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… Continue reading 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. Credit: J.L.Urrea/CCAFS The closures and safety measures adopted worldwide in response to the coronavirus outbreak continue to… Continue reading 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. Dr Dennis Rangi. Credit: CABI During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments across Africa showed… Continue reading 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… Continue reading Bolstering Kenyan farmers’ resilience to climate shocks

By Harun Cicek, Lauren Dietermann and Miguel de Porras from FiBL Agro-silvo-pastoral landscape during the rainy season. A mosaic of millet and groundnut fields dominated by Faidherbia Albida trees (defoliated during rainy season). Niakhar, Senegal. Audebert, CIRAD, August 2018. 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… Continue reading Building food systems resilience in the West African Sahel

By Ayyanadar Arunachalam, ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh Tree inclusion in a rural landscape 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.… Continue reading 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 When it comes to rural communities, social norms matter because they affect the choices and opportunities available to women © Pixabay Women are an important asset to the global agricultural workforce, making up 43% of the farming sector, but despite… Continue reading 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… Continue reading No pausing for the pandemic – e-Mentoring for inclusive, equitable agriculture

Blog post by Glindys Virginia Luciano, Network Engagement Coordinator, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) & Genna Tesdall, YPARD Director In the last several years, dialogue around safe and nutritious food has evolved from talks about productivity towards post-productionist goals. What does it really mean to consume food that is produced in an ethical manner… Continue reading Transforming the food system? Let’s talk finance.

By Samwel Onyango, Cassava project assistant and masters graduate in food safety and quality at the University of Nairobi Samwel Onyango showing Caroline Dama how to use a phone and capture images. Photo credit: Benson Kimbio, UON-Semis. Cassava crop has been grown along the Kenyan coast since time immemorial, but farmers scarcely appreciate the crop… Continue reading Food heroes changing perceptions of nutrition in Kenyan Households

By Genna Tesdall, Director of Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) 19-year-old Aisyah takes a break during her work day in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Credit: CIFOR Global food and agriculture is finally giving a focus to youth! As a network born 15 years ago out of the need for young agricultural professionals to come together… Continue reading Youth in agrifood systems: more than the leaders of tomorrow

By Deston Pope and Keron Bascombe, Tech4Agri Deston Pope shoots footage on location for a site visit to a farm in Tabaquite, South Trinidad. "In today’s world, the words ‘vaccine’ and ‘economy’ including the phrases ‘digital transformation’ and ‘food security’ can be heard almost every day. And yet the greatest untapped resource, our youth, still… Continue reading New series #RiseofAgriculture tells the stories behind Trinidad and Tobago’s agriculture sector

By Indika Arulingam, Research Officer, International Water Management Institute and Shakuntala Thilsted, Global Lead for Nutrition and Public Health, WorldFish Tilapia fingerlings being bought at aquaculture ponds in Kitwe, Zambia. Credit: D.Huso/WorldFish Governments knew that youth unemployment was high before the COVID-19 pandemic, but what they failed to realize was how vulnerable even those with… Continue reading Reeling in economic opportunities for Africa’s youth

By Jeff Bentley, Agro-Insight Children at a participating school in Kenya. Credit: J.Bentley/Agro-Insight Kenyan schools recently moved away from memorizing facts, and towards learning skills, knowledge and attitudes. This “competency based curriculum" (CBC) includes new topics like ICT, and agriculture. Lawrence Njagi, the CEO of Mountain Top Educational Publishers, explained that the challenge was finding… Continue reading Videos teach Kenyan children good attitudes towards agriculture

By CGIAR Unemployment is a major issue among African youth, who constitute the largest population segment, yet often feel marginalized from the economic mainstream. Despite their best efforts, many young people find little means to meet their expectations for a better life or contribute to their countries’ economies. Higher education has grown faster than the economies they were intended to support, leaving large numbers of recent… Continue reading Youth Agripreneurs Program engages African youths into agribusiness, creating over 1 million jobs

By Vivian Atakos and Marc Ghislain, International Potato Center Farmer Bone-Konsira Tumwesigye holds some potatoes in her hands. To get a good harvest, she must spray her field with fungicides on a weekly basis, a labor intensive, time consuming and expensive undertaking. Credit: CIP Successful innovation for agriculture will depend on thorough and careful understanding… Continue reading Defeating potato late blight with farmers’ help in Uganda

By the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Credit: IRRI Dutika Pujari, Hemanti Pujari, Pramila Gopal, and Dharani Gopal are farmers that have something in common: they all endeavored to improve their well-being, social, economic, and health status. Today, they are proud shareholders of the Adarsh Dharmagarh Women Farmers Services Producer Company Ltd (ADWFSPCL) in Kalahandi… Continue reading With the wind beneath our wings, we soar together and higher