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?
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
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
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”
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’
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
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
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 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
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
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
In this episode of GFAR Talks, we will examine how agricultural research can and must become a participatory process in which everyone is involved—from the perspectives of farmers, researchers and donors themselves.
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
It may be small, but the Fall armyworm is a big deal. As far as being a pest and a threat to African farming and farmer’s livelihoods, the Fall armyworm has a lot going for it. It eats 80 different plant species and travels and reproduces at a rapid rate. Considering this, it is easy … More Uliza and the Fall Army Worm
Radio is a great tool for reaching people that other communication methods often cannot. It’s cheap, portable, shareable, and easy to understand. It doesn’t require sophisticated literacy skills. Good radio is also captivating and fun. Paired with a mobile phone, radio allows an opportunity for conversation, so that anyone listening to the radio can have … More Putting Her Voice on Air
At Farm Radio International, our work requires great partnerships to get great results. We partner with radio stations, key stakeholder groups, and knowledge experts to make informative and entertaining interactive radio programs. These programs share agricultural knowledge and amplify the voices of listeners so rural communities can be empowered in their own development. We know … More Opening the debate on scale and sustainability
If every radio broadcast had the same format, people would get bored and stop tuning in. When Farm Radio International designs a radio campaign, we try to use a variety of segments to keep listeners entertained and engaged in the program. ‘Drama+Discussion’ is one great program type that combines education and entertainment in the perfect … More Drama Queens
At Farm Radio International, we are constantly trying to improve our programs and get the most out of the technologies we have on hand. Radio is a great tool for circulating information, and broadcasting a message to millions of listeners. But how do you hear back from those listeners to understand their questions or expertise? … More Closing the feedback loop with interactive radio
Transformational learning and student leadership development in undergraduate universities, agricultural and life sciences colleges at the global level is a key focus area of GFAR for the years 2018-2021. Reform of agricultural and life science universities and departments around the world is needed to adapt to changes in their dynamic environments, and to mend the … More GFAR scales out Transformational Learning to another continent
One first step to supporting farmers is to understand their information needs. Farm Radio International aims to strengthen small-scale farming and rural communities, and a key step in doing so is to know the communities better. This is where formative research comes in. We collaborate and learn about the community in order to understand its … More Meeting Our Audience
