agricultural university

A number of organisations have put their video webstreams or Webinar recording online : International conferences 3-4 October 2018 . Ottawa, Canada. Towards a food secure future: lessons from CIFSRF and beyond The following sessions videos are now available: Session 1: Sustainable agricultural production Session 2: Nutrition and health outcomes Session 3: Market access and income for small scale farmers Session 4: Collaborative partnerships Session 5: Scaling up innovations for impact Session 6: Gender equality in agriculture and food security 28-30 November 2018 . Bangkok, Thailand. Accelerating the End of Hunger and Malnutrition . IFPRI/FAO global event: conference synopsis (forthcoming) A Glance PowerPoint embedded in this PAEPARD blogpost gives a concise overview of the event and the key messages that emerged Videos of all plenary and parallel sessions (click here to view) Presenter PowerPoints (click here to view those made available) www.ifpri-faobangkokconference.org 2-14 Dece

18 December 2018.  Brussels. at the DEVCO InfoPoint.  Coffee: Behind the success story . Can coffee production still be sustainable in times of climate change and price crisis? Presentation of the main results of a recent study which analyses the evolution of value distribution within the coffee sector, evaluates the social and environmental impacts generated along the chain, and estimates the hidden costs offset on public authorities and third parties. This analysis is based on detailed case studies of value chains between France (on the consumption side) and Colombia, Peru and Ethiopia (on the production side) . Discussion wase followed by a debate on what kind of public policy measures could be put in place. Introduction:  Regis Meritan , Head of Sector - Agricultural Growth, DEVCO C1 - Rural Development, Food Security, Nutrition Christophe Alliot , BASIC, (Bureau for Appraisal of Social Impacts for Citizen information) Julie Stoll , Director of Commerce Équitable France Find below

17-18 December 2018.  Vienna, Austria.   High-level Forum Africa-Europe: ‘’Taking Cooperation to the Digital Age’’   Programme More information on the event https://www.eu2018.at/calendar-events/political-events/africaeurope2018.html This meeting was attended by the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame , as the current chairperson of the African Union, and the Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Sebastian Kurz , as Austria holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, and African and European heads of state or government, CEOs of major global companies as well as innovative entrepreneurs and stakeholders. The high‑level forum’s leitmotif “Taking cooperation to the digital age” promoted innovation and digitalisation as important enablers for our future development, so that everyone can benefit from the ongoing digital transformation. A lot of innovation is happening both in Africa and in Europe , with many creative start‑ups providing solutions for di

12 December 2018 . Ghana inaugurated the National Steering Committee for Aflatoxin Control. The Committee was established as part of the deliverables of a project titled: “Developing national policy and technical regulation for aflatoxin control in food and feed” . It is being coordinated by the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR-STEPRI) and funded by AGRA. The Committee was inaugurated by the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation. Download the concept note here . Statements were given by AGRA and USDA where they indicated their commitment to ensuring the production and marketing of safe and quality agricultural produce for improved health and increased income. The keynote speech was delivered by the Minister. After the inauguration, the Committee met and elected their leaders: Prof. Richard Awuah (Chiarman); Mrs Lysbeth Adetola (Vice Chairman); Dr. Rose Omari Secretary; Ibrahim K. Asante (Vice Secretary). The terms of reference for the Comm

13 December 2018. Webinar. The Global Donor Platform for Rural Development organised a webinar on aligningpolicies and programmes on agriculture and Aid for Trade . Speaker:  Paul Engel  Welcome and introduction – 10 min Presentation – 15 min Q and A and discussion – 20 min Agriculture and Aid for Trade (AfT) are two key areas of development cooperation that share many synergies, but are still falling short of coordination. This gap is even larger if we compare agriculture and trade per se. The DONOR PLATFORM’S WORK STREAM ON INCLUSIVE AGRIBUSINESS & TRADE has been committed to address these gaps and increase the dialogue between the trade/AfT and agriculture departments of donor agencies, resulting in the inclusion of trade issues into agriculture and rural development (ARD) programming and vice-versa. To enrich this dialogue, the Donor Platform commissioned a study (in press) t hat looks into areas and opportunities to enhance alignment and cooperation between the ARD and Aid f

13 December 2018.  Webinar.  This second  AgriFoSe2030 policy briefs webinar  focuses on how to profile your target audience, and then how to formulate and deliver compelling messages about your research. On the 14th of december 2017 AgriFose2030 arranged the webinar “How to write policy briefs in the field of sustainable agriculture and food security” . You can watch the webinar here. In the AgriFoSe2030 programme, the science we do is about change: about how to improve food security and make farming practices more sustainable. But new knowledge does not always lead to change. We need to bring our science to the change-makers, to help them understand the implications. In this webinar we looked at policy briefs: what they are, who they are for, and how to write them well. The webinar was run by the highly experienced AgriFoSe2030 Communication and Engagement Theme . The webinar was open to all members of the AgriFoSe2030 Academy. Watch the whole webinar below:

12 December 2018 . Rome. This event was organized as part of the  Farmer Field Schools (FFS)  global knowledge product (GKP). Dr van den Berg presented the work done by Wageningen University (the Netherlands) in collaboration with the global FFS team on reviewing FFS impact evaluations and developing guidance for MEL in FFS programmes. The event was  web-streamed . Farmer Field Schools (FFS) are implemented by an increasing number of projects and organizations worldwide. As such, in 2018, FAO collaborated with Wageningen University to review the status and impact of FFS programmes since 2005.  Building on a review of impact studies, a survey on the status of implementation at global level, and two case studies in Indonesia and Malawi , the review provides an overview of achievements and avenues for improvement of FFS programmes today. Building on the review, a guidance document for monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), and impact assessment of FFS has also been developed.  The

Creating a Sustainable Food Future A Menu of Solutions to Feed Nearly 10 Billion People by 2050 by Tim Searchinger , Richard Waite , Craig Hanson , Janet Ranganathan , Patrice Dumas and Emily Matthews - December 2018, 96 pages The World Resources Institute (WRI) published a new report, Creating a Sustainable Food Future , that states the world must prepare to feed the planet’s growing population sustainably, reducing agricultural land and greenhouse gas emissions, and suggests that genetically modified organisms and gene editing may be useful tools in achieving this goal. According to a summary of the report by ISAAA , population is set to rise to 10 billion people worldwide by 2050, while food demand is projected to rise by 50 per cent. The report offers several approaches to feeding the world sustainably, including reducing food loss and waste, changing diets to consume less beef and lamb, reducing population growth, increasing harvests on the same land area, stopping deforestation,

11 December 2018.  The e-Agriculture and The Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (CTA)'s Unmanned Aerial Systems Community (UAV4Ag) held this webinar "Drones for Agriculture: potentials and challenges on the African continent". There is a general consensus that smallholder farming needs to become more productive, sustainable and profitable. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) – or drone-based systems – services can help make this possible by bringing some of the tools of precision agriculture to producers, which include large and medium-scale holdings and associations of small-scale farmers growing the same crop in contiguous areas.  UAS can help increase the returns to farmers and create knowledge-intensive new employment opportunities in rural areas, offering educated youth an alternative to migrating to the cities. UAS services are increasingly adopted in developed countries. On the other hand, the deployment of the technology in Africa faces a number

13 November 2018 . Seattle, United States. University of Washington.  Foresight @CGIAR One-day pre-SC-7 event on horizon scanning and foresight in CGIAR  DOWNLOAD WORKSHOP REPORT DOWNLOAD AGENDA DOWNLOAD BRIEF 'AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS TO 2050' DOWNLOAD BOOK FLYER 'AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS TO 2050' The aim of this event was to inform the development of a process for strategic foresight in CGIAR drawing on the outcomes of the two foresight workshops—specifically, the reflections related to key drivers of change and trends that will influence the agri-food system. Objectives Synthesize results of ISPC foresight exercise on drivers of change and future trends affecting the global agri-food systems, and their implications for CGIAR research agenda. Consider options for the development of future Independent Science and Development Council (ISDC) work on foresight and horizon scanning. The book Agriculture and Food Systems to 2050 (World Scientific, published 20

11 December 2018 . For 25 years, the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte has been an unsung hero in the fight against food insecurity. As Dr. M. Jahi Chappell put it, “The course to universal food security will never run smooth[ly], but steps forward have and can be made. Belo Horizonte has walked a bit farther down the path than most.” This webinar explored a number of issues: What special role can municipal governments play in food security, compared to regional, national, and international governments? What enables government institutions to maintain their commitments to food security over the long-term? How can U.S. development policymakers best support local governance? Panelists: Olivier de Schutter Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Secretary  Maíra Colares Secretary for Social Assistance, Food Security and Citizenship, Belo Horizonte  Chris Shepherd-Pratt Policy Team Lead, Bureau for Food Security, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

The Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition Initiative shares a new open-access guide that collects lessons learned from four partner countries to help others harness agricultural biodiversity to transform the food system for development, food security and nutrition. At the recent 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference COP14 in Sharm El-Sheikh (COP14 of the CBD), the BFN team hosted a side event in which it launched an open-access toolkit entitled “Biodiversity Mainstreaming for Healthy ; Sustainable Food Systems”. This guide compiles case studies from all four countries, key resources and methodologies to share the knowledge accumulated by the BFN Partners, promoting the conservation and sustainable use of local biodiversity. It is free to view and download from the BFN website and CGIAR CGSpace Repository . Throughout its six years of experience in Brazil, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey , the Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition Initiative ( BFN Project ) has pioneered a partner-based methodology

11-17 December2018.  Cairo. The  Intra-African Trade Fair 2018  is providing a platform for sharing trade, investment and market information. The Intra-African Trade Fair is the first of its kind in Africa, consisting of a 7-day trade show that provides a platform for sharing trade, investment and market information and enabling buyers and sellers, investors and countries to meet, discuss and conclude business deals. It provides an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their goods and services, engage in Business to Business (B2B) exchanges and conclude business deals. #Egypt 's PrimeMinister at #IATF2018 Analysis by the African Export- Import Bank (Afreximbank) shows that one of the main reasons why intra-African trade is low at around 15% compared to Europe (59%), Asia (51%), and North America (37%) is because of lack of access to trade and market information. To address this challenge, Afreximbank decided to, among other initiatives, convene the Intra-African Trade Fair every

2-14 December 2018.  Katowice, Poland. UN climate change talks (COP24) 10-12 December 2018 . Center of Congress Rennes, France.    DIVERSIFOOD Final Congress ‘Cultivating Diversity and Food Quality’ 11 December 2018.   Webinar.  Drones for Agriculture: potentials and challenges on the African continent 11 December 2018.   Webinar.  The Role of Local Governance in Urban Food Security 11-17 December 2018.  Cairo. The  Intra-African Trade Fair 2018  is providing a platform for sharing trade, investment and market information. 12 December 2018.   Webinar.  The impact of Farmer Filed Schools 12 December 2018. Katowice, Poland. Agriculture Advantage 2.0 - Closing session: Stepping up food systems transformation under a changing climate - COP 24 side event. 12 December 2018.  Vienna. Workshop on women, the food economy and networks in West Africa.  organised by the Austrian Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, the Austrian Development Agency and the OECD ‘Sahel and West Af

5 December 2018. The African Development Bank (AfDB) launched a Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Action Plan , which aims to expand the bank’s primary focus on infrastructure into the realm of nutrition.  The Bank has adopted the Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Action Plan to guide and coordinate the implementation of the nutrition dimension encapsulated in its strategy documents, particularly the Feed Africa Strategy  (2016, 74 pages) and the Human Capital Strategy . In Sub-Saharan Africa, 53.7 million children are currently stunted, but the AfDB predicts that new investments could reduce that number by 24 million people. The bank will scale up nutrition-smart investments in education, agriculture, and health . Through its 2018-2025 action plan, AfDB has committed to scaling up the proportion of nutrition-smart investments in five sectors that account for more than 30 percent of government spending: education and skills; WASH; social protection; health; and agriculture.  One example is a $38.5 mill

13 - 15 November 2018. Fort Myers, Florida, US. This year marked the 25th Anniversary of the US based Christian faith organisation  ECHO International Agriculture Conference . The event brought together influential voices dedicated to eradicating hunger and improving lives. The ECHOcommunity is a membership community that provides access to nearly all of ECHO’s resources online, as well as communications tools to help development workers connect with each other. Extracts of the program : the videos of the plenary sessions are available now for everyone. 15 underutilized crops for improving the lives of smallholder farm families The presentation will explore proven options for different climatic zones and the basics of cultivating and utilizing these crops. Through embracing a model of diversity and year-round production, communities can move towards abundance and flourishing. Investing in African women and thriving food markets through post-harvest innovation Compatible Technology I

2-14 December 2019. Katowice, Poland. COP24 is the informal name for the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. At COP23 in Bonn, the Agriculture Advantage event series was initiated by likeminded organizations, which brought together over 400 diverse stakeholders to put forward a vision and action agenda for transforming agriculture under climate change. In its second year at COP24, the series will focus on implementing the action agenda and realizing the vision for transformation. The event series will link multiple side events held during the 2 weeks of COP24 into a single theme, “Agriculture Advantage 2.0: Transforming food systems under a changing climate” , with the effect of a day-long conference, spread out over multiple days. The aim of the event series will be to step up actions to drive a transformation within global food systems that will help to achieve food security, adaptation to climate change, and mitigation of

3 December 2018.  This was the forth event in the series ‘Frontiers in Development Policy’ and it  analyzed the importance of the link between both the rural and urban dimension . In particular the focus was on recognizing the role of small towns and enhancing rural-urban linkages in making food systems more effective and inclusive. You will find below the link to watch the video of the conference https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/news-and-events/strengthening-rural-urban-linkages-africa-achieve-food-security_en Firstly, the session explored the urban-rural dynamic in Africa and implication for food systems, presenting some cases of agro-food sector development in small-medium sized towns.  Finally, it discussed concrete approaches that build, transform or strengthen urban-rural linkages to achieve food security for all. Introduction:  Leonard Mizzi , Head of UNIT C – DG DEVCO Francesco Rampa, Head of Programme Sustainable Food Systems and Economic and Agricultural Transformation Program