agricultural university

28 February 2019.  Washington.  Agriculture for Improved Nutrition:Seizing the Momentum Live webcast and post-event viewing available here Every day, researchers are producing more evidence on the agriculture-nutrition nexus ; professionals are stepping out of silos to work across sectors; and people and institutions are improving their capacity to carry out this work. The momentum built during the past decade has created boundless opportunities for redesigning and reimagining agricultural and food systems for the benefit of nutrition. This event marks the publication of Agriculture for Improved Nutrition: Seizing the Momentum , co-edited by Shenggen Fan, Sivan Yosef, and Rajul Pandya-Lorch. The volume reviews the latest evidence, results from on-the-ground interventions, and recent national policy experiences of bringing agriculture and nutrition closer together. Panelists will discuss big data, the design of agriculture-nutrition programming, the global obesity epidemic, and India’s

26 February 2019 . BIOMIN and Romer Labs hosted live webinar featuring an in-depth discussion on upcoming mycotoxin threats to poultry, swine and ruminants worldwide, the latest annual results of the BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey, the outlook for 2019 and relevant mycotoxin detection tools to better understand and control the risk of contamination in raw materials and feed .

CRS Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program is a USAID funded 5-year program (July 2018 – June 2023) that will provide technical assistance from United States (U.S)  volunteers to farmers, farmer groups (cooperatives and associations), agribusinesses and other agriculture sector institutions . CRS’ Farmer to Farmer Program is implementing a second round of the five-year program to promote sustainable economic growth, food security and agricultural development in Uganda, Ethiopia Benin, Rwanda, Nepal and Timor Leste. CRS’ Farmer-to-Farmer program sends U.S. volunteers with agricultural expertise to share skills and help build capacity for farmers through short-term training and technical assistance projects. Volunteer technical assistance from U.S. farmers, educators, agribusinesses, cooperatives, and universities helps developing countries improve productivity, access new markets, and conserve environmental and natural resources. Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers work with farmers, producer groups,

27 February 2019. Brussels. ” Sustainable agriculture: where are we on SDGs implementation ?” The Briefing was co-organised by  CTA , the  European Commission  (DG Devco), the  ACP Secretariat  and  CONCORD . Background Note Programme Resources Click Here for Webstream The Brussels Briefing 54 discussed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, examining the status of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the progress made with respect to Zero Hunger (SDG 2) on agriculture, food security and nutrition in ACP countries. In particular, the Briefing featured an exchange of views and experiences on: the policies, practices and partnerships that have been successful in driving the goal of SDG 2, with a focus on landmark developments at local, national and regional levels; the achievements and best experiences in developing partnerships for SDG 2 implementation; the next steps on SDG 2 delivery. Panel 1: SDGs: Frameworks, Partnerships and Progress  This panel pr

26 February 2019. Brussels. The Contribution of Organic Agriculture to the SDGs: Scientific evidence from comparative research” Led by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), the workshop was hosted by the European Commission. It aimed to stimulate debate on the role of organic agriculture and other agro-ecological approaches in the European and international development policy frameworks in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Presentations on the latest scientific evidence produced by FiBL researchers on the performance of organic agriculture in tropical and sub-tropical climate zones in terms of productivity, economic viability, environmental soundness and social inclusiveness. A scientific panel discussion with representatives from leading research institutes. A policy panel discussion with representatives from the European Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the European Parliamentary Alliance on the Fi

View/Open full text (14.82Mb) 10 February – 28 February 2019 . ICARDA Cairo, Egypt. Geospatial technologies is a term used to describe the range of modern tools contributing to the geographic mapping and analysis of the Earth and human societies. Especially in the last decade, these technologies have evolved into a network of national security, scientific, and commercially operated satellites complemented by powerful desktop GIS. High quality hardware and data is now available to new audiences such as universities, corporations, and non-governmental organizations. The fields and sectors deploying these technologies are currently growing at a rapid pace, informing decision makers on topics such as industrial engineering, biodiversity conservation, forest fire suppression, agricultural monitoring, humanitarian relief, and much more. Geospatial technology is used mostly for surveying and mapping of plantation crops. At the micro level implementation of geospatial tools is mainly used for

Wheat is an important strategic food security crop in Africa, where billions of dollars are spent on imports although there is a great potential to produce the crop locally. The African Development Bank (AfDB), bolstered by the successes of the Support for Agricultural Research and Development of Strategic Crops (SARD-SC) projects, started a new initiative – TAAT. ( Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation ). The TAAT programme consists of nine value chains (rice, cassava, wheat , sorghum/millet, maize, high iron beans, orange-fleshed sweet potato, small livestock and aquaculture) and six enabler/cross-cutting (policy, capacity building, ENABLE-TAAT, water management, and fall armyworm) compacts. In the TAAT Wheat Project project , transforming wheat production is at the forefront of the Feed Africa agenda of the the African Development Bank AfDB to ensure self-sufficiency of the continent.  ICARDA is implementing the TAAT Wheat Project.   The project focuses on seven co

26 February 2019.  IFPRI Egypt Seminar in partnership with the National Nutrition Committee (ASRT). "100 million healthy lives: Scientific evidence on double burden of malnutrition in Egypt" The seminar discussed the current status of malnutrition among children and adults; providing a policy framework for managing determinants of malnutrition and obesity; and identifying options for preventive action to reduce the costs of nutrition-related diseases. In that respect, the seminar provided the occasion for researchers, decision makers and other stakeholders to discuss and inform the 100 Million Healthy Lives Initiative on state-of-the art nutrition and health related policies and interventions. Presentations took stock of the available nutrition data and provide an overview of the latest nutrition research findings from IFPRI and CAPMAS. The seminar also presented a multidimensional framework to control obesity and non-communicable diseases developed by Egypt’s National Nutrit

22 February 2019.    Launch of the State of the world's biodiversity for food and agriculture report Biodiversity for food and agriculture is among the earth’s most important resources. Thousands of species and their genetic variability make up the web of life and are indispensable to adapt to new conditions, including climate change. The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is committed to conserving biodiversity for food and agriculture and promotes its sustainable use for food security and human well-being and development worldwide, for current and future generations. Biodiversity for food security and nutrition. The first report on “The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture” is an essential step in creating a comprehensive picture of the state and use of this biodiversity, thus providing a strong foundation for the design of effective interventions towards more sustainable, resilient food systems. Five years in the making, the report eng

20 February 2019 . Berlin, Germany.  Mechanization of African Agriculture - Does it Create or Destroy Jobs?  Launch of the german version of the MaMo Mechanized Report. "Innovation Dialogue - on the Future of Rural Areas of Africa" ​​is being commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and within the framework of the Special initiative ONE WORLD without #Mechanization  can create jobs if done right such as investing in skills development and trainings together with mechanization, said ZEF director    #Joachimvonbraum  now at the @MamoPanel  in Berlin. @BMZ_Bund   #InnovationDialogue @ZEFbonn   @HelloTractor   @Welthungerhilfe hunger. A study by the "Malabo Montpellier Panel" describes the state of mechanization of agriculture in Africa. The panel provides recommendations for institutional reforms, innovative sector policies and cooperation with the private sector. The study testifies to considerable increases in productivity

FAO and ECA. 2018. Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition. Addressing the threat from climate variability and extremes for food security and nutrition . Accra. 116 pp. 20 February 2019.  ISAAA  Hunger in Africa Continues to Rise , 13 February 2019 . Reliefweb . The incidence of hunger continues to increase in Africa after several years of decrease, threatening the various efforts to eradicate hunger to meet the Malabo Goals 2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically the Sustainable Development Goal 2. This was highlighted in the report Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutritionreleased by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The report states that 237 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are suffering from chronic malnutrition, overturning the improvements accomplished in the previous years. "The worsening trend in Africa is due to difficult global economic

15 February.  Glyphosate Isn’t Giving You Cancer   vs   Monsanto’s Roundup raises cancer Monsanto’s Roundup raises cancer risk 41%, EPA-linked scientists  Monsanto’s Roundup raises the risk of certain cancers in heavily-exposed individuals by an eye-popping 41 percent, according to a study by former EPA advisors that may influence a coming wave of legal actions against the company. Monsanto’s Roundup raises the risk of certain cancers in heavily-exposed individuals by an eye-popping 41 percent, according to a study by former EPA advisors that may influence a coming wave of legal actions against the company. Exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides like Roundup dramatically increases a person’s risk of developing non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a new review of studies found, adding to the mounting pile of evidence against Monsanto’s popular weed killer, now owned by Bayer. The meta-analysis, published in Mutation Research, analyzed the results of six earlier studies to find individuals with heav

15 February 2019 . Devex.  Agriculture task force takes aim at EU investment plan for Africa  An expert group convened by the European Union to offer advice on how to create jobs in African agriculture will point to shortcomings in the EU’s flagship initiative for the African continent, the  External Investment Plan , or EIP. Created in February 2018 , the Task Force Rural Africa met  five times  last year,  charged  by the European Commission’s agriculture and development departments with accelerating “responsible EU private investment in support of African agriculture, agri-business and agroindustries.” They will publish their report on  March 7.  An overview of the task force’s  recommendations  was presented at a  meeting  of European and African officials in Vienna in December. Tom Arnold , the Irish agricultural economist who chaired the group of  11 experts  from Africa and Europe, explained that the  “first attempt at using the EIP to get investment [in agriculture] hasn’t ful

18 February 2019 . Brussels. Recent trends and Outlook in African Agricultural Trade Trade is an important avenue through which countries transform their economies and raise standards of living. For African countries, trade in agricultural products offers great potential to boost incomes for farmers, processors and other agricultural value chain actors. Leonard Mizzi , Head of Unit DEVCO C1- Rural Development, Food Security, Nutrition Chair Isolina Boto  Manager, CTA Brussels Office Ousmane Badiane  Director for Africa, IFPRI "Increasing the ability of African countries to participate in regional and global trade helps to improve well-being of consumers, raise incomes of farmers, build resilience of food markets, and ultimately it also helps to boost economic growth and reduce poverty," "Increasing the ability of African countries to participate in regional and global trade helps to improve well-being of consumers, raise incomes of farmers, build resilience of food marke

14 February 2019 . Washington. IFPRI.  Transforming Food Systems to Deliver Healthy, Sustainable Diets : The View from the World’s Science Academies The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), a global network of science academies, recently brought together regional networks of science academies from four continents—Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. This project aimed to spark a new global commitment to research the opportunities and challenges facing food and nutrition security and agriculture today. This seminar provided details on the scope and priorities of the IAP project, the regional perspectives of participants, and a global synthesis. During the discussion, participants explores mutual interests in increasing the sciences’ contribution to informed policy development, innovation, and practice. Volker ter Meulen , President, InterAcademy Partnership ( Presentation | Video ) Joachim von Braun , Director, Center for Development and Professor for Economic and Technological Change, B

14-15 February 2019 .  IFAD's forty-second session focused on the theme  rural innovation and entrepreneurship . IFAD, with its specialized mandate of enabling rural transformation, has a pivotal role to play in creating the conditions for innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive in rural areas. Extract of the programme Centre Stage – IFAD Talk  Dr Gunhild Stordalen, Executive Chair of the EAT Foundation Moderator: Ms Katherine Meighan , General Counsel, IFAD Special event: Access to finance for young people  Mr Jim Leandro Cano , Country Representative, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) ( Philippines )  Ms Annie Nyaga , farmer, agriculture transporter, and the youngest County Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock and Fisheries in Kenya; Co-Director, 4-H Kenya ( Kenya )  Ms Dalí Nolasco Cruz , Member of the Nahua peoples of Tlaola, Puebla. Director of the Timo’Patla Intercultural Organization A.C. and Mopampa, a network of social and solidarity ec

IFAD and AGRA, both with operations on the ground in rural communities, will work closely with the fund manager to identify investment opportunities with promising SMEs. Image Credit: Twitter(@IFAD) 15 February 2019 .  European development commissioner Neven Mimica launched  the new  Agri-Business Capital Fund , or ABC Fund, a partnership between the EU and others who have so far committed around €55 million to support direct investments via small-scale loans for small- and medium-sized businesses and farmers' organizations, plus indirect investment in local financial institutions for on-lending. The EU has made €45 million available to the fund. On top of this, the Luxembourg Government and the Africa Green Revolution Alliance, an international NGO, are contributing €5 million and $5 million respectively. Launch of the Agri-Business Capital Fund (ABC Fund) Welcome remarks: Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD  Introductory statement: Mr Neven Mimica , European Commission