Michel Ghanem – Mohammed VI Polytechnic University “Why is it common sense to diversify our investment portfolio, but not the world’s food portfolio?” asks Dr. Arif Husain, Chief Economist at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize (quote from Twitter, 23rd March 2022). As we diversify our … More Africa’s forgotten crops could offset growing food insecurity
CABI CABI researchers are hoping that the concept for a new award-winning digital tool could help in the fight against the devastating armoured bush cricket which is blighting the crops of small-scale farmers in Southern Africa. The armoured bush cricket (Acanthoplus spp.) has been ravaging the sorghum, millet, pumpkin, cowpea and cucumber crops of farmers … More Award-winning digital tool to fight devastating armoured bush cricket pest
Farm Radio International Once a week, families in western Burkina Faso gather around the radio to hear the fictionalized story of Batogma and her husband, Mahadou. “Head of the family, how many bags did we store after threshing?” asks Batogma to her husband. “You’d better talk about something else. The question of stocks is not … More Radio dramas spark conversations and challenge gender norms
By: Hajnalka Petrics, JP GTA What if your diet was lacking proteins – because fish and eggs are considered fit for men, but not for women? What if you were deprived of your source of food and income – because the law allows land to be owned by men, but not by women? What if … More Joining forces to promote gender transformative approaches
by Anna Patel, CGIAR The participation of both women and men is critical for productive, climate-resilient food systems. Yet, women face many more barriers than men. Gender inequality is endemic within natural resource management and agricultural systems, where girls and women have less control over resources, access to services and opportunity to engage in markets. … More Ready? Set? Transform! How to make gender equality last
by Vincent Mariadho – Prolinnova Kenya Coordinator 56-year-old smallholder farmer Rebecca Auma Dero is the brains behind the innovative sack-garden irrigation kit. Identified during the now concluded Proli-FaNS (Promoting local innovation in Food and Nutrition Security) project run in Kenya by Prolinnova Kenya, Rebecca’s innovation has been documented and used as a starting point for … More Local farmer innovation an entry point for farmer-led joint research
By Andres Sanchez FORAGRO/IICA Digital agriculture solutions are considered by many as innovations per se. However, if we more ambitiously see innovation as “an iterative, social process characterized by attempts, trial and errors”, aimed to “respond to one or more constraints hindering the wellbeing of an individual, of a group, or of a whole community”(1), … More How do family farmers perceive digital solutions in the LAC Region
By the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) A digital soil map for Nepal launched in 2021 provides access to location-specific information on soil properties for any province, district, municipality or a particular area of interest. The interactive map provides information useful for new crop- and site-specific fertilizer recommendations for the country. Produced by … More Digital soil map provides information for crop productivity and soil health
By The Land Portal The landscape of land data is different from many other types of data held by governments because land tenure systems are social, political, and economic in nature. Land tenure systems determine how land can be used, controlled or transferred, and for how long, for what purposes and under which conditions. Having … More The Land Portal: Bringing together data governance and FAIR principles
By CABI CABI has been awarded a $4.5 million contract from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to work with them to help address known constraints to data utility in agriculture development investments. These include helping the foundation’s Agricultural Development Program strategically address data sharing considerations at the beginning of projects rather than as an … More Constraints to FAIR and responsible data use in agricultural development investments highlighted
By Samwel Onyango, Cassava Project Assistant and Masters graduate in Food Safety and Quality, University of Nairobi The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly disrupted food systems. In the ‘new normal’, Kenyan farmers are struggling to revitalize their farms and are keen to mitigate some of the challenges experienced due to lockdowns, controlled gatherings and movement restrictions … More Revitalizing Kenya’s cassava value chain post COVID-19
The Partners in Action Campaign As we near the closing of the year 2021, GFAR takes this opportunity to thank all our Partners in Action contributors, readers and those who engage in the comments section. When the Partners in Action campaign was flagged off in May we were hoping that you would offer your experiences … More End of Year Letter from our Executive Secretary – Hildegard Lingnau
By Lauren Sarruf, CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) A study by CCAFS has explored the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on Guatemala’s food production systems, generating a series of recommendations for the sector. The closures and safety measures adopted worldwide in response to the coronavirus outbreak continue to have profound … More Impact of COVID-19 on Guatemala’s agriculture sector
By Dr. Dennis Rangi, Director General, Development, CABI CABI’s Dr. Dennis Rangi, based in Nairobi, asks how we can apply the determination and urgency shown to the COVID-19 pandemic to plant pandemics on the African continent in order to help food security. During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments across Africa showed great determination and urgency in … More Healthy crops are key to solving Africa’s food insecurity
By the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation (KENAFF) Like the rest of the world, Kenya’s climate is changing. The rainy seasons’ timing and duration have shifted, making them exceedingly unpredictable. Climate change poses a significant danger to agriculture, food security, and poverty alleviation. Agriculture contributes to climate change by emitting anthropogenic greenhouse gases and converting non-agricultural … More Bolstering Kenyan farmers’ resilience to climate shocks
By Harun Cicek, Lauren Dietermann and Miguel de Porras from FiBL The West African Sahel is at the frontline of climate change with severe land degradation, water scarcity and soil erosion problems that are expected to increase in the coming years. Due to the Sahel region providing food and basic income to millions of people, several social and economic factors are increasing the pressure on the region’s natural resources. The Sahel is already … More Building food systems resilience in the West African Sahel
What happens with the data generated by digital technologies used on the farm? Who can use it, whom does it belong to, what is its value? These and similar questions were addressed in the webinar on “Data governance in agriculture: including farmers”, organized by the partners in the GFAR Collective Action “Inclusive Digital transformation of … More Farmers and data governance in digital agriculture: a webinar of the Collective Action on Inclusive Digital Transformation of Agriculture
By Ayyanadar Arunachalam, ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh Plants are an important source for the sustenance of life on this planet. Among the plants, some plants are perennial, i.e. their vegetative and reproductive stage continues throughout the year. These ‘woody perennials’ include trees, palms, bamboo and shrubs. Yet, mostly woody perennials are referred … More Trees for the SDGs: Woody perennials building resilience in urban and rural landscapes
By Bethel Terefe, Gender Coordinator, CABI, and Frances Williams, Global Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, CABI Women are an important asset to the global agricultural workforce, making up 43% of the farming sector, but despite the key role they play, they often do not control decision-making on family farms and are left marginalized. Many sustainable agricultural … More Addressing social norms to help women access agricultural technologies
Blog post by Cathy Reade, Director of Outreach, Crawford Fund The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the cessation of international travel in early 2020 dramatically impacted the Crawford Fund’s mentoring, training and Master Class activities. The Fund’s capacity building program has involved over 13,000 developing country agricultural scientists, extension staff and farmers in a … More No pausing for the pandemic – e-Mentoring for inclusive, equitable agriculture
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