Webinar and guidelines on Highly Hazardous Pesticides

12 November 2018. This webinar brought together representatives from the national pesticide regulatory authorities, the civil society and the private sector to speak on the challenges and the benefits of replacing highly hazardous pesticide in use in the agricultural sector. The speakers presentrf an overview of the main environmental and social issues associated with their use and recent country experiences in devising risk mitigation plans. Specific case studies on the phasing out of highly hazardous pesticides were presented. A private sector representative provided insights on market drivers and incentives for commodities produced without the use of highly hazardous pesticides.

The global pesticide use has grown continuously over the past 20 years. About 4 million tonnes of active ingredients where used in 2016. Highly Hazardous Pesticides, which are largely banned in industrialized countries for their potential to severely impact human health and the environment, are still readily available in many developing countries where the regulatory frameworks are inadequate to ensure proper use.

In these countries, agrochemical-dependent farming is often proposed as the inevitable path to economic development and welfare. The mismanagement of pesticides however can negatively impact on crop productivity, undermine the wellbeing of farm workers and rural communities, and jeopardize food safety and international food trade. The need to urgently address these impacts is well recognized by all global development and chemical agendas. In 2015, the fourth International Conference on Chemical Management declared highly hazardous pesticides as one of the emerging policy issues that need resolution in order to achieve the Agenda 2020. 

To this end, FAO and WHO have jointly published the “Guidelines on highly hazardous pesticides” and developed a strategy which calls for concerted action and wide stakeholder engagement.

• Opening remarks: Remi Nono Womdim, Deputy Director, Plant Production and Protection Division, FAO
• Highly hazardous pesticides - an emerging global issue in the sustainable development agenda: Francesca Mancini, FAO consultant
• Strategies to address highly hazardous pesticides in the field: David Kapindula, Operations Manager, Zambia Environmental Management Agency
• The health impacts of highly hazardous pesticides use: Michael Eddleston, Professor, Toxicology and Therapeutics Unit, University of Edinburgh
• Replacing highly hazardous pesticides with ecological alternatives: Keith Tyrell, Director, Pesticide Action Network (PAN), UK

6th International Conference on Organic Agriculture Sciences (ICOAS);

7 - 9 November 2018. Esterhazy Palace, Eisenstadt, Austria. 6th International Conference on Organic Agriculture Sciences (ICOAS).

• ICOAS brought together scientists, advisors, entrepreneurs, policy makers, associations, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to meet and discuss latest research results and developments in organic agriculture in Central and Eastern European countries.
• ICOAS fosters the strong partnership across stakeholders in Central and Eastern Europe. Knowledge dissemination and capacity building along the value chain in Central and Eastern European countries are the main focus of ICOAS. Therefore, ICOAS actively contributes to the promotion of research and innovation in the organic sector.

ICOAS took place in two main parts – the two-day Scientific Conference, followed by the Organic Policy Summit.

Extracts of the programme

Pathways to phase-out contentious inputs 

Chair: Ulrich Schmutz – Coventry University, UK 

• Replacement of Contentious Inputs in Organic Farming Systems (RELACS) – a comprehensive Horizon 2020 project, Veronika Maurer, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), CH 
• Pathways to phase-out contentious inputs from organic agriculture in Europe – Research overview and preliminary results, Ulrich Schmutz, Coventry University, UK 
• Lessons learned from phase-outs – the case of the peat phase-out in the United Kingdom, Judith Conroy, Coventry University, UK

Better knowledge transfer and dissemination across all stakeholders in organic agriculture 

• Chair: Klaus Wiesinger, Bavarian State Reseach Center for Agriculture (LfL), Germany 
• Knowledge transfer in organic farming in Estonia, Elen Peetsmann, Estonian University of Life Sciences, EEstonia
• Low Input dairy farming in Austria – Experiences from training courses and results of participating farmers, Andreas Steinwidder, Höhere Bundeslehrund Forschungsanstalt Raumberg Gumpenstein, Austria 
• Pleasurable Cooking Lessons work! Findings from the Pilot Phase of Schule des Essens (School of Eating), Theres Rathmanner, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FIBL), Austria

Consumers’ perspectives and attitudes towards organics 

• Chair: Anja Eichinger, Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Austria 
• Organic - what consumers think, Reinhard Geßl, Freiland Verband, Austria
• Organic Agriculture and Food Industry in Austria - attitudes, wishes, expectations and knowledge of young people and young adults, Andreas Steinwidder, Höhere Bundeslehr- und Forschungsanstalt Raumberg Gumpenstein, Austria 
• Organic or Local Food: Consumers’ Attitudes and Preferences for Vouchers, Iva Zvěřinová, Charles University, Czech republic

Global Future Farming Summit

6 November 2018. Wageningen, Netherlands. Global Future Farming Summit

The agri- and horticultural sector are still changing rapidly. The world is asking to produce more food using fewer resources and to take into account the society and the environment. These are the challenges the sector is facing every day. The urgency for agri- and horticultural production systems to change is at an all-time high, but for the first time in decades, current technological innovations may allow the systems to take a leap in their performance output. New technologies such as blockchain but also data-driven processes, promise speed and efficiency and have a major impact on the sector and the distribution of power and knowledge between players in the agricultural ecosystem. Investment companies and large technology companies such as Microsoft see the growing business potential in agri- and horticulture.

Extracts of the programme

Transform and prosper or be disrupted
Deborah Nas, Professor Innovation TU Delft
Seven technologies that will transform the agricultural and horticultural industry
Farms are becoming tech companies
Where do you see business opportunities?

Look beyond the Field

Claudia Rössler, Director Industry Solutions for Chemical and Agriculture Microsoft Corporation
Feeding the world with precision agriculture
The reason why to invest in agriculture
Unlock the full potential of the industry

Take the guesswork out growing by using big data

Ros Harvey, Founder and Managing Director, The Yield
The Yield story
How technology and data science contribute to the governance of the planet
Five AgTech predictions for 2025

Create impact on your business focusing on people, planet and profit
Joris Lohman, Co-founder Foodhub

Understanding the changing world of food and agriculture
Stimulating the transition to a fair, healthy, tasty and sustainable food system
Speed up the transition to a ‘good, clean and fair’ food system

African Investment Forum

7-9 November, 2018.  Johannesburg, South Africa. African Investment Forum. Around 350 investors from 53 countries from across the globe were in attendance with 30 of these representing African countries. The rest were from outside the continent including representatives from United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, France, United States, China, Japan and Switzerland.

Close to 80% of the investment ready deals that were being negotiated in the boardrooms of the Africa investment Forum have been signed.

At the beginning of the inaugural forum 61 projects with a value of $40.4-billion were set to be discussed in closed boardroom discussions between investors, governments and promoters. On Friday, the last day of the conference, 45 of those deals worth R32-billion had been closed.

Extract of the progrramme

AGRIBUSINESS: INVESTMENT CONVERSATION WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS
Industry leaders discuss investment opportunities in the agriculture sector.

• Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, EC  
• Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Minister of Finance of Nigeria

Investment Roundtable: 

• Aliko Dangote, Chairman and CEO, Dangote Group 
• William Asiko, CEO, Grow Africa 
• John George Coumantaros, Chairman of the Board, Flour Mills of Nigeria 
• Roberto Ridolfi*, Special Advisor on strategy and financing development, FAO 
• TP Nchocho, CEO, Land and Agricultural Bank of South Africa 
• Julie Gichuru, Founder and CEO, Arimus Media Limited (moderator)

INVESTING IN COMMODITY EXCHANGES 

Large and growing net food imports demonstrate that there are substantial markets for prospective agribusiness investors to address, worth over US$100bn by year by 2025. However, today, Africa’s participation in the global agricultural commodity and value added market remains limited, at only 2%. This session discussed investment opportunities for producers and buyers in a more structured food trade eco-system. 

Investment Roundtable: 
There is a need to invest US$45 billion per year to harness the power of agriculture and move up the value chain to create jobs and wealth. At present, only US$7 billion is invested in the sector. Investments from the private sector will create the adequate environment and enhance the emergence of locally owned agro-processing industries, capable of creating jobs and increasing incomes in rural Africa. The continent could become a net exporter of agricultural commodities, replacing US$110 billion worth of imports, as well as doubling its share of market value for select processed commodities.

• Jennifer Blanke, Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development, African Development Bank
  Agriculture is a key priority for the African Development Bank, through our Feed Africa strategy. Understand that by transforming Africa’s agriculture sector it will become the engine that drives Africa’s economic transformation through increased income, better jobs higher on the value chain, improved nutrition, and so on.
  
  
• John Coumantaros, Chairman of the Board, Flour Mills Nigeria
  
• Jendayi E. Frazer, Managing Partner, Africa Exchange Holdings, Limited 
• TP Nchocho, CEO, Land Bank 
• Kevin Njiraini, Regional Director, Southern Africa and Nigeria, International Finance Corporation 
• Ramsey Day, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID - Jodi Engelberg, Founding Member, The ValueWeb (moderator) 

Financing pitches: 

• Ayodeji Balogun, Regional Director, Africa Exchange Holdings, Ltd., Nigeria 
• Joshua Rugema, Country Director, East Africa Exchange, Rwanda 
• Kristian Moller, CEO, Agricultural Commodity Exchange for Africa, Malawi

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS TO POSITION AFRICA AT THE TOP OF AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINS 
 Investment opportunities in infrastructure that will transform the African rural landscape into economic zones of prosperity.  The role of Staple Crop Processing Zones in laying out the foundation for Africa’s agro-industrialisation and contribution to lifting millions of Africans out of poverty.

Investment Roundtable:

• Hon. Gugile Nkiwinti, Minister of Water and Sanitation of South Africa 
• Jennifer Blanke, Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development, African Development Bank 
• Nialé Kaba, Minister of Planning and Development, Cote d’Ivoire Department for International Trade 
• Ronnie Ntuli, CEO, Thelo 

Financing Pitches: 

• Hon. Higino Marrule, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Republic of Mozambique 
• Hon. Mrs. Fetlework Gebre-Egzihaber, Minister of Industry and Trade, Ethiopia 
• Hon. Michael Katambo, Minister of Agriculture, Zambia 
• Gabriel Curtis, Ministre, Ministère des Investissements et des Partenariats Publics Privés, Guinee

OTHER PANELS

INVESTING IN WOMEN FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH 

Key challenges faced by women-led businesses. Innovative financing tools to close the gap. Identifying the catalytic drivers and opportunities to scale up investments in women. Best practices around gender lens investing.

• Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina, President, African Development Bank 
• Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau*, Minister of International Development, Canada 
• Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria Limited 
• Salwa Akhannouch*, Founder and CEO, Aksal Group 
• Daphne Mashile-Nkosi, Executive Chairperson, Kalagadi Manganese 
• Bronwyn Nielsen, Anchor-at-large, CNBC Africa (moderator) 

G20 COMPACT WITH AFRICA (CWA) THE POLICY PANEL 
The creation and sustainability of enabling investment environments.

• Hon. Tito Titus Mboweni, Minister of Finance, South Africa 
• Hon. Wolfgang Schmidt, State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Germany 
• Hon. Jim Carr*, Minister of International Trade Diversification, Canada 
• Hon. Jens Frølich Holte, State Secretary International Development, Norway 
• Ian Steff, Assistant Secretary for Global Markets and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce 
• Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank 

Investment Roundtable by Compact with Africa Ministers:

• Hon. Thierry Tanoh, Minister of Petroleum, Energy, and Renewable Energy, Cote d’Ivoire 
• Hon. Zied Ladhari, Minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation, Tunisia 
• Hon. Sileshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Ethiopia 
• Hon. Mohammed Benchaaboun, Minister of Economy and Finance, Morocco 
• Bronwyn Nielsen, Anchor-at-large, CNBC Africa (moderator)

The use of electro culture for plant growth in China

19 October 2018. Researchers in China have made a breakthrough that means more food can be grown without placing a burden on these finite resources. It all hinges on the introduction of one key component: electricity.

According to the South China Morning Post, experiments by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, involving farms across the country, found that vegetable crop yields could be increased by 20 to 30%. That’s despite using substantially less pesticide (a decrease of between 70 and 100%) and a 20% reduction in fertilizer consumption.

In a series of large greenhouses, with a combined area of 3,600 hectares (8,895 acres), bare copper wires have been suspended three metres above ground level. The cables run the full length of the greenhouses and carry rapid pulses of positive charge, up to 50,000 volts. These high-voltage bursts kill bacteria and viral plant diseases both in the air and the soil. They also affect the surface tension of any water droplets on the leaves of plants, accelerating vaporization.

The introduction of electricity into the plants’ immediate environment is also credited with helping assist the transportation of naturally charged particles, such as bicarbonate and calcium ions, within the plants.

It also seems to speed up metabolic activities like carbon dioxide absorption and photosynthesis, the process whereby sunlight enables plants to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose, generating oxygen as a byproduct.

The study’s encouraging results are leading to an increase in the use of electro culture throughout China, with an extra 1,000 to 1,300 hectares of growing space being added each year. At current rates of growth, that represents a 40% increase year-on-year.

The strength of rural agricultural institutions, research and development will influence African agriculture

1 November 2018. Tom Jayne, a professor of food and resource economics at the US-based Michigan State University and Onyeka Akumah, founder and chief executive officer of Nigeria-based Farmcrowdy, spoke to SciDev.Net during the Africa Green Revolution Forum in Rwanda (4-8 September).

They are of the opinion that there is a need to think about innovation more broadly in Africa’s farming context if it is to yield more, alleviate poverty and improve lives and livelihoods.

“If smallholders in Africa are going to be empowered and really thrive as a business, innovation is not just going to happen in technology but also in institutions. The strength of rural agricultural institutions, research and development, and the rate of farm technology advancements will influence African agriculture.Challenges confronting farming in Africa include migration of youth from rural to urban settings and smallholders’ low adoption rates of conservation agriculture: a farming system that promotes maintenance of a permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance and diversification of plant species.”  Tom Jayne,

Onyeka Akumah, founder of Farmcrowdy, a digital agriculture platform that connects small-scale farmers with investors to boost food production in Nigeria, says technology in agriculture needs to improve yields as well as operations, adding that a focus has to be on broadening the impact of technology.

 “There is a whole [set of] business that revolves around agriculture, whether it is logistics, warehousing, processing or exporting. Now you can go on our mobile app or on our website and decide whether you want maize, rice or sorghum farmer or cassava farmer, make your decision and invest your money through the platform.”

 

8th Annual Indigenous and Traditional Food Fair

19 October 2018.  Kampala. 8th Annual Indigenous and Traditional Food Fair organized by Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM).

See full report (24 pages)

Hundreds of farmers from across the country gathered in Kampala to present the case for conserving indigenous food-crops, and their products.

Over 42 organisations (22 of which were PELUM Uganda member organisations) showcased their indigenous and traditional foods and drinks. Parallel to the exhibitions were presentations made by representatives from; Youth Association for Rural Development (YARD), Bioversity International and Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD).

A total of 317 people (113 women and 214 men) participated in the event.

Since 2008, PELUM Uganda embarked on a campaign to restore the utilization and conservation of Indigenous and traditional foods among communities in Uganda.

Several activities have been undertaken to this effect including national and regional food fairs, documentation of indigenous and traditional foods in Uganda and implementing projects to revamp indigenous food and seeds.

I appreciate PELUM Uganda for organizing an event that celebrates indigenous and traditional foods and bringing together people from all walks of life to showcase their indigenous and traditional knowledge. Although Uganda had over 120 species of indigenous foods and seeds, 2011 and 2016 statistics indicate that 29% children were still stunted. This calls for more efforts in promoted the nutritional and medicinal value of these foods. Dr. Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, the Head of Department, Agricultural and Biological Sciences at Uganda Christian University. 

Particularly, Indigenous food fairs have consistently been held at the national level on an annual basis since 2012. Through such food fairs, communities have become aware of the importance of reviving their traditional food practices and production, leading to increased local resilience and food security. Exhibitors beautify their food through presenting traditional dishes and explaining and documenting the cultural and ecological links.

"Indigenous and traditional seed systems contribute to the conservation of agriculture biodiversity and are critical in diversity of foods to ensure dietary mixture in small holder communities. Expanding Industrial agriculture has a big impact on the country’s environment due to the chemicals released from inorganic fertilizers which are highly used in the growing of hybrid crops. Such chemical contribute to the release of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Relying on planting genetic, improved and high yielding varieties undermines food security and conservation of agro-biodiversity in the country” Stella Lutalo, the country Director PELUM Uganda

Food Security in Nigeria’s Changing Climate

8 November 2018. Brussels. Nigerian Embassy. Film Screening Swallow: Food Security in Nigeria’s Changing Climate

This film addresses challenges brought on in part by changing climate, inadequate infrastructure and agricultural practices.

This video is a call to action featuring Amina J Mohammed, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Saleh Momale, Nnimmo Bassey, Nnali Shekari, Amara Nwankpa, Samson Ogbole, Jerry L. Cunningham and H. E. Olusegun Obasanjo

Programme 

• Welcome H.E. Ahmed Inusa, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Belgium
• Film Introduction Mr. Amara Nwankpa, Director, Public Policy Initiative Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation
• Film screening SWALLOW: Food Security in Nigeria’s Changing Climate
• Remarks Mrs. Birgitte Nygaard Markussen, Deputy Managing Director, European External Action Service

Related:
9 November 2018. Brussels. DevCo Infopoint Lunchtime conference.  Screening of Swallow: Food Security in Nigeria's Changing Climate

• Welcome: Mr Leonardo Mizzi Head of Unit, DEVCO C1- Rural Development, Food Security, Nutrition 
• Introduction: Mr. Amara Nwankpa Director, Public Policy Initiative Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation
• Mrs. Jacqueline Farris Director General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation

Knowledge on SPS capacity building

29-30 October 2018. Geneva. The Standards and trade Development Faclity (STDF) Working Group gathered together over 50 agriculture, health and trade experts from partners, donors, developing country experts and a wider network of international and regional organizations, and the private sector.

The discussions spanned the latest SPS topics, with Good Regulatory Practice, facilitating safe trade and Public Private Partnerships moving to the top of STDF's agenda for 2019.

• The safe food imperative – World Bank Group highlighted the economic case for improving food safety for domestic markets and trade, proposing smarter investment avenues, according to the findings of their latest study supported by U.S. FDA. 
• Trade and natural disasters – WTO shared ongoing research supported by Australia, looking at the link to SPS issues. 
• Gender and SPS measures – ICTSD presented the case for gender mainstreaming from its study supported by Australia. 
• Developing national SPS systems – SPS expert, Kees Van Der Meer, showcased good practices in preparing SPS action plans.
• Spillovers of SPS capacity building – Michigan State University discussed findings from a PPG on how trade-related projects affect the domestic situation, and recommendations for more co-benefits.

Upcoming projects
4 new STDF projects and 4 project preparation grants were approved with STDF funding of US$2,297,972. 

• Burkina Faso – addressing aflatoxin challenges in maize for export and domestic markets
• India – upgrading food safety management in selected spice value chains
• Kyrgyz Republic – helping public and private sector address food safety for regional markets 
• Uganda – improving SPS compliance of fruit and vegetable exports

New STDF project preparation grants

• Africa and Latin America – developing projects on third party assurance programmes, linked to Codex 
• Asia – developing a collaborative, regional framework on bio-pesticides
• Niue – assessing the SPS needs to promote safe bees export

New STDF briefing on environment
STDF’s briefing (October 2018, 4 pages) ‘Promoting safe trade, protecting the environment’ is now online. Find out how SPS measures protect the environment. See how STDF projects help small-scale farmers to use non-toxic inputs for safe trade, develop knowledge solutions and connect SPS and environmental agencies. 

Upcoming events

• 12-13 February 2019 - Addis Ababa, International Food Safety Conference 
• 23-24 April 2019 - Geneva, International Forum on Food Safety and Trade 

Related:

Over the last years, the STDF has funded a Total Diet Study (TDS) project, implemented by FAO in collaboration with WHO and the Centre Pasteur in Cameroon, benefiting Benin, Cameroon, Mali and Nigeria. 

• The project has led to strengthened capacity in the countries to conduct a TDS, food contamination data were generated, risk assessments for harmful food chemicals were conducted, knowledge was shared and stakeholder groups were sensitized on the outcome of TDS. 
• The next step is to translate TDS outcomes further into risk management, communication and policy. 
• The results of the project are captured in a short video entitled "How Safe is Africa's Food?", which will be released shortly. 
• In moving forward, more assistance should be provided by bilateral donors to scale up the TDS approach, in order to make the case for more informed food safety investments.

Related:

Calls for Proposals and Tenders  « EU-Asia cooperation on (Phyto-)Sanitary (SPS) and Food Safety Regulation”

This action intends to improve regulatory cooperation on SPS and food safety between EU and ASEAN and Asia partners and expand economic opportunities for businesses in Asia. The action aims at avoiding unjustified restrictions in trade resulting from sanitary and phytosanitary control measures and facilitating the access of food and drink products to the respective markets. The target countries are China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

Transforming the Livestock Sector through the Sustainable Development Goals

15-19 October 2018. Rome. The Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

17 October 2018. Rome. Launch Event: World Livestock (WoLi) Report: Transforming the Livestock Sector through the Sustainable Development Goals

FAO. 2018. World Livestock: Transforming the livestock sector through the Sustainable Development Goals. Rome. 222 pp.

For decades, the livestock debate has focused on how to increase production in a sustainable manner. However, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has shifted the emphasis from fostering sustainable production per se, to enhancing the contribution of the sector to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This publication examines the sector’s interaction with each of these Goals, as well as the potential synergies, trade-offs, and complex interlinkages.

This global report is intended to serve as a reference framework that Member States and stakeholders can use as they engage in the transformation process of the livestock sector towards sustainability. It calls for an integrated approach towards livestock sustainable development, highlights the effective adaptation of the SDGs into specific and targeted national policy action as the major challenge ahead, and flags the steps in the implementation road map.

Numbers of note

• Currently, livestock production employs at least 1.3 billion people worldwide.
• About 600 million of the world's poorest households keep livestock as an essential source of income
• Between 2000 and 2014, global production of meat rose by 39 percent; milk production increased by 38 percent.
• Meat production is projected to increase another 19% by 2030, and milk production another 33% in the same period.
• Livestock production accounts for 40 percent agriculture output in developed countries and 20 percent of agricultural output in developing countries
• Animals remain an important source of power. In India, for instance, two-thirds of the country's cultivated area is ploughed using animal energy, and 14 million animal-drawn carts haul up to 15 percent of the country's total freight.
• The introduction of advanced genetics, feeding systems, animal health controls and other technologies over the past four decades allowed industrialized countries to reduce their overall land requirements for livestock by 20 percent while doubling meat production.
• Wider adoption of existing best practices and technologies in feeding, health and husbandry, and manure management - as well as greater use of improved technologies - could help the global livestock sector cut its GHG emissions by as much as 30 percent.

PAEPARD blog posts October 2018

Please find hereunder the blog posts related to ARD activities in October 2018. 

1.       Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for enhancing ARD new resource *** PAEPARD support
31 October 2018. African Journal of Rural Development Vol 3 No 1 (2018)

2.       Programming Research and Innovation for Improved Impact PAEPARD participation

30-31 October 2018. Brussels. The SCAR Strategic Working Groups ARCH, AKIS and Food Systems meeting.

3.       Plant Resources of Tropical Africa new resources ***

This series is an output of the PROTA foundation, which seeks to improve understanding and information on the plant resources of tropical Africa.

4.       Can livestock business involvement in the global South

30 October 2018. Gent, Belgium. Organised by Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium and be-troplive

5.       Strengthening sustainable food and nutrition security in Africa PAEPARD participation

26 October 2018. Panel debate Strengthening sustainable food and nutrition security in Africa

6.       USAID awards second phase of funding to Genomics

25 October 2018. UC Davis researchers are leading an international effort to identify genes crucial to breeding chickens with enhanced resistance to Newcastle disease and heat stress.

7.       16th Globelics Conference

24-25 October 2018. Accra, Ghana.

8.       AgroWorld 2018

25- 27 October 2018.  New Delhi, India.

9.       4 PER 1000 Africa symposium on soils for food security

24 - 26 October 2018. Johannesburg, South Africa. This symposium was organised by the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency and Regeneration International.

10.   Increasing global food demand provides opportunities for young African entrepreneurs

23 October 2018. In this year’s group of 20 fellows selected for the African Leadership Academy’s Anzisha Prize (presented in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation), there are four young entrepreneurs (hailing from Uganda, Kenya, Benin and Cameroon)

11.   The Sixth African Higher Education Week PAEPARD participation

22 - 26 October 2018. KICC,Nairobi, Kenya. The 2018 RUFORUM Biennial conference overall theme was “Aligning African Universities to accelerate attainment of Africa’s Agenda 2063”.

12.   East Africa needs a regional research agenda

22-24 October 2018. Kampala, Uganda.

13.   Exploring Access to Videos for Extension in Malawi new resource ***+ video

July 2018. 14 pages

14.   Public-private partnership experienced by PAEPARD new resource ** PAEPARD support

22 October 2018. AUTHORS: Alfred S., Muchiri S. and Kahane R. 9 pages

15.   Seventh Conference on Climate Change and Development

10-12 October 2018.

16.   Strengthening the capacity of multi-stakeholder partnerships new resources *** PAEPARD support

22 October 2018. Nairobi, Kenya. Launch of PAEPARD THEMATIC BRIEFS @ the PAEPARD 16th Management Team Meeting (MTM).

17.   Addressing the Challenges in Communicating Climate... new resource ***

20 October 2018. The International Climate Change Information and Research Programme (ICCIRP)  has coordinated the inputs by a team of over 100 specialists, to produce these two publications

18.   Horizon 2020 Info Day Kenya PAEPARD participation

18 October 2018. Nairobi. Horizon 2020 Info Day: Funding opportunities for cooperation between Africa and Europe through Horizon 2020.

19.   2018 Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium + video

17-19 October 2018. Des Moines, Iowa. USA. The theme of the 2018 Borlaug Dialogue, Rise to the Challenge, explored the massive effort to feed 9.5 billion people expected by 2050.

20.   Committee on World Food Security (CFS) 45 + video

15-19 October 2018. Rome.

21.   Nutrition Africa Investor Forum + video

16-17 October 2018. Nairobi (Kenya). T

22.   Groundnut aflatoxin exposure and food safety PAEPARD participation

17 October 2018. Pretoria. Presntation on Groundnut aflatoxin exposure and the food safety policy environment – need for a systems approach Willeke De Bruin, University of Pretoria

23.   A wind turbine to fight aflatoxin contamination PAEPARD participation

17 October 2018. Pretoria. Presentation made by Francis Agbali, University of Kentucky. US

24.   2nd International Conference on Food Safety and Security PAEPARD participation

15-17 October 2018. Pretoria. 2nd International Conference on Food Safety and Security.

25.   Promote and recognize the value of these 'forgotten foods’

Bioversity International and partners reveal that most of the world's vegetable species are poorly documented, and present a study and database with the aim to help promote and recognize the value of these 'forgotten foods'.

26.   Call for proposals under the Africa - Ireland Agri-food Development Programme + video

11 -12 October 2018. Dublin Ireland.

27.   Science Forum 2018 (SF18)

10-12 October 2018. Stellenbosch, South Africa. Win more, lose less: Capturing synergies between SDGs through agricultural research.

28.   A new bioeconomy strategy for a sustainable Europe...

11 October 2018. The European Commission has put forward an action plan to develop a sustainable and circular bioeconomy that serves Europe's society, environment and economy.

29.   Second African Congress on Conservation Agriculture

9-12 October 2018. Johannesburg, South Africa. The purpose of the 2ACCA initiative was to facilitate diverse and open sharing of experiences and information on CA

30.   Conference for Stored Product Protection.

7-11 October 2018 in Berlin, Germany. IWCSPP 2018 - 12th International Working Conference for Stored Product Protection.

31.   LEAP-Agri Project’s Kick-Off Meeting of ERA-Net LEAP funded projects + video

8–10 October 2018, Bari, Italy. LEAP-Agri Project’s Kick-Off Meeting of ERA-Net LEAP-Agri Funded Projects.

32.   Max Rubner Conference 2018, Fungi and Mycotoxins in food

8-10 October 2018. During MRC2018, the most important issues concerning mycotoxins, along the safety aspects of foods were covered

33.   Food Sovereignty & Refugee Path Immigrants + video

7 October 2018. food sovereignty among a Somali community

34.   Rebranding Africa Forum + video

5-6 October 2018. Ouagadougou. The theme of this 5th edition was: “Challenges and opportunities of the green economy in Africa”.

35.   Diaspora innovations for agricultural productivity + video

5 October 2018. Brussels. The global Diaspora week.

36.   Access Agriculture wins Prize D4D in Belgium

4 October 2018. Brussels. After presenting its innovative approach, products and services to a jury comprising 20 major actors main development players in Belgium, Access Agriculture was selected as the winner of ‘iStandOut’ category at the biannual Prize Digital for Development (D4D).

37.   Global Agricultural Trade Liberalization and its Implications new resource ***

AERC Research Paper 350 African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi August 2018, 35 pages

38.   IDRC's Towards a Food Secure Future + video coverage forthcoming

3-4 October 2018. Ottawa, Canada.

39.   The 8th Africa Nutritional Epidemiology Conference

1-5 October 2018. Addis Ababa. Including a symposium on traditional and indigenous food resources: “Mainstreaming agrobiodiversity in African food systems for healthy and sustainable diets”

40.   FMO Future of Finance 2018 + video

1-2 October 2018. Utrecht, the Netherlands. The Fifth bi-annual Future of Finance conference brought together over 500 global financial experts.

41.   Revolution in Food and Biomass Production

1-2 October 2018. Cologne (Germany). Revolution in Food and Biomass Production; High-tech strategy for a sustainable biomass supply.

42.   Third PACA Partnership Platform Meeting

2-4 October 2018, in DAKAR, SENEGAL. Third PACA Partnership Platform Meeting (PPM).

a.       Association between maternal aflatoxin exposure and birth outcomes in Uganda

Elevated maternal AFB-Lys levels were significantly associated with lower infant birth weight, in addition to lower weight-for age Z-score (WAZ), smaller head circumference, and lower HCZ in infants at birth.

b.       Spotlight on the GrainMate Moisture Meter of Ghana + video
GrainMate Grain Moisture Tester helps prevent post-harvest losses in grains by helping farmers accurately determine the exact moisture content in their grain crops before storage.

c.       Launch of two new videos on aflatoxins in maize @ PACA PPMeeting + video
They have been posted on the platform www.accessagriculture.org. These videos are currently available in English and French. They are freely downloadable, also in 3gp format for mobile phone viewing.

Total number of page views in the month of October 2018: 27,261

Can livestock business involvement in the global South help save the world?

30 October 2018. Gent, Belgium. Conference: Can livestock business involvement in the global South help save the world? Organised by Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium and be-troplive

Can the public sector, not-for-profit organizations and private actors work together and invest in livestock and animal health in the global South? Can their collaboration help to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s)? 

More info: definitive program and flyer of the event.

“An introduction to public-private partnership for sustainable development” – Björn Macauter, General Manager Ondernemers voor Ondernemers

Private investment in livestock and animal health 

• What is your company/organisation doing in types of activities related to animal health/livestock in the global South? 
• How do you think the work of your business/organisation contributes to overall sustainable development and by extension the SDG agenda? 
• Do you see certain trade-offs between your business interests and overall sustainable development? • What would be the most important requirement for successful collaboration between different stakeholders to assure sustainable development and to attain the SDGs? 

• Maarten De Gussem for Vetworks/Flanders Poultry Cluster, Belgium 
• Geoffry Ackaert for Inovet, Belgium 
• Moussa Coulibaly, for the Federation of Intervenors of the Meat Livestock Sector (FEBEVIM), Mali • A representative for Zoetis, Belgium 

How can different stakeholders work together in the field of animal health and livestock to assure sustainable development? 

• Moussa Coulibaly, the Federation of Intervenors of the Meat Livestock Sector (FEBEVIM) 
• Ronald Kabbiri, PhD, Ugent Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Agricultural Economics 
• Guy Hendrickx, CEO at Avia-GIS 
• Jelle Goossens, Rikolto