In a bind: How policy divide between forestry and farming can result in poverty and hunger

July 3, 2017

For generations, upland communities of Vietnam, Thailand and Nepal relied on fruits, nuts, mushrooms and berries gathered in forests when harvests were low, and let their fields lie fallow, allowing soil to rebound. However, with agricultural development and forest management evolving as discrete policy areas, these communities were denied access to forests in the interests … More In a bind: How policy divide between forestry and farming can result in poverty and hunger

Where did the time go?

June 23, 2017

Hectic yet reflective! The pilot GFAR-YPARD Young Agripreneur Project (YAP) is coming to an end and in these posts, the six young agripreneurs are pondering on their professional and personal journeys over the past twelve months. In April 2016, they all gathered in Johannesburg, where they thrilled the audiences at GCARD3 with their enthusiasm, drive and energy in … More Where did the time go?

Webinar Wrap-up: Farmers’ Rights: Achieving Complementarity between the Informal and Formal Seed Systems

June 21, 2017

Smallholder farmers are at the heart of the informal seed system as both custodians and innovators of important crop genetic diversity. Their rights have been recognized globally, through the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, as a counter balance to the rights of commercial breeders in the formal seed system. However … More Webinar Wrap-up: Farmers’ Rights: Achieving Complementarity between the Informal and Formal Seed Systems

The Year of the YAP: A Tale of Genius, Power and Magic

June 15, 2017

Hectic yet reflective! The pilot GFAR-YPARD Young Agripreneur Project is coming to an end and in these posts, the six young agri-preneurs are pondering on their professional and personal journeys over the past twelve months. In April 2016, they all gathered in Johannesburg, where they thrilled the audiences at GCARD3 with their enthusiasm, drive and energy in describing … More The Year of the YAP: A Tale of Genius, Power and Magic

Turning key objectives into reality with YAP!

June 14, 2017

Hectic yet reflective! The pilot GFAR-YPARD Young Agripreneur Project is coming to an end and in these posts, the six young agri-preneurs are pondering on their professional and personal journeys over the past twelve months. In April 2016, they all gathered in Johannesburg, where they thrilled the audiences at GCARD3 with their enthusiasm, drive and energy in describing … More Turning key objectives into reality with YAP!

Communications in agriculture, as a means. Not a goal.

June 12, 2017

Confusion of goals and perfection of means, seems, in my opinion, to characterize our age. Albert Einstein Will you forgive me, if I step onto my preaching soapbox for a moment? But this is a topic very dear to my heart. People often ask me for the latest trends in communications, where they refer to … More Communications in agriculture, as a means. Not a goal.

GFAR Webinar: Beyond decision making: Foresight as a process for improving attitude towards change

June 7, 2017

GFAR is pleased to invite you to the webinar: Beyond decision making: Foresight as a process for improving attitudes towards change Date: 27 June 2017 Time: 14:00 Rome time Duration: 2 hours max Registration open As part of its series of webinars, GFAR Secretariat is bringing together foresight practitioners and others interested in foresight for … More GFAR Webinar: Beyond decision making: Foresight as a process for improving attitude towards change

Youth Agripreneurs Project: Sowing the seed for a brighter future

June 5, 2017

Hectic yet reflective! The pilot GFAR-YPARD Young Agripreneur Project is coming to an end and in these posts, the six young agri-preneurs are pondering on their professional and personal journeys over the past twelve months. In April 2016, they all gathered in Johannesburg, where they thrilled the audiences at GCARD3 with their enthusiasm, drive and energy in describing … More Youth Agripreneurs Project: Sowing the seed for a brighter future

Youth agribusiness in Africa: not just about knowledge, but action

June 2, 2017

A week ago, I was fortunate to speak at the latest Brussels Rural Development Briefings (Briefing number 49)* that took place at the ACP secretariat in Brussels, Belgium. The briefing focused on “Youth in Agribusiness: shaping the future of agriculture”. One of the key takeaways I took from the conference was that we cannot force … More Youth agribusiness in Africa: not just about knowledge, but action

Farewell to the Goofy Bug Guy

June 1, 2017

Hectic yet reflective! The pilot GFAR-YPARD Young Agripreneur Project is coming to an end and in these posts, the six young agri-preneurs are pondering on their professional and personal journeys over the past twelve months. In April 2016, they all gathered in Johannesburg, where they thrilled the audiences at GCARD3 with their enthusiasm, drive and energy in describing … More Farewell to the Goofy Bug Guy

Join GFAR’s webinar on “Farm Radio, Community Radio and Participatory Radio”

May 31, 2017

We had been driving around for days interviewing farmers in the remote and arid northern part of Burkina Faso. To get from one settlement to the next, it took hours: Hours of negotiating gullies cut deep into the sandy soil, with boulders washed onto what used to be a dirt road. The whole time, the … More Join GFAR’s webinar on “Farm Radio, Community Radio and Participatory Radio”

Sink it or lose it: the carbon trade-off

May 29, 2017

New studies released by CIAT and partners show that, given the vast amount of carbon stored our soils, small management changes could have tremendous impacts, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. “We’re at the forefront of understanding how we can make the most of soils to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” said Rolf Sommer, principal soil … More Sink it or lose it: the carbon trade-off

Moving mountains, one jar of honey at a time

May 26, 2017

Hectic yet reflective! The pilot GFAR-YPARD Young Agripreneur Project is coming to an end and in these posts, the six young agri-preneurs are pondering on their professional and personal journeys over the past twelve months. In April 2016, they all gathered in Johannesburg, where they thrilled the audiences at GCARD3 with their enthusiasm, drive and energy in describing … More Moving mountains, one jar of honey at a time

Youth as a Catalyst for Delivering on the SDGs – A connection we can’t afford to ignore

May 25, 2017

This year’s World Wildlife Day celebrates the theme ‘Listen to the Young Voices’. Its message is to mobilize the positive energy of the planet’s youth to call attention to the threats to wildlife. These include over-exploitation poaching or illicit trafficking. Engaging ‘Youth as agents of change’ to improve the world for our wildlife is a … More Youth as a Catalyst for Delivering on the SDGs – A connection we can’t afford to ignore

Mentoring rural youth to make agriculture attractive

May 24, 2017

The more I read on youth mentoring, especially YPARD’s mentoring programmes, the more I got inspired and tempted to mentor young people. My visit to Nikki Chaudhary’s dairy farm in 2016, to witness first-hand her start-up in action, as a finalist of GFAR’s Youth Agripreneurs Project (YAP), was a pivotal moment in understanding the value of these mentoring … More Mentoring rural youth to make agriculture attractive

A South Asian Success story

May 19, 2017

GFAR partner LI-BIRD demonstrates the force of collective action in enhancing the resilience of rural communities Rampur, Dang, Nepal. A typical farming community in western Nepal, close to the fertile Terai plains. Yet like rural communities everywhere, the inhabitants of Rampur are facing challenges to their livelihood. Agriculture is largely subsistence-based and very volatile; alterations … More A South Asian Success story

The disruption starts now: new big data program promises to shake up agriculture

May 17, 2017

A new multimillion-dollar initiative plans to disrupt food production across the developing world, with the aim of making it more productive, efficient and resilient – all through the power of information. The CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture is jointly led by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Food Policy … More The disruption starts now: new big data program promises to shake up agriculture