Bank
  • Sebastian Lesch, Head of Division, Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains, International Agricultural Policy, Agriculture, Innovation, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) (via pre-recorded video)
How can international agricultural research support short-, medium- and long-term responses to the global food security crisis?
  • Martin Kropff, Global Director for Resilient Agri-Food Systems, CGIAR
  • Johan Swinnen, Global Director, CGIAR Systems Transformation Science Group & Director General, IFPRI
  • Sonja Vermeulen, Global Director for Genetic Innovations, CGIAR
Bridging back to practice – comments from key stakeholders
  • Sory Ouane, Senior Adviser to the Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA)-NEPAD
  • Francine Picard Mukazi, Co-founder and Director of Partnerships, Shamba Centre for Food & Climate
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Thursday, July 21, 2022

Strengthening policy research and analysis capacity: The role of institutional development programs

21 July 2022.  Strengthening policy research and analysis capacity: The role of institutional development programs

Policy design and implementation for sustainable food systems transformation in developing countries rely on the research institutions, university departments, and organizations that collect, analyze, and disseminate data for the government and private sector. Collaborative policy research programs can play a valuable role in building the long-term capacity of these institutions to generate the evidence needed for policymaking.

In this seminar, panelists and discussants drew on their experiences with collaborative research in institutional development programs, and explored the lessons learned for strengthening policy research and analysis capacity for food system transformation.
  • Chair Shenggen Fan, Former Director-General of IFPRI, CGIAR System Board Member, and Chair Professor at the College of Economics and Management at China Agricultural University, Beijing
  • Welcome Remarks Johan Swinnen, Global Director, CGIAR Systems Transformation Science Group & Director General, IFPRI

Panel presentations on experiences and lessons:


Discussants
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FAO Science and Innovation Strategy and its relevance for the Committee on Agriculture (COAG)


21 July 2022. 12:15 PM CEST FAO Science and Innovation Strategy and its relevance for the Committee on Agriculture (COAG)
The side event raised awareness among Members and COAG participants on FAO’s first-ever Science and Innovation Strategy and its relevance for COAG. The event will facilitate a discussion on topics relevant to COAG. Four topics have been selected: science and innovation for climate change, science and innovation for livestock, strengthening the science-policy interface, and promoting access of small-scale producers to innovations.

With an enhanced understanding of the ScI Strategy's goal, pillars, outcomes, and guiding principles, COAG Members will be better positioned to strengthen synergies between science and innovation and the work of COAG.
  • Opening remarks Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General 
  • The FAO Science and Innovation Strategy and its relevance for COAG Dr Ismahane Elouafi, FAO Chief Scientist 
HIGH-LEVEL PANEL DISCUSSION: EXPLORING SYNERGIES BETWEEN COAG’S PRIORITIES AND THE FAO SCIENCE AND INNOVATION STRATEGY 
  • Science and innovation for livestock H.E. Julián Andrés Domínguez, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Republic of Argentina 
  • Science and innovation for climate change Dr Chavonda Jacobs-Young, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, the USA 
  • Strengthening the science-policy interface H.E. Thesele John ‘Maseribane, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Lesotho to FAO 
  • Promoting access of small-scale producers to innovations Mr Douglas Kangi, Director of Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, the Republic of Kenya 
  • Questions and answers Dr Zitouni Ould-Dada, Deputy Director, FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment 
  • WRAP-UP AND CLOSING Dr Ismahane Elouafi, FAO Chief Scientist
Resource:
FAO (2022) FAO Science and Innovation Strategy May 2022 # 18 p.

Extracts:
Scientific findings may be limited by insufficient data, uncertainties, contrasting results, and can be contested. Decision-making is often influenced by a variety of both structural and behavioral drivers and barriers as well as numerous stakeholders with diverse values and with significant power asymmetries. (page 8)
  • In 2020, the first-ever position of Chief Scientist was established to join the core leadership team of the Director-General. A new Office of Innovation was also created to ensure that FAO leverages the use of innovation, technology and new approaches across the Organization.
  • As host of the Food Systems Coordination Hub, FAO has a key role in the UN Food Systems Summit follow-up, including through its work on science and innovation.
  • FAO has an important role in supporting the essential contribution of national, regional and international research organizations. FAO’s Governing and Statutory Bodies provide an interface for science and policy. Finally, FAO has an important role in analysing and communicating the latest scientific evidence to Members and the public.
The Strategy focuses on three pillars, which group together nine outcomes. Action under the pillars will be catalysed by two cross-cutting enablers: transformative partnerships and innovative funding and financing. 

The 3 pillars of the FAO Science and Innovation Strategy

1. Strengthening science and evidence-based decision-making; 

  • Agrifood systems knowledge and evidence enhanced. Countries will be supported to better prepare for alternative plausible futures by strengthening strategic participatory foresight, and continuous, rigorous, and systematic horizon scanning and scenario-building exercises.
  • Science-policy interfaces for agrifood systems strengthened. FAO will strive to provide understanding of the differences of view on contentious scientific issues, and help to explain areas of disagreement in order to support continued dialogue and convergence. In support of open dialogue, FAO will consider in its analyses the varied and sometimes competing needs, goals and interests of different agrifood system actors
  • Research for development strengthened. FAO will strengthen its cooperation with national, regional and international agrifood research organizations, such as CGIAR and AIRCA,42 and relevant global inter-governmental organizations, to maximize collective impact while leveraging the comparative advantages and building on the institutional strengths of each partner organization.

2. Supporting innovation and technology at regional and country level

  • Access to, and use of, inclusive, sustainable, affordable and context-specific innovations and technologies by small-scale producers, family farmers and other agrifood system actors enhanced.
  • Capacities of national agrifood innovation systems to prioritize, co-create, and scale sustainable and appropriate innovations and technologies strengthened.
    FAO will assist countries in increasing the capacity of agrifood innovation systems for the co-creation, local adaptation and uptake of innovations through a rigorous approach to the prioritization of innovations and technologies. (...)  FAO will support the establishment and strengthening of national and regional innovation platforms and hubs for knowledge sharing and capacity development for innovation.
  • National capacity to design, implement and evaluate strategies, policies and regulatory frameworks on science, technology and innovation strengthened.

3. Serving Members better by reinforcing FAO’s capacities.

  • Knowledge management and exchange of information and experiences enhanced. Knowledge management will be designed to facilitate capturing project evaluations and feeding this into the design of new innovation-focused projects.
  • Science communication improved. Special attention will be given to communication on contentious issues. 
  • FAO capacities to enable science and innovation enhanced across the Organization. FAO will strengthen the use of science and innovation across its programme of work, with particular attention to country offices.

Enablers: Partnerships and innovative funding and financing

Transformative partnerships. 

Private sector partnerships will be enhanced – with special attention to MSMEs and entrepreneurs, start-ups and incubators (particularly women and youth). FAO will engage with private sector-led innovations and harness them to achieve the four betters through open innovation initiatives, challenges, dedicated grants, prizes, etc.

Innovative funding and financing

Through the innovation and technology accelerators, FAO will mainstream science and innovation into all its projects, thus harnessing climate and environmental funding, South-South and Triangular Cooperation, emergency and resilience funding and investments raised through the FAO Investment Centre for science and innovation.




 
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Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Reflecting on the ongoing efforts to increase availability and access of farm power in Africa

7July 2022. The African Union Commission (AUC) and the FAO, through an Africa-wide consultative process, developed a Framework for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Africa (F-SAMA) that was launched in Rome on 5thOctober 2018. 

It aims to inform policy and decision-makers in the Member States, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa, and the wider development community dealing with agricultural development on the significance of mainstreaming SAM in the overall national and regional agricultural development programmes.

This virtual webinar targeted public and private stakeholders including but not limited to Directors and Heads of Agricultural Mechanization Services, Farmers Organizations, Private Sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Academia. This is the tenth Webinar in a series, and isorganized to provide an opportunity to create a participatory environment for the establishment of a regional implementation mechanism of F-SAMA. 

The Webinar provided a platform to reflecting on the ongoing efforts to increase availability and access of farm power in Africa. 

Updates on the efforts being made in spearheading mechanization as an important pillar for agricultural transformation in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Togo were provided. The Webinar presented some insights on how putting down concrete action plans is helping countries to attain their goals of developing and increasing the use of mechanization. 

Opening Remarks Permanent Secretary. Ministry of Agriculture, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 

Overview and objectives of the Webinar - Mark Fynn, FAO, Sub-regional Office for Southern Africa (SFS), Harare, Zimbabwe

Reflecting on the ongoing efforts to increase availability and access of farm power in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Togo: 

• Eng. Bereket Forsido, Director of Agricultural Mechanization, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

• Eng. Edwin Zimunga, Chief Director, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Mechanization and Soil Conservation (MLAFWRD), Government of Zimbabwe

• Eng. Daouda Salif, Director of Agricultural Mechanization, Government of Togo 

Related:

Adegbola Y.P., Zossou S.R.C., Adegbola C., Tossavi B., Fatunbi A.O. and Daum T. (2022).
Opportunities and Challenges for Local Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers: Insights from Benin Republic. FARA Research Report 6 (01): Pp 125
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Powering Agri-food Value Chains with Geothermal Heat in Africa

19 July 2022. Powering Agri-food Value Chains with Geothermal Heat in Africa
  • Session I at 10:00 East Africa Time
  • Session II at 14:00h East Africa Time
  • Currently, the main geothermal agri-food applications in the region include drying of food, and heating of greenhouses and aquaculture facilities.
  • With increased support in areas such as geothermal resource mapping, establishment of enabling policies and regulations, access to financing, and capacity building, more significant progress can be achieved.
Renewable energy technologies can support the decarbonisation of the end-use sectors such as agri-food to promote sustainable food production while adapting to climate change. There is significant geothermal potential in Africa, where the agricultural sector remains a key economic driver. Currently, the main geothermal agri-food applications in the region include drying of food, and heating of greenhouses and aquaculture facilities. With increased support in areas such as geothermal resource mapping, establishment of enabling policies and regulations, access to financing, and capacity building, more significant progress can be achieved. In addition, the development of tools for carrying out assessments of geothermal heat utilisation, such as socio-economic impacts and heat pricing, can support policy makers in making investment decisions.

In this regard, a webinar on “Powering Agri-food Value Chains with Geothermal Heat – Africa,” organised in the framework of the Global Geothermal Alliance by IRENA in collaboration with its partners in the Africa, aims to share recommendations as well as global experiences and best practices for accelerating the use of geothermal heat in the agri-food sector.

Publications
Kenya”, Proceedings of the 6th African Rift Geothermal Conference Addis Ababa.

Shirley, R. et al. (2021), Identifying high-priority impact areas for electricity service to farmlands in Uganda through geospatial mapping


IRENA (2022) Powering Agri-food Value Chains with Geothermal Heat, June 2022, # 96 p. 
This report is a guidebook for policy makers which provides recommendations for accelerating the deployment of geothermal energy in the agri-food value chains. The recommendations are derived from an analysis of key success factors that enabled the development of various agri-food applications in different part of the world. 

The guidebook benefited from the input of 23 experts drawn from 17 member countries and partner organisations of the GGA, and other organisations.
"The establishment of a geothermal agricultural processor such as a crop drying centre or milk pasteurisation creates a new market for local farmers to sell their raw materials to agro-industries. Perishable products such as fish, grains, fruits, and vegetables, once processed using geothermal energy, can be transported to new markets while still fresh as a result of improved shelf life." (page 76)
Extract: 
Clean energy financing mechanisms (page 54)
  1. Pure grants This is a form of supporting instrument whereby the supporting entity provides funding to risky activities such as initial exploration and initial drilling. The grantors are typically governments or international development organisations that wish to foster the development of geothermal in a given country or region. Grants have no strings attached as long as the work is performed as contemplated. This type of financing is exclusive to the initial stage of geothermal projects. 
  2. Contingent grants This financial instrument is a variation on pure grants, whereby the grant has some conditions associated with it. Contingent grants are typically provided during the exploration and initial drilling stage. If drilling is unsuccessful, the grantee has no monetary obligations; if the operation is successful (i.e. the drilling activity funded by the grant leads to a project coming online), however, the grant converts into a loan that the grantee will repay over time. The rationale here is that the proceeds from this grant/loan can be recycled to provide support to more projects. 
  3. Risk mitigation There are two types of mechanisms to encourage investors to engage in the drilling phase:
    Insurance: The insured pays a one-time premium prior to the start of drilling. Once the drilling is complete, the well is tested as agreed upon in advance. If the results are not satisfactory (i.e. if the well was drilled according to the agreed-upon parameters and is dry), the insurance company will pay the insured a one-time payment to cover the cost of the well(s) and associated expenses.
    Grants: Under this mechanism, the qualified applicants can obtain a grant covering the costs of the initial drilling and other related expenses. 
  4. Concessional loan A concessional loan is a loan at below-market conditions – i.e. lower interest rate, longer maturity and no or very light securities and collaterals. This instrument is available at later stages of project development when part or all of the resource has been fully developed. Hence, the proceeds from the loan will be used to construct the facility. The loan will be repaid from the profits of the operation. National development banks typically provide such loans because they can borrow at very low rates and are not mandated to maximise profits as the first priority (vis-à-vis commercial banks). 
  5. Project financing Once the drilling phase of a geothermal project is completed and has passed the necessary acceptance tests, it can use the combination of equity and debt for further financing requirements. In developing countries, multilateral or regional development banks typically offer project debt (e.g. African Development Bank, International Finance Corporation, etc.). Equity is usually provided by investors focused on emerging markets. Project financing allows the project assets as the only collateral for the financing but can be time consuming and expensive.
Energy Transition Accelerator Financing (ETAF) Platform is an inclusive, multi-stakeholder climate
finance solution managed by the International Renewable Energy Agency to advance the energy transition across the Agency’s 166-strong membership.

The Climate Investment Platform: A joint initiative of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), in collaboration with the Green Climate Fund (GCF). CIP’s mandate is to increase capital mobilisation and RE impact investing in developing countries.
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Saturday, July 16, 2022

UN Food Systems Summit follow-up Special side event contributing to the 2022 HLPF

15 July 2022. 13:00-14:30 EDT (New York). UN Food Systems Summit follow-up Special side event contributing to the 2022 HLPF


This HLPF side event, jointly organized by CFS and the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, aimed to:

  • Highlight the role of food system transformation in advancing the 2030 Agenda;
  • Showcase Member States’ Pathways and key issues of focus;
  • Understand Member States’ needs, opportunities and barriers to implementing food systems transformation strategies;
  • Link national pathways to the ecosystem of support, including from CFS;
  • Promote food systems transformation into legal frameworks and political processes (e.g. Rio convention COPs, G-7, G-20 and others);
  • Underline the critical importance of inclusive governance and accountability at all levels.

Background

There are only eight years left to fulfil the ambition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet the global food system is under unprecedented pressure. To keep us on track to achieve our collective vision for 2030, transformation is essential for accelerating progress on all SDGs by lifting people out of poverty, ending hunger and malnutrition, preserving natural resources and ecosystems, and mitigating and adapting to climate change.

The UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), held in September 2021 offered a catalytic moment for public mobilization and actionable commitments by Heads of State and Government and other constituency leaders to take this agenda forward. An outcome of the UNFSS was the development of more than 100 National Pathways for food systems transformation that can accelerate the realization of the 2030 Agenda at country level.

Strengthening effective and inclusive collective action at all levels is also at the core of CFS, which serves as an evidence-based, intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder platform to promote policy convergence and coherence on global food security and nutrition issues, in support of country-led processes. Its agreements and policy tools are directly relevant to the policy changes needed to transform agri-food systems to ones that produce healthy diets, sustainably while strengthening livelihoods and other key developmental objectives.

Tentative programme

Opening and welcoming remarks

Opening remarks by H.E. Gabriel Ferrero y de Loma-Osorio, CFS Chairperson, Ambassador at Large Global Food Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Spain

 

Welcoming remarks by H.E. Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, Secretary of State for International Cooperation – Kingdom of Spain

Transformations are happening

Moderators:

  • Stefanos Fotiou, Director, UN Food Systems Coordination Hub
  • Lara Blanco, Deputy Director, Sustainable Development Unit, EOSG

Panelists:

  • H.E. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform –  Islamic Republic of Pakistan
  • H.E. Jeanine Cooper, Minister of Agriculture – Republic of Liberia
  • H.E. Dr. Abubakar Omer Albushra, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry – Republic of Sudan
  • H.E. Anders Grönvall, State Secretary to the Minister for Climate and the Environment – Sweden
  • H.E. Fabio Cassese,  Director General International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs –  Italy

Q&A and open floor discussion

Respondents:

  • Jordan Treakle - Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples Mechanism Representative
  • Adrienne Mollor - Private sector representative
  • Treasa Cadogan - United Nations Youth Delegate for Ireland

Closing remarks

Closing remarks by H.E. Gabriel Ferrero y de Loma-Osorio, CFS Chairperson, Ambassador at Large Global Food Security

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