Sophia Amoah, Author at FARA Africa

AFAAS, ASARECA and CCARDESA Sign MoU to Work Together

Sophia Amoah — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 10:13:53 +0000

The African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS), in conjunction with the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) and the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), have signed a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their collaboration on improving Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa.

The Executive Directors of the three organizations: Dr Silim Nahdy (AFAAS), Dr Enock Warinda (ASARECA), and Dr Cliff Dlamini (CCARDESA), signed the Tripartite MoU during a strategic meeting held at Hilton Hotel, Nairobi, on 3^rd June 2022. The three organizations agreed to develop a partnership strategy and collaborative framework to operationalize the MoU, whose implementation will be coordinated by Dr Cliff Dlamini. The signing ceremony was officiated and supported by the Chairpersons of the Boards of Directors: Mr Paul Fatch (AFAAS), Dr Geoffrey Mkamilo (ASARECA); and selected Board Members of the three organizations: Dr Jeff Mutimba (AFAAS), Prof. Patience Mshenga (ASARECA), Dr Catherine Senkoro (CCARDESA), and Mr Isaac Chiundira (CCARDESA).

The purpose of the MoU is to provide a framework for strong partnership and collaboration among the three organizations to enable them to serve their clients with distinction both individually and collectively and enhance synergy and harmonized programming of AR4D initiatives.

The three organizations agreed to implement cooperation initiatives in the following areas:

Commissioning of joint studies to inform policy and practice and sharing results in relevant fora;
Development of joint programmes and strategies for agricultural research for development and extension services to enhance impact at scale;
Undertaking joint planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, sharing of lessons learnt and responding to issues relating to projects that are being implemented jointly by the Parties;
Undertaking joint advocacy and influence for desired AR4D policy changes;
Conducting institutional consultations to improve operational and economic efficiency;
Sharing of capacities, technical information and general information using established mechanisms among the Parties; and
Convening joint proposal writing and resource mobilization.

The MoU will remain valid for ten years and will be extended further as agreed among the Parties. Amendments to the MoU will be made as and when necessary.

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CCARDESA Donates Virtual Conferencing Equipment and Galaxy Tablets To Lesotho.

Sophia Amoah — Thu, 12 May 2022 14:28:53 +0000

By Rethabile Nchee

The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development in Southern Africa (CCARDESA) has through the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), donated brand new state of the art virtual conferencing facilities to the Kingdom of Lesotho.

On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Director of the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), Dr. Lefulesele Lebesa received these gifts which included a Max Hub 3, 65 inches conferencing equipment and 5 Samsung Galaxy Tablets. The tablets were handed over to extension personnel in the presence of both Directors of Research and Extension.

During the hand over, Dr. Lebesa thanked CCARDESA for the valuable gifts and indicated that the purpose of the tablets is to assist the Ministry in collection of agricultural information on research and extension and other related fields in the various Districts of Lesotho. This information will be shared with the rest of the SADC region through both DAR and CCARDESA websites.

The Director pleaded with the extension personnel to use and protect these tablets for the benefit of the Ministry and cautioned them against “owning” these tablets as they are expected to return them in cases of transfers and or resignation from the Civil Service.

Dr Lebesa expressed gratitude and applauded CCARDESA and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) for recognising the challenges that were brought by COVID 19 in terms of face-to face communication with key stakeholders globally hence the decision to graciously donate the Max Hub conferencing equipment the Mountain Kingdom to enable her to continue engaging with its stakeholders even when the world was in lockdown.

The Max Hub conferencing equipment has been mounted in the conference room at the main research station in Maseru, Lesotho.

The author is the Chief Research Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and also a CCARDESA ICKM Focal Point person for Lesotho.

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5000 Zambian farmers benefit from climate smart agriculture

Sophia Amoah — Thu, 12 May 2022 10:25:46 +0000

The climate smart agriculture project in Zambia has begun to bear fruit with close to 5000 farmers in Mufumbwe district benefiting from tomatoes, green vegetables, egg plants, ginger, garlic, beans, groundnuts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions and bananas produced under the project.

The project in Zambia is being run by Save the Environment and People Agency (SEPA), a non-profit making organisation which strives to improve the standard of living of rural communities and the poor in the country.

The project is also receiving extension services from the Agriculture Ministry, and beneficiaries have been trained in partnership with the ministry. Project manager Mailes Zulu said 200 farmers undertaking the project, spread over 14 hectares, have improved their livelihoods after selling the produce to the local communities. The farmers are using the produce to feed their families and selling the surplus to the communities surrounding them.

She said SEPA was a small group of people which had brought agricultural benefits to Mufumbwe district. Zulu added the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Centre for Coordination of Agriculture Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) were also supporting the project.

“When we ask for money, this is where we take the SADC money,” she said, pointing at the flourishing crop of groundnuts and pumpkin leaves.

Project’s success
The project has been a success, and has received recognition from the Government of Zambia., with Mufumbwe district administrative officer, Mr. Agrippa Chambala, recently writing to Ms. Zulu expressing appreciation of the project by the government.

“As district Administrator, we commend you for these great works that are contributing to improved livelihoods of your members as well as the general public,” said Agrippa Chambala, Mufumbwe district administrator said in a letter addressed Zulu.

“As you may be aware, the new dawn government is creating an enabling environment for business and encouraging individuals and organisations to be productive. Hence, we are urging you to continue with your good works and be an example to others. I wish you the best in your business ventures.”

The Mufumbwe project is managed by SEPA under close supervision by CCARDESA, with funding from the European Union (EU) under the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) programme, in collaboration with the SADC secretariat to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and climate change on food and nutrition security.

A borehole and a drip irrigation system were drilled and installed to provide water for the vegetables and fruit trees planted by the beneficiaries. The project is one of the four Climate Smart Technologies projects launched in neighbouring Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe by CCARDESA in November and December 2020, with support from the EU.

The projects are an extension of the GCCA+ programme which seeks to strengthen the capacity of SADC member states to undertake regional and national adaptation and mitigation actions in response to the challenges caused by the effects of climate change.

Source: FarmersReviewAfrica

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The Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs)-Technical Coordination Team (CAAPs-TCT) Proposes Selection Criteria for AU Member States to Host a Pilot Demonstration Project

Sophia Amoah — Mon, 09 May 2022 16:30:11 +0000

The Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs)-Technical Coordination Team (CAAPs-TCT) convened its 2022 Planning Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, from 25^th– 29^th April 2022. The workshop brought together CAAPs-TCT members from the African Union Commission, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Forum for Agricultural Research for Africa (FARA), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Pan-African Farmers Associations (PAFO), and Pan-African Agribusiness Apex Chamber (PAAAC). The aim of the workshop was to review progress made in implementing the STC and the CAAPs-Steering Committee decisions, refining the CAAPs Coordination Roadmap considering the emerging issues, and developing the 2022 Deliverables and resources mobilization plan.

Dr. Janet Edeme, the Chair of the CAAPs-TCT and the Head of Rural Development Division of the African Union Commission, opened the workshop and welcomed participants by providing a brief background of the Common African Agro-Parks Programme (CAAPs). She noted that “the CAAPs programme is one of the concrete initiatives of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Programme (CAADP) to be implemented within the framework of the AU Agenda 2063 for achieving the CAADP Malabo commitments and AfCFTA goals, especially the one on tripling Intra-African trade for agricultural commodities and services’’.

One of the key discussions at the workshop was, preparation for the upcoming 3^rd CAAPs-Steering Committee meeting and Leadership Engagement Meeting between the AU Commission and UNIDO on CAAPs. In addition, the CAAPs-TCT technical Coordination roadmap and leadership engagement plan was revised at the workshop. There were also discussions on resource mobilization activities and the establishment of task force to develop criteria for member states to host a pilot CAAPs Demonstration Projects.

The key outcomes of the meeting will be presented to the 3^rd CAAPs- Steering Committee meeting that will be Chaired by HE. Amb. Josefa Sacho Commissioner for the Department of Agriculture Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment of AUC. The CAAPs- Steering Committee members, further comprises the Commissioner of Economic Development, Trade, Industry, and Mining (ETIM), Secretary-General of AfCFTA, Executive Director of FARA, and the President of Afriexim Bank. The 3^rd CAAPs- Steering Committee is planned to take place in mid-June in Cairo, Egypt.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Janet Edeme, Head Rural Development Division, Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union Commission – Email: Edemej@africa-union.org Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mukulia Kennedy Ayason, Policy Officer, Rural Development Division, Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union Commission – Email: AyasonM@africa-union.org Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

For Media inquiries: –

Ms. Peace Lydia Mutuwa, Department of Agriculture Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union Commission; Email mutuwap@africa-unin.org Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Mr. Molalet Tsedeke, Information and Communication Directorate; AU Commission Email: molalett@africa-union.org Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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JKUAT Researchers Secure KShs 31 Million Grant to Boost Agriculture

Sophia Amoah — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 18:15:07 +0000

The European Union (EU), through the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), has awarded a team of five researchers from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) research project funding totaling Kenya Shillings 31 million.

The project, entitled “Upgrading of Silver Cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea) value chain through multi-stakeholder partnerships and novel climate-smart postharvest processing technologies and practices for improved rural livelihoods,” is among the 11 projects competitively selected from 150 submitted proposals by researchers in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Ms. Vesta Akosua Nunoo, Grant Compliance Officer at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), based in Accra, Ghana during a meeting at JKUAT to discuss the implementation of the project

It will be implemented by a multidisciplinary team comprising Prof. Nelson Ojijo (Department of Food Science & Technology), Prof. Christopher Kanali, Dr. Eric Ronoh, Eng. Gareth Kituu, and Eng. Samuel Njuguna (all from the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering).

The JKUAT pentad, in collaboration with the other consortium members – Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute (KEMFRI), JKUAT Enterprises Ltd (JKUATES), and Kisumu and Busia Beach Management Units – seeks to boost the economic value of silver cyprinid fish, locally known as Omena, through a two-pronged approach – preventing post-harvest loss and promoting its consumption.

Omena is an important source of livelihood because it constitutes the bulk of the fish catch from Lake Victoria, according to Prof. Ojijo, a Food Technologist and the project’s lead researcher. However, due to microbial spoilage arising from poor drying conditions and high ambient temperatures, nearly half of the fish landings at the beaches go to waste, prompting overfishing to compensate for the loss.

To address this issue, the project will produce two machines. The first is a charcoal-powered portable cooling machine, which will enable the immediate preservation of the fish, while the second is a solar-powered drying machine, which will facilitate fast drying of the fish regardless of the weather and therefore prevent microbial growth.

Prof. Nelson Ojijo, a Food technologist at JKUAT and the Principal Investigator of the Project

The project will also focus on value-added processing into various novel products to promote the consumption of this fish variety, particularly among the youth with high nutritional demands.

Notably, the project is committed to collaborating with locals around the Lake Victoria beaches in order to create solutions that will be adopted and thus ensure sustainability.

To that end, roles and responsibilities will be divided between researchers and non-researchers in order to keep the focus on these needs. This will be accomplished through the use of a multi-stakeholder engagement mechanism known as innovation platforms (IP).

The IP is a social space, usually involving ongoing face-to-face and/ or virtual interactions, through which stakeholders engage to diagnose problems, identify opportunities, develop solutions and find ways to achieve shared goals.

The IP is crucial to the project as the basis for organizing the stakeholders along the Omena value chain for knowledge co-creation and innovation.

Sample of the Solar Dryer Machine to be developed by the Agriculture Engineers at JKUAT

The project will be carried out for 30 months, beginning in March 2022, as part of the broader EU-funded regional project, “Strengthening Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Ecosystem for Inclusive Rural Transformation and Livelihoods in Eastern Africa (AIRTEA),” being coordinated by a consortium of partners comprising FARA, the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), and the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF).

Source: jkuat.ac.ke

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Tanzania on Right Track Cutting Post-Harvest Crop Losses

Sophia Amoah — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 12:24:48 +0000

Tanzania is on the right track to cut post-harvest crop losses by half come 2025, says a new report. The efforts are largely complemented by the country’s political will involving strategies and policies as well as major developments in storage infrastructure across the country.
A recently published third Biennial Review Report of the African Union Commission on the implementation of the Malabo Declaration, shows Tanzania is among countries that are on the right track in curbing post-harvest losses. In the quest to end hunger in the region, governments have committed to cutting post harvest losses in half by the year 2025.
By 2021 Tanzania had successfully reduced losses by 28 percent, therefore increasing availability and the quality of food without putting additional pressure on the environment and economy to produce more food. Stakeholders told The Citizen that the country has made commendable efforts to reduce food wastage in the agriculture value chain hence ensuring food security.
One of the areas cited is improvement of storage facilities. The director general of the Cereal and Other Produce Board (CPB), Dr Anselm Moshi, says many interventions have been made in the food supply chain. Several studies have reported that maximum losses happen during the storage operations, according to Dr Moshi. He notes that CPB’s plan is to expand the board’s storage capacity to enable it to store about 600,000 tonnes of cereals and other produce come 2025. “Using proper storage facilities with good technical and handling infrastructures can help reduce the loss of quality and quantity as well as crops’ economic values,” he says.
A study conducted by the Sokoine University of Agriculture (Sua) in 2012, indicated that postharvest loss for three major cereals as follows: maize (15.5 percent); paddy (10.7 percent) and (sorghum (12.5 percent). Overall, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) indicates that Tanzania farmers lose up to 40 percent of annual harvests through post harvest losses.
National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) chief executive officer, Mr Milton Lupa believes minimising cereal losses in the supply chain could be one of the resource-efficient ways that can help to strengthen food security and sustainable measures of combating hunger.
Mr Lupa says considering the criticality of post harvest losses during storage, the government through NFRA has invested a lot in establishing large and equipped storage facilities across the country. “We currently have the capacity to store 251,000 tonnes of food, despite the target of storing over 500,000 tonnes of produce,” he says. According to Mr Lupa the agency has built new storage facilities in Babati, Sumbawanga, and Mpanda whose construction has been completed. By July this year, the country will increase storage capacity by 90,000 tonnes, Mr Lupa says.
The NFRA boss says the country will be able to store a maximum capacity after one year when construction of all storage facilities will be completed.
Tanzania has enacted the National Post Harvest Management Strategy (NPHMS) 2019-2029 that aims at facilitating and building the capacity of post harvest actors in order to reduce losses and increase farmers’ income as well as food and nutrition values.
The 10-year strategy focuses on food crops, particularly cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables, roots and tubers, as well as crops that are used for production of edible oils. The strategy intends to provide significant interventions that will reduce post harvest losses and potentially offset the food deficit, according to the ministry of agriculture. According to the strategy, postharvest management in the country will largely depend on financial support from the government, the private sector, the international community as well as individual contributions. “However, an integrated approach and coordinated working system is highly required to ensure that funds to address post-harvest issues are used to achieve the objectives presented in the strategy,” reads part of the document.

Furthermore, the document suggests that funds mobilisation for financing NPHMS from several development partners supporting post-harvest interventions will be managed through special arrangement (equivalent to those of the Agriculture Sector Development Plan-ASDP) in order to remain focused. “Where necessary, the funding arrangement will require signing a common Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the government of Tanzania and development partners agreeing to operational modalities of the Basket Fund (using government system for disbursement and procurement),” stresses the strategy document.
Agriculture Non-State Actors Forum (Ansaf) executive director, Mr Audax Rukonge says many countries did not implement such a strategy, which is an indication that the government of Tanzania is ready to act and help farmers. “We still have a long way to go in building enough infrastructure because we have programmes and systems in place to support it,” he notes. He named some of the infrastructures as the processing industries, which will add value to raw produce and give them a new preferred quality for both domestic use and export.
Public policies that support post harvest losses in the country include the 2013 National Agriculture Policy and the Agriculture Marketing Policy of 2008 that collectively underscore the challenge of post harvest losses in achieving food security.
In order to implement such policies, a number of interventions have been formulated by the country including Kilimo Kwanza, Resolve, the Tanzania Agricultural and Food Security Investment Plan (TAFSIP) and Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania (Sagcot). These interventions were separately introduced in order to complement speedy implementation of the ASDP.
In the ten years post harvest management strategy, the government has highlighted a number of challenges that are still holding down efforts to address the post-harvest losses in Tanzania. The challenges include inadequate post harvest services, limited agricultural marketing infrastructures and shortage of relevant technologies.
Although the current policy environment is more receptive to the importance of the post harvest losses, the ministry has also admitted that the agriculture strategies have not paid adequate attention to the post harvest losses issues in efforts to increase food and income security. Additionally, there also is inadequate awareness on post harvest losses among stakeholders, including farmers and the costs to the economy and the environment.

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Knowledge Sharing Critical to Sustainable and Transformative Agriculture

Sophia Amoah — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 10:51:28 +0000

CCARDESA, through the EU funded CAADP-XP4 project, held a national training workshop from 28^th to 31^st March 2022 at the Peacock Hotel in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. The primary purpose of the meeting was to familiarize key Officers from relevant Institutions, including the Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute (TARI), Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI), Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute(TAFIRI), Tanzania Forestry Research Institute(TAFORI), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ministries of Livestock and fisheries (MLF), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA), and the media to Knowledge management, Data capture guidelines and monitoring and disseminating information on the Malabo commitments.

The workshop also endeavoured to create awareness about CCARDESA themes and its programmes. Furthermore, the workshop sought to support the media understand how best Tanzania could meet its targets in reporting the Malabo commitments by disseminating information on the same in non-technical user-friendly formats.

Dr Joseph Nduguru officially opened the meeting and applauded CCARDESA’s efforts in building the capacity of the Tanzania stakeholders and ICKM focal persons of SADC countries on Knowledge Management, data capture guidelines and Malabo Commitments. Dr Ndunguru noted that tied to the workshop’s goals; participants will identify options to move forward at the national level to mainstream food and agriculture and ensure the realization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of the Malabo Declaration implementation. He said that this could only be achieved through a transformative change that must be done in a more integrated way, across sectors and varying stakeholder interests. He emphasized that monitoring, partnerships and financing are key aspects of the implementation process.

On behalf of the Executive Director (ED), Dr Cliff Sibusiso Dlamini of the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development in Southern Africa (CCARDESA), Ms Futhi Magagula, the CAADP-XP4 Programme Officer, thanked the government of the Republic of Tanzania through Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) for hosting this important workshop. Ms Magagula commended Tanzania for being the first country to initiate the implementation of the ICKM national plan that was developed during the regional training of CCARDESA ICKM Focal Points. She stated that, “this shows that Tanzania takes knowledge management and the Malabo Commitments seriously”. She went on to say that CCARDESA considers knowledge brokerage critical to ensure evidence-based policy decision making within the agricultural sector in the region. To substantiate this, knowledge management is one of the CCARDESA’s thematic areas and CAADP-XP4 project Output areas. Ms Futhi Magagula also gave an overview of CCARDESA and the CAADP-XP4 project, noting the project’s anchor on the CAADP framework and CCARDESA’s Strategic framework.

Dr Richard Kasuga, the Knowledge Management Manager for TARI and CCARDESA ICKM Focal Point, gave his keynote address. He noted knowledge management as vital if at all research is to contribute effectively to addressing the agricultural challenges for food and nutrition security, increasing economic well-being and improving the livelihoods of the local people. Dr Kasuga set the scene by asking why is ICKM important and why does it matter to all of us? The key to responding to this question was understanding what data, information, and knowledge meant? This was further elaborated in his detailed presentation.

Mrs Bridget Kakuwa-Kasongamulilo, the ICKM officer for the CAADP-XP4 Programme, presented the CCARDESA ICKM strategy. She intimated that Information, Communication and Knowledge Management is CCARDESA’s 5^th thematic area, also outlined in the Medium-Term Operation Plan (MTOP). The thematic area’s primary goal is to ensure access to knowledge and information through various ICT technologies, traditional and electronic media for researchers, extension agents, farmers and the SADC region. She also outlined the functions of the CCARDESA Mobile App and took the participants through a physical application demonstration.

Mr Martin Muchero, an International Consultant and expert in agriculture and the CAADP framework, and Malabo Commitments reporting process, took the participants through the overview of the Malabo Declaration Commitments; their alignment between the Malabo Declaration and SADC Strategic Frameworks, Including the SADC Regional Agricultural Policy (RAP) and the SADC Regional Agricultural Investment Plan (RAIP); the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030; SADC Protocols and the SADC Agricultural Development Fund (ADF); the M&E Reporting on the Malabo and its indicators; and the status of Malabo Commitments in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Ms Vidah Mahava, CCARDESA ICKM Focal point for Tanzania, also a Senior Agriculture Researcher at TARI, presented the Tanzania Knowledge Management strategy where she highlighted its implementation plan. She also shared the Tanzania action plan that is under implementation, which guided the participants on how to develop their action plans to support information dissemination on the achievements on the Malabo commitments and CCARDESA Strategic Plan Themes. The action plan included timelines and targets and a monitoring framework that the CCARDESA ICKM focal point persons would follow.

Mr Benajmin Abugri the Knowledge Management, Learning & Communications Lead Specialist at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), facilitated on Knowledge Management at the continental level and how it can transform Africa. He also officiated in establishing a Community of Practice in Knowledge Management in the agriculture sector in Tanzania. The participants selected three interim Community of Practice executives who will develop a charter that will govern the Community of Practice’s operations.

Dr Hildellita Msita, the Centre Manager for TARI Kibaha, gave the closing remarks. She acknowledged the participants’ action plans that identified various knowledge products that will be developed to promote work on the Malabo commitments and CCARDESA themes in Tanzania. She encouraged all the participants to make an effort to walk the talk so that Tanzania moves one step ahead, emphasizing that knowledge gaps identified during the workshop be promptly addressed with the available knowledge products. Regarding the CCARDESA Mobile App, Dr Msita urged that the tool be promoted so that it can be used widely in Tanzania to better technology transfer to all Tanzanians. Dr Msita thanked CCARDESA and FARA for all the support rendered to make this workshop a reality. She also thanked all the institutions which saw the importance of sending a representatives to attend the workshop. She expressed great gratitude towards the resource persons and hoped that they had enjoyed the Tanzania hospitality. She wished everyone safe travels back to their respective places and declared the workshop officially closed.

The meeting ended with participants fully aware of essential knowledge management, Malabo commitments and CCARDESA themes. The training workshop was held under the auspices of the CAADP-XP4 Project, funded by the European Union and administered through the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

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Transforming Africa’s food systems is a joint enterprise

Sophia Amoah — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 14:03:51 +0000

As Africa enters a critical decade, with the clock ticking on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, the multiple threats to the continent’s food, land and water systems are undermining efforts to reduce hunger, malnutrition and poverty.

The challenges Africa faces are increasingly connected to the rest of the world. History tells us that increased food insecurity can start and prolong wars, spark revolution and reverse economic development, all of which is made more likely by the impact of the pandemic, climate change and civil strife. Africa urgently needs a path forward that meets major threats to food, land and water systems with commensurate science, technology and innovation.

In a mutually beneficial manner, Africa is as important to CGIAR, the world’s largest publicly funded agricultural research partnership, as CGIAR is to Africa. For more than five decades, CGIAR has made huge contributions to shaping the science behind Africa’s agricultural development. The institutional reforms and the strengthening of Africa’s research capacities over the same timeframe have been phenomenal.

While Africa may appear to be losing ground in meeting its targets for food and nutrition security, the current scenario would be far more desperate without the impact and influence of CGIAR. Breakthroughs in upstream science including genetics, agronomy and environmental and resource management are helping farming communities better cope with today’s extreme conditions and unpredictability.

To build on this life-saving legacy and stay relevant to an Africa facing new and ever more complex challenges, CGIAR must continue to evolve. The transition to One CGIAR is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform CGIAR so it can deliver the science and innovations needed to build a food-secure future in Africa and beyond. There is an absolute necessity to continuously counter known and unknown shocks to the agrifood system whenever they are encountered. Farmers and all stakeholders must remain equipped with appropriate technologies and policy instruments to meet these challenges head on. The One CGIAR transition offers such clear benefits in reducing biotic and abiotic stressors.

From an organizational change point of view, integrating CGIAR’s governance into a more unified system provides a single entry-point for engagement and clear mechanisms to respond to locally relevant opportunities, priorities and needs – something long demanded by funders and country partners alike. In this context, while research and innovation work is carried out, as before, in a decentralized way, administration and management become streamlined in a way that engenders efficiency of resource utilization. In addition, the One CGIAR transition also aims to double current funding, unlocking more investment for its work and partners in priority regions, half of which cover Africa. In 2021, close to USD$1 billion was pledged to CGIAR by funders, a major vote of confidence in the reform.

At the same time, the drivers of Africa’s food insecurity are multi-dimensional, which means that understanding the specificities of Africa is crucial for the successful implementation, application and unpacking of the One CGIAR reform in Africa. With around half of the countries in which CGIAR works in Africa and with four One CGIAR research centres headquartered on the continent, One CGIAR can only be a success if it is a success in and for Africa.

Transformational change on the scale needed can only be delivered in the context of transdisciplinary partnerships with national, regional research and donor partners. With this in mind, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and FARA recently brought together the African Union Commission, regional economic communities (RECs) and representatives of agricultural research for development institutes, with CGIAR, at a meeting in Abidjan to ensure that the necessary One CGIAR reforms reflect the needs of African farmers.

In the space between the Abidjan meeting and high-level consultations planned in Dakar in May, there is great hope for the elaboration of a consensus position on the direction for food science and innovation coordinated by the African Union Commission, AfDB and FARA as part of ongoing consultations, CGIAR can move forward in its reforms with confidence.

Transforming Africa’s food systems can only be achieved as a joint effort. That is why CGIAR is embracing the opportunity and invitation to boost its engagement with its country and regional partners. Its leadership is committed to ensuring that the perspectives of all its partners are meaningfully reflected in the One CGIAR transition and future, leveraging shared history and relationships to respectfully build on the important legacy of the first fifty years.

Ultimately, people do not survive on MoUs or partner agreements, they survive on functioning food systems that provide safe, sustainable and equitable diets and livelihoods. As leading agricultural research organisations, whose success depends on country and regional partnerships, CGIAR and FARA are unwavering in their pursuit of a united and successful way forward for Africa.

Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
Dr. Claudia Sadoff, Managing Director, Research Delivery and Impact of the CGIAR System Organization (CGIAR)

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FARA visits AAU

Sophia Amoah — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 14:38:17 +0000

The Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, paid a courtesy call on the Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities (AAU), Prof. Olusola Oyewole, for bilateral talks between the two continental bodies. Accompanying the FARA boss was Ms. Ama Pokua Asenso, Human Resource and Administration Manager. From the AAU side, the Director of ICT, Communications and Knowledge Management , Ms. Nodumo Dhlamini, joined the Secretary General to receive the delegation.

FARA is Africa’s apex organization responsible for coordinating and advocating for agricultural research for development and also serves as the technical arm of the African Union Commission on agriculture science, technology and innovation.

According to Dr. Akinbamijo, despite Africa’s huge natural resources, the continent remains brain rich but pocket poor because agriculture, the mainstay of the African economy, loses its graduates to other sectors. He expressed the fear that unless there is a paradigm shift towards the application of science, technology and innovation in the agriculture sector, the continent would continue to be a net importer of food. It is in light of these sector challenges that FARA has committed to raise the quality of post graduate education to strengthen agricultural production in Africa and seeks a collaboration with the AAU to actualize this vision.

Prof. Oyewole expressed the AAU’s readiness to partner with FARA on this noble course. The two organizational heads agreed to implement this through a memorandum of understanding which will establish the key initiatives to be undertaken towards achieving the set targets.

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Call for RLC Workshop Scholarships

Sophia Amoah — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 12:28:03 +0000

Applying agricultural interventions and rural development strategies: Sustainable and bio-diverse agro-ecosystems for smallholder resilience.

April 4-9, 2022, Nairobi, Kenya

BACKGROUND

The Right Livelihood College (RLC) is a global education and research initiative of universities and the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’ (www.rlc-blog.org). Together with ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’ awarded individuals and organizations, the RLC promotes transdisciplinary education and research on sustainable development and social justice world-wide.

The workshop is organized as part of the project “RLC Platform for Young East African Scientists – Improving the Productivity and Resilience of Smallholder Farming” which is jointly conducted by the RLC Campus Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Ger-many, the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’ awarded organization Biovision Africa Trust, Nairobi, Kenya, the RLC Campus Lund, Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), Lund University, Sweden, among other partners. The project is kindly supported by the Volkswagen Foundation.

THE WORKSHOP

Smallholder farming constitutes the backbone of livelihoods and economies in East Africa. About 75% of all people in East Africa depend on smallholder farming. Beyond its economic relevance, smallholder farming provides socio-cultural foundations of rural-life, identities and living spaces, and contributes to social resilience and stability. However, the presence and future of smallholder farming is challenged by constaints to which research and practice have to provide answers.

The five-day RLC physical workshop in Nairobi aims to create an innovative transdicisplinary research-practice platform on the future of East African smallholder agriculture, based on knowledge, expertise and networks of ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’ – awarded individuals and organ-isations and the global RLC network. Together, they will work on – and for – the future of East African smallholder agriculture.

To do so, the workshop will link traditional conference activities with moderated peer‐to‐peer dis-cussions in addition to on‐the‐job training‐excursions led by experienced practitioners. The par-ticipants will get opportunities to present their current PhD research projects.

The workshop objectives are:

– To establish an expert network on smallholder agriculture in East Africa. supported by

– To generate expertise and exchange knowledge to improve the productivity and resilience of smallholder farming in East Africa.

– To educate and train future key decision makers and ‘agents of change’ towards sustain-able development and social justice.

Who can apply?

PhD students from East Africa that are currently completing their PhD at an East African university. Their PhD research work should be related to smallholder farming in East Africa, for example to questions of productivity and resilience, agricultural interventions and rural develop-ment strategies, market changes, governance, land tenure or soil fertility. Preferably in the middle/ end of their studies. Fluent English is mandatory. Women applications are particularly welcome.

How to apply?

Your application in English must be done via the following link:

https://rlcbonn.limequery.com/699859?lang=en

The deadline is March 6, 2022. Invited participants will be informed until March 11, 2022.

The scholarships will cover all costs for international and national travel, hotel accommodation, catering, and working materials. The workshop will be embedded in a variety of social and cultural side-events.

For questions regarding the workshop, please contact Arthur Guischet: aguische@uni-bonn.de

Thank you

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