Category: GFAR blog

All posts belonging to the GFAR blog

Too difficult, too disruptive and too slow? Innovative approaches to common challenges in conducting humanitarian impact evaluations

August 20, 2018

Over 200 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance across the world today.  In 2017, the UN-coordinated appeals reported a shortfall of 41 per cent, despite receiving a record amount of funding. As the demands on these limited funds increase, there is a concurrent increase in the need for high-quality evidence on the … More Too difficult, too disruptive and too slow? Innovative approaches to common challenges in conducting humanitarian impact evaluations

On International Day, Indigenous Peoples Preserve Biodiversity

August 9, 2018

This International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, August 9, is an opportunity to celebrate the ecological and cultural value of indigenous foodways. In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared the day to encourage the world to protect and promote the rights of indigenous peoples. Celebrating their cultures means preserving their time-tested farming practices, … More On International Day, Indigenous Peoples Preserve Biodiversity

Expert consultation in Bonn on “Ethical, legal and policy aspects of data sharing affecting farmers”

August 2, 2018

There are many inter-linked issues in the whole data value chain that affect the ability of farmers, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, to access, use and harness the benefit of data and data-driven technologies. There are policy issues (decisions on making data open and prioritizing types of data to open up to investment decisions); … More Expert consultation in Bonn on “Ethical, legal and policy aspects of data sharing affecting farmers”

For Farmers, A Picture is Worth More Than a Thousand Data Sets

July 31, 2018

The market for space-procured business data is expected to be worth more than $1 trillion by 2028. We look into how satellite data is playing out in the agricultural field. By Jeffrey Hill of Via Satellite There are several large orchards and tree farms scattered among the hills at the eastern edge of Pennsylvania along the … More For Farmers, A Picture is Worth More Than a Thousand Data Sets

Five new insights on how agriculture can help reduce poverty

July 30, 2018

The view that a productive agriculture is critical for employment creation and poverty reduction is now widely shared within the development community. Yet, this has not always been the case. In the runup to the 2008 world food price crisis, many development practitioners, government officials, and economists doubted whether agriculture could still play this role, … More Five new insights on how agriculture can help reduce poverty

Are meat and grains being demonized?

July 27, 2018

More than ever before, dieticians, the media, and even supermarket chains looking to attract new customers are praising the merits of alternative diets, free of animal products or “staple” grains, or both. Whether it’s a choice made for better health, a moral or ethical conviction, or a necessity owing to intolerances, everyone seems to be … More Are meat and grains being demonized?

Tech transformation: how agriculture is being redefined through digital innovation and startups

July 19, 2018

At a recent YES Bank panel and digital startup competition, it was evident that India’s digital boom was lending the Indian startup ecosystem a distinctly agri-flavour. The convergence of mobile networks, broadband internet, cloud platforms, IoT, AI and open data is helping transform one of the world’s oldest professions. This is of great significance as … More Tech transformation: how agriculture is being redefined through digital innovation and startups

Sometimes, it all runs like clockwork

July 18, 2018

Our Foundation and partners are helping local radio stations in Kenya to establish agricultural advice programs*. Fabian Oswald, studying Science Communications in Germany, has chosen this topic for his Master’s thesis. He recently investigated the knowledge exchange between three stations, their listeners and advisors.  “Everybody warned me in advance: This was research I couldn’t plan … More Sometimes, it all runs like clockwork

GFAR/TAP/FARA Webinar in French language: “Sharing Knowledge on Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation through TAPipedia”

July 5, 2018

TAP and GFAR are pleased to invite you to the webinar: Sharing Knowledge on Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation through TAPipedia Partager les connaissances sur le renforcement des capacités pour l’innovation agricole à travers TAPipedia (in French language – en langue française) Date: 10 July 2018 Time: 11:30 AM Rome time (GMT +2) Duration: 1.5 hours REGISTER … More GFAR/TAP/FARA Webinar in French language: “Sharing Knowledge on Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation through TAPipedia”

Heritiana Randriamanatahiana: ‘An entrepreneur must be competitive and creative, but above all, open-minded’

July 3, 2018

At the age of just 24, Madagascan Heritiaina Randriamananatahina heads up a cheese and syrup processing business that is growing fast. Lacking any formal qualifications, he discusses the barriers facing any aspiring young business man or woman in the agri-food industry. Raised by his grand-mother, Heritiana Randriamanatahiana dropped out of school at 14 to earn … More Heritiana Randriamanatahiana: ‘An entrepreneur must be competitive and creative, but above all, open-minded’

Regeneration Guatemala Seeks to Transform Rural Guatemala Agriculture

June 27, 2018

In 2017, several members of Social Lab Guatemala, an incubator for social business, were inspired to build a national model for regenerative agriculture in Guatemala. Their inspiration led them to strategic partnerships with Regeneration International (RI) Main Street Project (MSP) and ultimately to the formation of Regeneration Guatemala. Regeneration Guatemala’s mission is to rebuild the … More Regeneration Guatemala Seeks to Transform Rural Guatemala Agriculture

Reflections on the GFAR Steering Committee meeting

June 22, 2018

The GFAR Steering Committee drives the Forum and includes both grassroots and international organizations, elected to represent Partners in GFAR from all relevant sectors in agri-food research and innovation. GFAR catalyzes Collective Actions that bring together diverse actors through equitable and integrated processes, to make agricultural research and innovation more effective and equitable towards Sustainable Development … More Reflections on the GFAR Steering Committee meeting

Empowering Farmers in the Fight Against Desertification

June 18, 2018

The first global drylands assessment published in Science magazine in May 2017 estimated that 166 million hectares in Africa’s Great Green Wall area alone are in need of restoration. The upshot is that over 10 million hectares per year should be restored by 2030 to meet UN Sustainable Development Goal 15 on land degradation neutrality. … More Empowering Farmers in the Fight Against Desertification

Learning power lessons: verifying the viability of impact evaluations

June 15, 2018

Learning from one’s past mistakes is a sign of maturity. Given that metric, 3ie is growing up. We now require pilot research before funding most full impact evaluation studies. Our pilot studies requirement was developed to address a number of issues, including assessing whether there is sufficient intervention uptake, identifying or verifying whether the expected … More Learning power lessons: verifying the viability of impact evaluations

Let’s eat our way to a healthier planet

June 14, 2018

For the past five years, an unusual gathering of thought-leaders and experts from the realms of science, policy, business and civil society has taken place in Stockholm to tackle the interconnected challenges of food, health and sustainability. This June, the Government of Sweden is for the first time co-hosting the EAT Food Forum in Stockholm. … More Let’s eat our way to a healthier planet

G7 can tackle five priorities with one investment: agricultural research

June 12, 2018

This week the representatives of the world’s most advanced economies grapple with complex challenges at the G7 summit in Canada. Smart investments need to be made to solve the five key issues addressed at the summit and the smartest investment is in agricultural research, writes Marco Ferroni. The G7 summit tops European leaders’ agendas this week. … More G7 can tackle five priorities with one investment: agricultural research

Global implications of the European Food System; A food systems approach

May 15, 2018

The EU is a major player in the world market for agricultural products, both dependent on commodity imports from many countries, and exporting high-value agricultural products. There is a need to better understand the impact – on people, planet and profit – of the EU trade on food systems outside the EU, with a focus … More Global implications of the European Food System; A food systems approach