1. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture is funding a collaborative project in Ghana and Mali involving academia, research institutions and the private sector from the two countries. The collaboration involves the University of Ghana, Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako (USTT-B), Food Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Ghana, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD).
2. The overall goal of the project is to increase the production and access to nutrient-dense indigenous fruits and vegetables in Ghana and Mali through diet diversification by valorizing indigenous fruits and vegetables and promoting their consumption. To ensure effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation, the project has been organized into five (5) work packages, which include:

• Work Package 1 – Profiling of four Indigenous fruits and vegetables
• Work package 2 – Value chain analysis
• Work package 3: Improving postharvest handling and preservation of indigenous fruits and vegetables.
• Work Package 4 – Creation of an Innovation Centre or Incubator 
• Work Package 5 – Dissemination of technologies, methods, and processes

      This assignment is with reference to sub-theme 4.

The objective of the incubation program is to establish an incubator/innovation hub for women and youth entrepreneurs and key stakeholders in all 16 regions of Ghana to connect, increase knowledge sharing, and co-create solutions to spur innovations and business opportunities for selected indigenous fruits and vegetables.

To achieve the above, FARA and the University of Ghana propose engaging a suitable firm to support the process.

3. This request for proposals aims at engaging a consulting firm (hereafter referred to as Consultant) to carry out the following functions:

• The Consultant shall liaise with the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Horticulture team for the necessary assistance and clarifications to undertake this assignment.
• The consultant shall coordinate activities and engage with all relevant stakeholders to conduct interviews and schedule training using appropriate training materials.
• The Consultant shall present the initial strategy and advise the team on the strategy for the incubation program before the launch of the call for applications.
• The Consultant shall be responsible for the Screening of applications (establishing selection criteria)
• The Consultant shall be responsible for coordinating the development of training manuals for participants (competency-based)
• The Consultant shall recruit trainers and facilitators for the training
• The Consultant shall be responsible for scheduling all training sessions, seminars, workshops and mentorship sessions of pre-selected participants
• The Consultant shall conduct pre and post-training evaluations to assess the impact of the training.
• The Consultant shall provide quarterly monthly reports and timely feedback on the progress of the incubation program and recommend strategies for continuous improvement.
• The Consultant shall be responsible for coaching finalists in managing their enterprises after the award of grants.
• The Consultant shall be responsible for monitoring and Evaluation of the Incubation Program.

Interested firms may obtain further information from the Project Lead, [gessilfie@ug.edu.gh]; [baddoorosalyne@gmail.com] and copy the Procurement Expert, FARA, [cachaab@faraafrica.org] during the following hours: 9h00 to 16h00 GMT.

Please download the Terms of Reference below for further information on this opportunity.

Download TOR

Proposals should be submitted electronically to [recruitment@faraafrica.org] and addressed to Dr. Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director of FARA, No 7 Flower Avenue, New Achimota, Mile 7, Accra, Ghana, no later than Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at 16h00 GMT. Tel: +233 302 772823/744888.

FARA-UG Affirmative Action Statement on Recruitment: there is no discrimination based on gender race, religion, ethnic orientation, disability, or health status.

Executive Director of FARA

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The Commissioner made the call on Wednesday 20^th May, during the first regional and continental eForum hosted by the implementing institutions of the European Union funded CAADP XP4 programme which is administered by the IFAD; on the contribution of agricultural research and innovation in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 in Africa.

“…to our member states and development partners, I’d like to call for the allocation of at least 10% of the emergency financial resources being mobilized for COVID-19 to support science, technology and innovation in Africa”, says Her Excellency Josepha Sacko.

Clarion Call for Home-grown Science

While lauding the prompt action of FARA and its partners for the sense of urgency in initiating a homegrown response to the pandemic, Her Excellency Madam Sacko pointed to the fact that COVID-19 is rapidly exacerbating the already existing food safety and nutrition crisis on the continent. She indicated that the room for maneuver for Africa in the face of COVID-19 is getting smaller by the day and any further delays could pose real and existential threats to the continent’s rural economy and food and agriculture system.

“We need to be careful not to move from a health crisis to a food crisis as a result of the worsening trend of COVID-19”. She indicated that this calls for an enhanced role agricultural research in the face of the pandemic, saying, “therefore, the next best time to invest in Africa’s food system is now”

Stating the need for urgent boosting of Africa’s science and research infrastructure, the Commissioner renewed the clarion call for governments to meeting the 10% investment target in the agricultural sector as defined by the Malabo Declaration, and 1% to agriculture research in particular.

The webinar which is the first in the series, is based on the response to COVID-19 by the implementing partners of the CAADP XP4 programme namely, AFAAS, ASARECA, CCARDESA, CORAF and FARA. It was attended by more than 200 hundred participants drawn from research, academia, NGOs, farmer organizations,

The CAADP XP4 COVID-19 Response Issue Paper identified three critical intervention areas namely technologies for fast-tracking mitigation of food shortages and extending storability, strengthening of food supply systems, trade and labour markets and foresighting vulnerabilities in Africa’s food system.

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Giving his opening remarks at the first regional and continental e-forum on the contribution of agricultural research and innovation in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 in Africa, Dr. Fall, who is also the Director General of Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA), reiterated that the COVID-19 is more than a health crisis which has precipitated shocks in other sectors among which the worst hit is Africa’s agriculture and food system, thereby requiring immediate and brisk action to develop and implement a sector-relevant response.

“COVID-19 is also projected to be with us a for a very long time, such that, living with it will become the new norm”, Dr. Fall intimates. He likened the crisis to climate change and indicated that world must find a way of developing appropriate response to and living with the pandemic. He also notes that as organizations within the food and agriculture research value chain, there is need to make a choice between staying idle and be consumed by the shocks of the virus or to put appropriate systems in place, formulating smart regional systems to mitigate its impact and thereby help improve the livelihoods of the people on the continent.

The eForum is the first in the series of webinars by the implementing institutions under the European Union funded CAADP XP4 programme. The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) ex-Pillar IV Africa Regional and Sub-regional Organizations for Agricultural Research and Innovation project (CAADP XP4), is funded by the European Union (EU) under the Development Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture (DeSIRA) initiative and administered by IFAD.

The programme which brings together the major continental and sub-regional organizations AFAAS, ASARECA, CCARDESA, CORAF and FARA, aims at contributing to Agenda 2063 and to the climate-relevant CAADP goals as set in the 2014 African Union’s Malabo Declaration in advancing Accelerated African Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods.

The objective is to enable agricultural research and innovation, including extension services, to contribute effectively to food and nutrition security, economic development and climate mitigation in Africa.

The post Let’s Prepare for the New Norm – FARA Board Chair appeared first on FARA Africa.

As East African countries seek funds to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on its vulnerable populations, governments have racked up loans to deal with other threats like chronic diseases and natural disasters.

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Launched in 2013, APPSA was a six-year project supported by the World Bank to promote a regional approach to agricultural technology generation and dissemination in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia. The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) coordinated implementation of the project. The project in the three countries ended in January 2020, but it is active in Angola and Lesotho for six years, commencing 2020.

APPSA generates and disseminates technologies to farmers within and among participating countries in southern Africa.  APPSA builds capacity of host national research and development (R&D) systems and enhances regional collaboration.

The major challenge facing agriculture is how to ensure that newly developed technologies and management practices reach farmers to improve productivity and production on their farms. To address this challenge, APPSA facilitated the public research and extension systems of the participating countries to work with the lead farmers who are a link to the general farming community on promoting technologies generated by the project.

A Lead Farmer is an innovative and successful farmer, normally selected by the community to lead on various agriculture-related activities including hosting trainings for fellow farmers on agriculture methods and technologies. S/he is in constant touch with research and extension agents to update themselves on the new technologies for demonstration to the farming community.

Under APPSA the lead farmers established more than of 5,000 demonstration plots on various technologies and management practices and hosted more than 3,000 field days during the 6-year project period. The objectives of the field days were to showcase the improved technologies or techniques and the results generated based on the demonstrations promoted with APPSA support. A total of 7,968 seed and food fairs were conducted. Food fairs focused at value addition to legumes, maize and rice grain and APPSA promoted seed varieties among the farming communities and the private sector for seed multiplication so that they can be readily available and accessible to the farmers.

For more details please click the following link to download and read the success story regarding this topic: ccardesa.org

Source: ccardesa.org

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IFAD’s new multi-donor fund, the COVID-19 Rural Poor Stimulus Facility, will mitigate the effects of the pandemic on food production, market access and rural employment.  As part of the broader UN socio-economic response framework, the Facility will ensure that farmers in the most vulnerable countries have timely access to inputs, information, markets and liquidity. On top of its own contribution, IFAD aims to raise at least $200 million more from Member States, foundations and the private sector.

“We need to act now to stop this health crisis transforming into a food crisis,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD. “The fallout from COVID-19 may push rural families even deeper into poverty, hunger and desperation, which is a real threat to global prosperity and stability. With immediate action, we can provide rural people with the tools to adapt and ensure a quicker recovery, averting an even bigger humanitarian crisis.”

With their movements restricted to contain further spread of the virus, many small-scale farmers are unable to access markets to sell produce or to buy inputs, such as seeds or fertilizer. Closures of major transport routes and export bans are also likely to affect food systems adversely. As entire production chains are disrupted and unemployment rises, the most vulnerable include daily labourers, small businesses and informal workers, who are very often women and young people. The return of workers from cities affected by lockdowns will put further strain on rural households, which will also stop receiving much needed remittances.

About 80 percent of the world’s poorest and most food insecure people live in rural areas. Even before the outbreak, more than 820 million people were going hungry every day. A recent United Nations University study warned that in a worst-case scenario, the economic impact of the pandemic could push a further half-billion people into poverty.

“This pandemic is threatening the gains we have made in reducing poverty over the past years. To avoid serious disruption to rural economies, it is essential to ensure agriculture, food chains, markets and trade continue to function,” said Houngbo.

“A majority of the world’s most impoverished people are already suffering the consequences of climate change and conflict. An economic downturn in rural areas could compound these effects, generating more hunger and increasing instability, especially in fragile states.”

The Rural Poor Stimulus Facility will focus on the following activities:

• Provide inputs for production of crops, livestock and fisheries to small-scale producers so that they can weather the immediate effects of the economic crisis.
• Facilitate access to markets to support small-scale farmers to sell their products in conditions where restricted movement is interrupting the functioning of markets, including providing logistics and storage support.
• Provide targeted funds for rural financial services to ensure sufficient liquidity is available and to ease immediate loan repayment requirements to maintain services, markets and jobs for poor rural people.
• Use digital services to share key information on production, weather, finance and markets.

IFAD has significant experience in working in fragile situations improving the resilience of rural populations. For example, in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak, IFAD-supported banks were the sole providers of banking and financial services in affected areas. They provided timely assistance during the outbreak and supported the renewal of the rural economy after the crisis passed.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, IFAD was already stepping up its programmes and calling on member states to increase investments in rural development to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 – ending hunger.

“A timely response to the pandemic is an opportunity to rebuild the world’s food systems along more sustainable and inclusive lines and build the resilience of rural populations to crisis, whether related to health, climate or conflict,” said Houngbo.

IFAD has received requests from governments in more than 65 countries to help respond to the impact of the pandemic. It has already adapted its projects and diverted funds to support this.

Source: IFAD

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16 April 2020, Rome – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the African Union (AU) and international partners today described the food and agriculture system as “an essential service that must continue to operate during periods of lockdown, emergency, curfew and other containment measures”.

In a joint declaration, they committed to supporting access to food and nutrition for Africa’s most vulnerable; providing Africans with social safety nets; minimizing disruptions to the safe movement and transport of essential people, and to the transport and marketing of goods and services; and keeping borders open on the continent for the food and agriculture trade.

The document was adopted at a gathering co-organized by the AU and FAO and convened virtually. All 55 AU member states were represented, 45 at minister level. The debate was moderated by the AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Josefa Sacko.

In his opening remarks, Director-General QU Dongyu said quick, strategic action was needed to lessen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security in Africa. “Border closures restrict trade and limit food availability in many countries, particularly those dependent on food imports,” he said. He expressed support for measures that do not lead to disruptions in food supply chains: these must be “kept alive,” he stressed.

Angela Thoko Didiza, Minister for Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development of South Africa, joined Qu in opening the debate. The Minister, whose country currently chairs the AU, cautioned against any moves to weaken inter-regional trade. Both officials highlighted the toll taken by lockdowns in a continent where informal markets, rather than supermarkets, provide a lifeline for most consumers.
FAO’s Chief Economist, Maximo Torero, pointed to growing evidence of logistical strains in food markets – strains which Qu suggested should be mitigated by “shortening the chain”: producing more, better, and locally if possible.

Minister after minister intervened to outline the challenges posed by the pandemic, in a region of the world where a fifth of the population is undernourished. The CEO of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Ibrahim Mayaki, warned of risks to social stability if food and cash were to run low among Africa’s urban residents. Many government representatives described strenuous efforts to bolster welfare benefits, often at great cost to national budgets.

Echoing these concerns, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, outlined an EU support package for Africa that should eventually exceed $20 billion. The World Bank’s Simeon Ehui also detailed support initiatives, including the possibility of re-purposing $3.2 billion in uncommitted funding. Speaking for the African Development Bank, Martin Fregene concluded with details of a COVID-19 response programme that includes targeted technical and financial support.

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A genuine fear that the worst is yet to come in regards to food and nutrition security is looming. The months of April, May and even the proceeding ones could pose some of the worst disruptions in food supply chains ever since the Global Food Crisis of 2007-2008 sparked off by rising food prices. The crisis reached an unprecedented peak in 2011 prompting ASARECA in partnership with the CGIAR to undertake evidence-based advocacy to curb food prices. The approach then was to keep policy-makers well informed of the food trends and their implications to avoid ad-hoc policy actions, which could have worsened the situation.

Policy options

Some of the recommendations given to the leaders at the time included: Working collaboratively as a region to allow food to move from production zones and areas of surplus to areas of deficiency; and making efforts to turn the crisis into a stimulus for domestic production, regional trade and integration. The arithmetic of doing this in the face of the Coronavirus is complicated since a balance has to be made between stopping the spread of the disease through restricted person-to-person contact on one hand, and ensuring emergency movements to provide families with food on the other hand. But the balancing act can be done.

A good example is the approach taken by Uganda. In his regular briefings, on measures to contain the spread of the disease, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has literally shut down all functions that could compromise social distancing. He, however, has consistently been careful not to extend restrictions to cross-border and internal cargo movement, especially the movement of food supplies. Inbound and outbound cargo has been spared the travel ban, just as internal deliveries have been. This is a move that Governments across the world could exercise since, according to FAO, “there is still enough food to feed all people.”

Open markets like this in most African suburbs get supplies from rural farms

Where things are going wrong

The CGIAR, the largest global AR4D grouping, has highlighted key areas where things could go haywire if not addressed. They include The food systems which have been significantly affected, and whose impacts will grow if processing enterprises cannot restart production in a near future; production of staple food crops if the outbreak continues into critical planting periods; domestic and international trade disruptions, which may trigger food price panics; restrictions on mobility which may lead to labour shortages, among others.

Resourcing the rural food baskets

Luckily, the African rural areas are not as vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19 as are the cities. Many Governments have already taken measures to stop the urban populations from transferring the virus to the rural areas, which are naturally the food baskets. However, there is a danger that restrictions of movement could affect farm productivity due to shortage of fertilizers, veterinary services and other inputs, while the closure of food cooking businesses could curtail fresh produce and fisheries products, affecting producers and suppliers. The Governments should, therefore, move to ensure that the rural areas are resourced with agricultural inputs and resident extension services to encourage them to produce more to feed the urban populations. Given the currently favourable rain patterns, this could turn out to be an opportunity for farmers to reap big from their urban folk who have been grounded and are requiring more food supplies.

Logistics for movement of food

There is also a need to put in place logistical systems including storage, transport and protective gear, to move food from places of production and surplus to places of deficiency. Noting that the Corona pandemic could escalate before it calms down, governments could besides securing lives from the virus, invest in postharvest facilities to store, and move food where it is most needed.

Areas for emergency action

According to the CGIAR, action now needs to focus on: Increasing support for production entities; ensuring the smooth flow of trade and making full use of international markets to secure food supply and demand; ensuring smooth logistical operations of regional agricultural and food supply chains; monitoring food prices and strengthening market supervision; explaining issues related to wet-markets and livestock-wildlife interface and how to mitigate future zoonotic disease and supporting one-health approaches; increasing resilience and mitigation of social disruptions by increasing local food productivity and water access. It is clear from this list that coordinated regional action towards production and keeping food circulation has an important place in pushing back the impacts of COVID-19.

It  is arguable that if policy leaders desist from interrupting food exports and imports, the impact of Corona Virus on food and nutrition security will be minimal
Finally, as the world grapples with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FAO has attempted to answer critical questions in the face of the pandemic globally. Some of the key questions posed and answered by FAO are:

• Will COVID-19 have negative impacts on global food security?
• Whose food security and livelihoods are most at risk due to the pandemic?
• What are the implications of the COVID-19 situation – now and in the future – for food production, agricultural and fishery/aquaculture supply chains and markets?
• How will the pandemic affect food demand?
• What is the connection between COVID-19 and animals?

Source: fao.org , asareca.org

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