Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Sunday, April 6, 2025

2nd Eastern Africa Agroecology Conference (EAAC25)

25 - 28 March 2025
. The 2nd Eastern Africa Agroecology Conference (EAAC25) Transforming Food Systems for Responsible Production, Consumption and Social Wellbeing
  • Pathways for enhancing production, productivity and sustainability of agri-food systems with agroecological interventions
  • Food security, nutrition, and health nexus: Soil health and farmer managed seed systems
  • Movements for empowerment of women and youth in agroecology
  • Trade, markets and economy: Implications for agroecological transitions
  • Institutional and policy opportunities for unlocking potential of agroecology in agri-food systems
  • Financing mechanisms for agroecological pathways and transitions
In a move to propel the growing global movement for agroecology, Kenya hosted the second Eastern Africa Agroecology Conference (EAAC) in Nairobi. The EAAC conference motivated stakeholders to invest in interventions that transform current unsustainable food systems by transitioning towards agroecology and more environmentally friendly solutions with long-term vision and planning. It has attracted over 820 participants from 43 countries across Africa and beyond, drawn from representatives of governments, the private sector, farmers’ associations, NGOs, academia, research institutions, investors, and development partners.

Organised by Biovision Africa Trust, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and over twenty partners, the conference harnessed the potential of agroecology in transforming and sustaining resilient agri-food systems. Themed ‘Strengthening Agri-Food System Transformation for Resilience, Sustainability and Socioeconomic Development’, the event promoted sustainable organic farming systems to improve food security, agricultural productivity and livelihoods across Africa while safeguarding the environment.

Extracts of the programme


25/03 Productivity, Production, Soil Health and Farmer Managed Seeds 

  • Markus Arbenz, Project Leader/Senior Consultant, Department of International Cooperation – FiBL Switzerland: “Evidence for Narratives” and other contributions of Research for Agroecology and Organic development in Africa 
  • Dr. Chrysantus Mbi Tanga, Senior Scientist, Head of Insects for Food, Feed and Other Uses (INSEFF) Program: Insect frass fertilizer innovations for better soil health and agri-food systems transformation in Africa 
  • Rémi Cluset, Agroecology advisor, FAO: Advancing agroecology with TAPE+: Tools for local and national policy action 

Panel Discussion
  1. Markus Arbenz, FIBL 
  2. Dr. Chrysantus Mbi Tanga, icipe 
  3. Remi Cluset, FAO 
  4. Dr. Sarah Olembo, Chair, ASBPP EOA FMSS Cluster 
  5. Daniel Wanjama, Executive Director, Seed Savers Network

25/03 Policy and Institutional Arrangements 

  • Dr. David Amudavi, Executive Director, Biovision Africa Trust
  • Dr. Hans R. Herren, Board Chair and President (2005-) Millennium Institute USA: Political and policy changes for a fair, healthy and regenerative food system
  • Dr. Ronnie Brathwaite, Senior Agriculture Officer (Plant Production and Protection Division) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Agroecology in a changing geopolitical climate 
  • Dr. Janet Edeme, Head Rural Economy Division & Acting Head of Agriculture and Food Security Division, African Union Commission, Addis, Ethiopia: Unlocking the Potential of Agroecology in Africa: Creating synergies with the AU CAADP Kampala Declaration
Panel Discussions
  1. Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, EGH Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock  Development Kenya
  2. Hon. Fred Bwino, State Minister for Agriculture, Uganda
  3. Dr. Hans R. Herren, Millennium Institute
  4. Dr. Ronnie Brathwaite, FAO
  5. Mr. Bodo Immink, Country Director GIZ
 


Thursday, April 3, 2025

AR4D Funding Opportunities for Africa - April 2025

Agriculture Fisheries Forestry

3-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

2025-04-15

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) invites applications for a three-year postdoctoral fellowship in tropical animal behavior. The annual stipend is US$62 thousand, and the annual research and travel budget is up to US$13 thousand per year. Fellows will be based in Panama and will have the opportunity to conduct comparative research throughout the tropics. Please note that applicants must find a STRI scientific staff member who will serve as their main host/advisor before submitting a final application. Applications have to be submitted by 15 April 2025.

Global Food Innovation Awards 2025

2025-04-24

The Arrell Food Institute invites nominations for the 2025 Arrell Global Food Innovation Awards. The Award recognizes global excellence in food innovation and community impact through research and food security. Individuals or teams of any country are eligible for nomination. Two winners will receive C$100 thousand each, plus up to C$25 thousand for travel and accommodation to participate in the Arrell Food Summit. Nominations may come from private companies, academic institutions, governmental units, charitable foundations, and not-for-profit organizations. Nominations are accepted until 24 April 2025.

Prize for Master Thesis in Food Security

2025-04-30

The Fiat Panis Foundation makes awards for university thesis and dissertation research in themes of agriculture, ecology, and natural resources, with a focus on food security in developing countries. The Hans Hartwig Ruthenberg Graduate Award is €7.5 thousand in support of qualified young scientists by honoring their excellent master thesis in the field of food security. The deadline for submissions (German, English) is 30 April 2025.

John Allwright Fellowship

2025-04-30

The Australian Center for International Agricultural Research awards the John Allwright Fellowship for university postgraduate studies in Australia. The aim of the Fellowship is to strengthen scientific research capability and institutional links in ACIAR partner countries to undertake high-quality and impactful research. In the 2026 intake round, research dedicated to addressing climate change, climate adaptation or strengthening resilience to climate change impacts is encouraged. Each awardee pursues research at an Australian tertiary institution relevant to the project in which the awardee is engaged. The deadline for applications is 30 April 2025.

Biodiversity Conservation Wildlife

Prize for Nature Conservation

2025-04-15

The Iris Prize celebrates and supports young people accelerating action to protect and restore nature. The Iris Project awards three grants each year: US$5,000 for ages 14-24 awarded for a new idea; US$10 thousand for ages 16-24 awarded for an existing project; US$15 thousand for ages 16-24 awarded for an established project. Application is open to individuals, teams and organizations from all around the world. Applications are open until 15 April 2025.

Transmitters for Wildlife Conservation

2025-04-15

Holohil Systems Ltd. supplies radio-tracking equipment and related services for wildlife research and management. Holohil manages a grant program to offer transmitters at a reduced or no cost for projects focusing on wildlife species of especially high research and/or conservation value. Holohil will contribute up to C$2,500 toward the purchase of transmitters. Holohil will pay all shipping charges. Eligibility to apply for the grants extends to conservation professionals and researchers anywhere in the world. Support is awarded four times a year. The application deadlines are 15 January, 15 April, 15 July, and 15 October each year.


Freshwater Storytelling

2025-04-22

The National Geographic Society invites proposals from storytellers to create and disseminate content that raises public awareness about sustainable freshwater use. The initiative seeks to illuminate global freshwater challenges, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Western Asia, and the Middle East. Applicants may request between US$20 thousand to US$100 thousand per grant. The deadline for applications is 22 April 2025.

International Green Gown Awards

2025-04-28

The International Green Gown Awards recognize exceptional climate sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges. Students and universities are invited to submit solutions to the climate and environmental crisis. The Awards are open to any university or college across the world. The deadline for applications is 28 April 2025.

Postgraduate Research Award

2025-04-30

The Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) offers students access to the Australian Museum’s collections and research programs. AMRI focuses on environmental challenges such as climate change impacts on biodiversity, the detection and biology of pest species, and understanding what constitutes and influences effective biodiversity conservation. The postgraduate award is open to students enrolled in any postgraduate qualification program relevant to the AMRI research priorities. AMRI provides financial support of $2,500. Applications for funding may be submitted until 30 April 2025.

Small Grants for Conservation in Africa

2025-04-30

The Jana Robeyst Trust Fund provides financial resources to small non-profit organizations and individuals to carry out conservation research in Sub-Saharan Africa. Priority will be given to projects related to the conservation of forest elephants. Applicants can be based anywhere in the world. Funding is €1,500 per applicant. Application deadlines for small conservation grants are 30 April, 31 August and 31 December each year.

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation

2025-04-30

The International Herpetological Symposium (IHS) provides financial assistance to individuals or organizations conducting herpetological research, conservation, and education. Grants are up to US$1,000. Eligibility extends to any individual from the herpetological community from around the world. Students are encouraged to apply. Proposals are due by 30 April of each year.

Crosscutting


Project Support for NGOs

2025-04-10

The Alstom Foundation invites project proposals from NGOs in eligible countries in the Asia-Pacific region, South Asia, Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa (a full list of eligible countries is provided in the call for proposals). The Foundation supports a range of activities, including support for water supply and sanitation; renewable energy; reforestation; waste management; ecotourism; and environmental awareness campaigns. All projects must be submitted together with an Alstom employee acting in the role of the Project Promoter. (Note: The Secretariat of the Alstom Foundation may offer support in finding a promoter. In this case, projects have to be submitted no later than 20 March 2025.) The regular submission deadline is 10 April 2025.

Scholarships for International Students 2025

2025-04-10

Xiamen University (XMU) in coastal Southeast China supports several doctoral, master's, and undergraduate programs in English. Subject areas at XMU include marine affairs, environmental sciences and ecology, life sciences, and many others. The university's scholarship programs include several for international students. The application deadline is 10 April 2025.

Krill Fishing and Marine Ecosystem

2025-04-11

The Antarctic Wildlife Research Fund (AWR) calls for proposals from scientific researchers who can aid in determining the impact of the krill fishing industry on the Antarctic marine ecosystem. Funding will range from US$25 thousand to US$90 thousand per project. The deadline for applications is 11 April 2025.

Masterclass Water-Energy-Food

2025-04-13

The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus Training 2025 provides capacity-building for professionals working at the intersection of water, energy, and food security. The program is open to policymakers, researchers, and practitioners globally. A limited number of full and partial sponsorships are available to financially needy candidates who meet the criteria to participate in the WEF Nexus in-person Advanced School. The application deadline is 13 April 2025.

Training for Social Entrepreneurs

2025-04-13

The Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship accepts applications for an accelerator program focused on social enterprises working on women’s economic power and/or climate resilience. The program is designed for established social entrepreneurs who directly serve people living in poverty who suffer disproportionately from climate change. Climate resilience falls into one of the following three categories: sustainable energy, availability of sustainable management of water and sanitation, and climate-smart agriculture. Non-profit, for-profit, or hybrid social enterprises that have a clear commitment to an earned revenue model with the potential for scale are all encouraged to apply. There are no geographical limitations. The application deadline is 13 April 2025.

Micro-Grants

2025-04-14

The Roots Micro-Grants Program supports youth-led projects to empower voices from the Global South to advocate for climate justice. The program provides grants of up to US$10 thousand to initiatives that prioritize climate justice and social equity. The program will provide grants for between 10-15 grassroots youth-led initiatives, with a focus on groups in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. The group/organization does not need to be legally registered in order to be eligible to apply. The application deadline is 14 April 2025.

Environmental Justice in Technology

2025-04-15

The Environmental Justice in Technology (EJIT) Fellowship is a remote, 12-week program supporting projects at the intersection of environmental justice and technology. The fellowship provides a US$3,000 stipend for four fellows dedicating approximately 20 hours per week. Fellows will engage in one of four focus areas: digital zine publishing, climate misinformation research, educational material development, or creative cultural interventions. Applicants should have experience in environmental justice through community work, study, or lived experience. The application deadline is 15 April 2025.

African Women in Biotechnology

2025-04-15

The ICGEB-SAWBP Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme supports South African women researchers holding a PhD degree, in Biotechnology or a related discipline who will perform hypothesis-driven research. Proposed research projects must fall within one of the ICGEB areas of research: Infectious Diseases, Non-Communicable Diseases, Bioinformatics, Plant Systems Biology, Biopesticides and Virology. The closing date for applications is 15 April 2025.

Solve Global Challenges

2025-04-17

The “Solve” program at MIT announces six global challenges in 2025, inviting anyone in the world to propose solutions to them. The 2025 challenges include one on climate adaptation. MIT Resilient Ecosystems Challenge seeks technology-based solutions that help communities restore, sustain, and benefit from resilient ecosystems. The winner receives a US$10 thousand grant. Additional prizes (from US$75 thousand to US$150 thousand) for solutions addressing specific challenges are available. The deadline for project draft submission is 17 April 2025.

COAL Prize 2025

2025-04-20

The COAL Prize 2025 invites artists to submit projects dedicated to fresh water. The Prize is open to artists from all over the world. The winner receives €12 thousand to support artwork in progress and benefits from an (optional) residence run by the Museum of Hunting and Nature at the Belval Domaine. In parallel, a call for projects is open for the COAL Student Prize – Culture & Diversity for students of schools in the artistic and cultural field. The application deadline is 20 April 2025.

Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program

2025-04-21

The U.S. Embassy in Cameroon seeks qualified candidates for the 2025-2026 Fulbright African Research Scholar Program. Awards of 3 to 9 months are offered for African university faculty or research institute professionals to conduct research in any academic discipline at a U.S. academic or research institution. The deadline for applications is 21 April 2025.

Accelerator Program

2025-04-25

The Biomimicry Institute seeks applications for its Ray of Hope Accelerator. The institute supports high-impact nature-inspired startups from all over the globe. Each selected startup receives US$15 thousand in non-dilutive funding and over US$50 thousand worth of in-kind services. The program includes tailored coaching, investor introductions, and a 4-day Nature Retreat. The application deadline is 25 April 2025.

Fellowship Program PhDs

2025-04-25

The King's Commonwealth Fellowship Programme (KCFP) PhD Fellowships provide funding for academic staff and professionals from Commonwealth Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to pursue a PhD while remaining in their home country. Fellows receive joint supervision from a university in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or the UK and benefit from financial support, including a GBP 30 thousand stipend over six years, a GBP 12 thousand research grant, and tuition fee waivers for study visits. Applicants must be enrolled or about to enroll in a PhD in climate change, education, engineering, or health. The application deadline is 25 April 2025.

Fellowships 2025

2025-04-27

The Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) supports capacity building in oceanography for individuals and institutions in developing countries. POGO’s Visiting Fellowships Program is open to scientists, technicians, graduate students (PhD), and post-doctoral fellows involved in oceanographic work. Priority is given to applicants in their early stages of career development. The fellowship offers the opportunity to visit other oceanographic centers for a short period of training on any aspect of oceanographic observations, analyses, and interpretation. The application deadline is 27 April 2025.

Sustainability Accelerator

2025-04-30

IBM accepts proposals for projects focused on sustainable consumption and production, driven by AI innovation. Selected participants will receive support over a two-year program, including access to IBM technologies, as well as technical mentorship and capacity-building workshops. The IBM Sustainability Accelerator is open to nonprofit and government organizations globally. The application deadline is 30 April 2025.

Collaborative Research Program

2025-04-30

The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) accepts proposals for the Collaborative Research Program (CRP), aimed at financing projects addressing original scientific problems. The program provides support for original research projects in basic life sciences, human healthcare, industrial and agricultural biotechnology, and bioenergy. The maximum annual contribution from ICGEB is €25 thousand. Applicants should hold positions at Universities or Research Institutes in ICGEB member states. The application deadline is 30 April 2025.

Scholarships to Participate in the One Young World Summit 2025

2025-04-30

The One Young World Summit brings together young talents (ages 18-30) from many nationalities to share solutions addressing the world’s pressing issues. To ensure that the most qualified young leaders participate in the Summit, regardless of their ability to pay, fully-funded scholarships are awarded. Each scholarship has its own deadlines and eligibility criteria, please check carefully. More scholarships will become available in the next couple of months.

Science Reporting Award

2025-04-30

The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (CASW) awards the Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award. The award recognizes the accomplishments of a mid-career science journalist. The winner receives US$20 thousand to undertake a significant reporting project. Candidates must be experienced journalists who have compiled a substantial body of work in science journalism. The deadline for submissions is 30 April 2025.

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

The Agroecology Partnership, funded by Horizon Europe

The Agroecology Partnership started on January 1, 2024, and will continue until December 31, 2030


The Agroecology Partnership is funded by Horizon Europe and unites the European Commission and 72 partners across 26 Member States, Associated Countries, and Third Countries 
  • It supports an agriculture sector that is fit to meet the targets and challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, food security and sovereignty, and the environment, while ensuring a profitable and attractive activity for farmers. 
  • The Partnership in particular pools the resources of the EC and the states involved to fund high-level research generating appropriate knowledge and technologies aligned with the core themes described below and in the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.

Living Labs

  1. Belgium - LLAEBIO (Living Lab Agroecology and Organic Agriculture)
  2. Denmark - CarbonFarm
  3. Denmark - DKOOF (The Danish Organic on-farm Living Lab)
  4. France - Occitanum
  5. Germany - PFN HESSEN (Practical research for organic agriculture and vegetable farming)
  6. Greece - InoFa (Internet of Food Alliance Support Office)
  7. Hungary - ÖMKi (On-Farm Living Lab)
  8. Italy - Valle Varaita Living Lab
  9. The Netherlands - Dutch National Agroecology Network
  10. United Kingdom - Innovative Farmers
  11. United Kingdom - CALL (Coventry Agroecological Living Lab)
  12. Serbia - PA4ALL (Precision Agriculture for All at BioSense)
  13. Switzerland - FiBL LL (FiBL On-Farm Network)

Research Infrastructures

  • Denmark - BIOBASE (Aarhus University research framework for agricultural biomass production)
  • France - LTSER ZAPVS (Long-Term Social-Ecological Research platform - Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre)
  • France - Oasys
  • Germany - EMPHASIS (Emphasis on plant phenomics)
  • Spain - LifeWatch-ERIC

Upcoming webinar:

26 March 2025.  10:00 am CET. Agroecology - SOILS 2!
  • By AGROECOLOGY Partnership 
  • This is a series of morning webinars open to anyone interested in exploring topics related to Agroecology. Each session offers insights from experts on practices, innovations, and sustainable approaches shaping the future of this field.

Previous webinar:

29 Jan 2025. Seeking the integration of soil-based principles in agroecological systems
  • Multi-actor solutions to facilitate the adoption of Sustainable Agricultural landscapes
  • Dr. Sabina Asins-Velis, introduced her project Into-DIALOGUE. 
  • Into-DIALOGUE understands that the adoption of Sustainable Agroecological Systems as a whole is difficult to be achieved in European and Turkish agricultural landscapes in the short term, given the complexity of holistically adopting their assumptions. 
  • Into-DIALOGUE provides an integrative multi-actor approach for the integration of soil-based systems, the ecological identity of farmers, the design of political measures, and the possibilities of collaboration offered by citizen participation to facilitate the transition.  

Other Horizon Europe Research projects

European Partnership on Animal Health and Welfare


The European Partnership on Animal Health and Welfare (represented by the abbreviation EUP AH&W or its acronym EUPAHW) is by far the most ambitious research and innovation initiative the European Commission (EC) has funded to control infectious diseases of animals, and to promote animal welfare. Launched this year (2024), the innovative Partnership is anticipated to invest €360 million over seven years to boost research and facilitate cooperation between all actors. The scope goes beyond the animal health and welfare actors to enhance cross sector collaboration and, through a One Health and One Welfare approach, to provide societal impact. The objectives of the EUP AH&W align with the European Green Deal and its associated Farm to Fork strategy for a fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly food system.


PRO-WILD - Protect and promote Crop Wild Relatives


PRO-WILD protects and promotes wild relatives of wheat, sugar beet, and oilseed rape, harnessing their valuable traits to improve nutritional quality and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. The project involves 19 partners from 11 countries and is co-funded by the EU, UK and Switzerland.
  1. ARO, Israel
  2. BOKU, Austria
  3. CREA, Italy
  4. CUK, Türkiye
  5. ELGO, Greece
  6. FiBL, Switzerland
  7. HCC, Romania
  8. IfZ, Germany
  9. Innolea, France
  10. INRAE, France
  11. IAM, France
  12. IPK, Germany
  13. IT, France
  14. JIC, United Kingdom
  15. KWS, Germany
  16. SV, Belgium
  17. UNIPA, Italy
  18. UNIPG, Italy
  19. Weizmann, Israel

FruitDiv consortium


FruitDiv is a European research project launched on the 1st of January 2024. The project is funded under the Horizon Europe framework for a period of five years (January 2024-December 2028). FruitDiv aims to monitor, characterise, use, and conserve the diversity of fruit tree Crop Wild Relatives (CWR), with a particular emphasis on pome (Malus, Pyrus) and stone (Prunus) fruits.

The FruitDiv consortium is coordinated by INRAE. It includes 26 multi-disciplinary partners from 10 EU Member States and four other European countries.

Cousin project


On January 1 2024 began Cousin, the project on the use and conservation of Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs) for sustainable agriculture, funded by Horizon Europe and coordinated by Universidad Rey Juan Carlos of Madrid.
  1. Università di Catania – UNICT
  2. Nordic Seeds AS – NOS
  3. Agrártudományi Kutatoòközpont – ATK
  4. Federal Office for Agriculture – FOAG
  5. Formica Blu – FB
  6. Institut de l’Agriculture et de l’Alimentation Biologiques ITAB
  7. The James Hutton Institute – JHI
  8. Universidade Católica Portuguesa – UCP
  9. Rete Semi Rurali ETS – RSR
  10. Ceratium BV
  11. Forschungsinstitut für Biologischen Landbau – FiBL
  12. Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics – CRAG
  13. Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research – IPK
  14. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – CSIC
  15. BioCrop Innovations – BCROP
  16. BETA Technological Centre (UVic-UCC)
  17. Getreidezüchtung Peter Kunz – gzpk
  18. European Plant Science Organisation – EPSO
  19. Cybiome – CYBI
  20. Environmental Social Science Research Group – ESSRG
  21. Wageningen University & Research – WUR
  22. University of Lausanne – UNIL
  23. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – AUTH
  24. Universidad Rey Juan Carlos – URJC
  25. Asociación Aprisco – APRI

Other: 31 May 2023 - 1 June 2023. The 2023 EU Agri Research Conference

This 2023 edition gathered over 500 participants in Brussels engaging scientists, farmers, rural communities, industry, advisors, policymakers, citizens and NGO representatives. Many more followed online. The conference brought critical thinking on how research and innovation can tackle the challenges faced by agriculture, forestry and rural areas, and building on current activities and achievements, what new opportunities should be explored.

See the 22 MARCH 2024, 2023 AgriResearch Conference Report



BIO4Africa is a project to contribute to food and nutritional security and combat poverty in rural Africa through inclusive and sustainable development. It focuses on transferring simple, small-scale and robust bio-based technologies to smallholder farmers, with testing sites in Uganda, Ghana, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire. The project is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and is composed of a balanced mix of 13 African and 12 EU partners.

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

GFAiR, innovating and operationalising agile impact partnership at scale

13 March 2025. GFAiR, innovating and operationalising agile impact partnership at scale

Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAiR) and AgriCord presented and discussed the Global NARS Consortium (GNC) with (funding) partners. With the participation of EC DG INTPA, APAARI, EFARD, FARA, sub-regional R&I Organisations and NARS in Africa, and CGIAR.
  • Ravi Khetarpal, Executive Secretary of APAARI (Presentation)

    "For decades, agricultural research has been dictated by global institutions, with NARS playing an implementation role. That model must change. NARS must define the agenda, ensuring research is demand-driven and delivers real impact on the ground."

  • Manish Rai, Head of Operations of APAARI

    "The Call to Action for the Global NARS Consortium (GNC) urges stakeholders to commit to strengthening NARS' leadership in agricultural research through strategic collaboration, resource mobilization, capacity building, and policy advocacy to drive impactful, evidence-based solutions for global agrifood challenges."

  • Leonard Mizzi, Head of unit « Sustainable agri-food systems & fisheries » in the Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Commission

    “The fiesta is over. If we want agricultural research to thrive, we must rethink how we prioritize, fund, and mobilize resources.” He called for concrete action backed by evidence, moving beyond assessments and discussions to demonstrable impact on the ground. He underlined the importance of scalability, ensuring that initiatives deliver tangible results rather than remaining in the realm of process-driven dialogue. 

  • Katja Vuori, Chief Executive officer at AgriCord

    “Coordination for coordination’s sake” is not enough. Farmer organizations already leading research must be recognized and resourced accordingly. The private sector is already heavily invested in agricultural research, particularly in areas like seed systems." 

  • Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director and Head of Mission of FARA

    “The GNC creates a direct link between NARS across regions, enabling real-time knowledge exchange. For example, research institutions in Uganda working on coffee are eager to collaborate with their counterparts in Latin America and Asia, but currently lack the mechanism to do so.” 

  • Stephen Muchiri, CEO of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF). 

    We cannot afford to keep working in silos. The future of agricultural innovation belongs to those willing to be intentional, bold, and disruptive. We must break down barriers and co-create solutions that work in the real world.”


  • Romano De Vivo, Vice Chair GFAiR – The Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation

    "The Global NARS Consortium (GNC) is a transformative initiative empowering NARS to lead agricultural research through strategic collaboration, sustainable funding, private sector engagement, and a commitment to action, with its official launch set for CGIAR Science Week in Nairobi."

  • Patrick Caron, Vice-chair of the CGIAR Integrated Partnership board member, President of Agropolis International

    “In France, before a wedding, we call it the ‘fiancé stage’. This is where we are with the GNC. We are not just launching another initiative. We are creating a global intelligence network – one that brings together NARS, CGIAR, private research institutions, and policymakers to co-create solutions for a changing world. It’s time to sign up and be part of this transformation.”



GFAiR's take away:

See more details in Day 3, forthcoming
Donor agencies today are increasingly taking more interest in issues such as institutional sustainability. The past two decades have seen a proliferation of short-term research projects which are hardly brought to scale. The trajectory of many researchers in the South is to hop from one research project to another most of the time funded by external sources.

However, research projects cannot scale if they are not embedded in strong (national) (research) institutes and farmers' organisations. Only strong research institutions can create incubators and connect with accelerators and venture capital to bring research outputs to scale in a market environment. Only strong farmers' organisations can translate development problems in farmer led research and afford scientific expertise.

The CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) is funded by donor governments, multilateral organisations and philanthropic foundations. Rather than focussing on its centres of excellence, it could – and should – do more to boost national research systems in developing countries by involving national actors in its research programmes. Capacity building initiatives are often limited to individuals, instead of strengthening institutional capacities. The (dist-)attraction of national researchers out of the national system due to better working and salary conditions, erodes the institutional strength and authority of NARS as well as ownership of the research agenda or alignment to national development and research priorities.


In the current volatile funding landscape, a fundamental rethinking is needed to rediscover the benefits of core funding to national organisations above the never ending proliferation of short-term pilot projects and more fragmentation.

Drastic budget cuts will dominate the discussions during the “Science Week” of the CGIAR in Nairobi from 7 to 12 April, as 10,000 jobs are at risk.

It may dilute the urgency of rethinking the overall agricultural research funding to strengthen national agricultural research and farmers' led research and innovation which is best positioned to bring research to scale, connect with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), pitch bankable research to local finance actors and investors and influence national policy making and priorities. 

Info-Day on WEFE4MED PRIMA Project

18 March 2025
. Info-Day on WEFE4MED PRIMA Project and the WEFE Nexus Community of Practice

The overall objective of the WEFE4MED Project is to foster the adoption of a Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus approach in the Mediterranean through a Nexus Community of Practice (NCoP) to confront the climatic and environmental challenges facing societies and agro-ecological systems. Bringing together practitioners, scientists, policymakers, civil society, media, entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors, the NCoP will convene, share knowledge and build capacities by deploying best practices and science-based policies and innovative solutions inspired by demonstration sites, showcasing the benefits of integrated natural resource management for sustainable, climate-resilient development in the Mediterranean.

Specific Objectives: facilitate the identification, testing, dissemination and replication of Nexus solutions in the Mediterranean; showcase to policymakers and other stakeholders the advantages of Nexus approach using specific case studies; promote the deployment of regional demonstration sites as laboratories for replication, upscaling and policy design.

Information webinar with the ANH Academy team

9 March 2025. Information webinar with the ANH Academy team about the Request for proposals: ANH Academy Regional Collaboratives

Entering its third phase in 2025, the ANH Academy is building on its growing interdisciplinary community, directing its efforts towards informing and supporting evidence-based policy change, through expanded partnerships in Africa and South Asia. As part of this process, it will establish regional collaborative partnerships—Regional Collaboratives—which will drive the use of evidence and knowledge in policy decision making in Africa and South Asia. The institutions involved in these partnerships will be formally integrated into the ANH Academy, co-managing and co-delivering with existing partners.


The Regional Collaboratives will be key partners in delivering the programme’s Theory of Change, through a co-design and co-delivery model that will foster skills, knowledge, and information needed to drive progressive evidence-based sustainable and equitable food systems policies and programmes for nutrition and health.

Two Regional Collaboratives will be funded, with awards of up to £2.3 million each for a period of 48 months.  The estimated start date is November 2025.

There will be 8–9-month inception phase for Regional Collaborative formation and onboarding, including laying the foundation for ways of working, governance and reporting mechanisms and project related financial systems. We will collaboratively design a review process to evaluate the inception phase progress, assess alignment with the objectives of the ANH Academy Platform and tailor ways of working. Conditional on successful reviews, Regional Collaboratives will operate for 48 months, inclusive of the inception phase.

ActivityTimeline (2025)
Launch of Stage 1 Proposals28 February 
Information webinar with the ANH Academy team – More details coming soon11 March 
Stage 1 Proposals submission deadline24 April 
Stage 1 reviews completed / notification of outcome29 May 
Invitation to submit Stage 2 proposals5 June
Stage 2 Proposal development5 June – 25 August
Stage 2 proposal submission deadline25 August 
Stage 2 proposal reviews completed25 September 
Notification of awards8 October
Due diligence and contracting completed16 November 
Expected start dateNovember 2025


Monday, March 17, 2025

Biodiversity & Food Systems Community Call

17 March 2025.
 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM (Europe/Amsterdam). First Biodiversity & Food Systems Community Call of the  the Netherlands Food Partnership

Based on consultations and interactions with >70 organizations in the food systems and biodiversity space during 2024, the Netherlands Food Partnership developed a collective plan for 2025 with four main activities to further bridge biodiversity and food systems as a community.

There is a lot of energy to do more on biodiversity and food systems. Taking a systems approach surfaces biodiversity as a critical leverage point to build resilience and address multiple challenges of food systems (see figure below). Moreover, in the urgency of climate change, biodiversity management is promoted as a top agri-food system climate solution in the National Determined Contributions (NDCs)(COP29, November 2024).

You can also find more background information on the 2025 plans in two different formats (long read or slide deck) and longer term theory of change here.

Agenda:

Global Processes & Events 
  • At what events will you be present? 
  • How can this community support our collective impact at these events? 
Use Cases 
  • Selection criteria 
  • What insights must jump out from the use cases to make it useful for you and the community? 
Resources 
https://www.nfpconnects.com/communities/bridging-biodiversity-and-food-systems

Related:

20 - 23 May 2025. Kunming, Yunnan, China. International Agrobiodiversity Congress (IAC)

Financing Smallholder Farmers Conference

17 - 21 March 2025
. African Development Bank, Pan-African Farmers Organization host conference on channelling financing to smallholder farmers

The conference brought together policymakers, research institutions, farmer associations, financial institutions, investors, development partners, civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, agribusiness leaders, and technology providers.

 Key focus areas:
  • Mapping the ecosystem of actors and highlighting scalable financial mechanisms.
  • Showcase innovative funding models to support smallholder farmers.
  • Strengthening linkages between the smallholder support ecosystem and funders.
  • Provide a robust data collection platform to track progress.
  • Identify actionable innovative financing mechanisms, including climate-finance for smallholder farmers, that can be employed to scale successful financing models.
Although, the African Development Bank and other development partners support African governments and large agricultural companies, critical players supporting smallholder farmers –seed and fertilizer companies, agtech and fintech firms, microfinance institutions, off-takers, aggregators, and advisory service providers – struggle to tap affordable financing at suitable terms.

PAFO represents more than 80 million African farmers integrated into nearly 73 national organizations, including unions, federations, cooperatives, and associations. It is recognized as the representative body of African farmers’ organizations at the highest continental level. 


Day 3: Conference on 'Boosting agrifood research and innovation cooperation for impact at scale'

11-13 March 2025. Brussels. Conference on ´Boosting agrifood research and innovation cooperation for impact at scale


Extract of Day 3


Consultation on the update of the AU-EU R&I FNSSA Roadmap


This session shared lessons and recommendations of the conference to strengthen, review and validate the emerging recommendations for the next phase of the FNSSA R&I Roadmap (2027-2036).
  • Stephen Onakuse, President of AGRINATURA
  • Patrick Okori, Executive Secretary of RUFORUM (Presentation)
  • Sokona Dagnoko, Executive Assistant to the Executive Secretary, head partnerships at RUFORUM (Presentation)
  • Sylvie Lewicki, Deputy Director General for Research and Strategy at CIRAD (Presentation)

Framing of the AU-EU FNSSA International Research Consortium (IRC)

This session gathered inputs for defining the salient processes in the operationalization process during the IRC pilot phase of the CEA-FIRST project.
  • Irene Annor-Frempong, FARA (Presentation)
  • Laurent Bochereau, Minister-Counsellor European Union Delegation to the African Union
  • Luis Vivas-Alegre, Team leader of the unit “Research and Innovation” of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
  • Leonard Mizzi, Head of unit « Sustainable agri-food systems & fisheries » in the Directorat-General for International Partnerships, European Commission
  • Mahaman Bachir Saley, Senior scientific officer African Union Commission
  • Hamady Diop, Post-Malabo CAADP Coordinator and Senior Advisor to the AU Special Envoy on Food Systems
  • Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director and Head of Mission of FARA

SCAR-ARCH event: Standing Committee for Agricultural Research - the European Agricultural Research towards greater impact on global CHallenges (ARCH)

This session addressed the importance of the internationalization of the EU R&I co-funded partnerships to achieve sustainable development at European and global scale, and propose pathways to improve R&I projects supported by EU co-funded partnerships, the inclusion of strategic third country partners with limited budget resources. 
  • Hans Joerg Lutzeyer (Presentation)
  • Panel (Presentation)
  • Vincenzo Lorusso, Policy Officer at the Directorate-General Science, Technology and Innovation cooperatio
  • Leonard Mizzi, Head of unit « Sustainable agri-food systems & fisheries » in the Directorat-General for International Partnerships, European Commission
  • Mahaman Bachir Saley, Senior scientific officer African Union Commission
  • Claude Yven, Head of the Food Unit in the Environment, Ecosystems and Biological Resources Department of the French National Research Agency and coordinator of the FutureFoods project.

GFAiR, innovating and operationalising agile impact partnership at scale

Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAiR) and AgriCord presented and discussed the Global NARS Consortium (GNC) with (funding) partners. With the participation of EC DG INTPA, APAARI, EFARD, FARA, sub-regional R&I Organisations and NARS in Africa, and CGIAR.
  • Ravi Khetarpal, Executive Secretary of APAARI (Presentation)
  • Manish Rai, Head of Operations of APAARI
  • Leonard Mizzi, Head of unit « Sustainable agri-food systems & fisheries » in the Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Commission
  • Katja Vuori, Chief Executive officer at AgriCord
  • Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director and Head of Mission of FARA
  • Romano De Vivo, Vice Chair GFAiR – The Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation
  • Patrick Caron, Vice-chair of the CGIAR Integrated Partnership board member, President of Agropolis International

Enhancing agroeocology research in Africa. Regional Multi-actors Research Network on agroecology in Africa


This session presented the 3 regional multi-actors research networks (RMRN) and the support provided by FARA, RUFORUM and JRC. In partnership with stakeholders, the RMRN identified specific agri-food systems challenges, develop effective solutions, and integrate comprehensive agroecology curricula into higher education institutions.
  • Baitsi Podisi, CAADP-XP4 Regional Programme Coordinator (Presentation)
  • Thomas Dubois, Director, Impact Delivery at ICIPE (Presentation)
  • Diarra Karamoko, UCAD
  • Kwaku Antwi, Policy Officer at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) (Presentation)
  • Félix Rembold, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Directorate D – Sustainable Resources, Food Security Unit

Global Monitoring and Evaluation of the DeSIRA Initiative 


This session presented and discussed the DeSIRA Global Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and the results of 2024 - by Pascale Debord, ASRAFS (See Presentation below)