PARTNERSHIP INCEPTION WORKSHOP Afri-Sol

11th – 13th June 2012. Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel, Entebbe, Uganda. The Afri-Sol network was created from the realization that a number of African solanaceous plants are increasingly playing an important role in meeting the nutritional and health needs of many households globally. 


Scientists also continue to look for novel traits from wild plants of the Solanaceae family that are native to the African continent. Current research activity in the rich source of diversity present within the African continent, however, does not match the potential value of these plants. There has been very little consolidated effort towards proper conservation, management, improvement and promotion of valuable Germplasm. Afri-Sol brings together a multidisciplinary team of stakeholders with the goal of unlocking the potential of African solanaceous species biodiversity for the improvement of nutrition, health and income. 

Dr Rene Klein Lankhorst who is the head of the EU- Solanaceae Management office made a presentation on the functioning of EU SOL project. The 3- year USD44 million project has been running since 2009 and mainly concentrated on developing solanaceae plants with a focus on nutrition, quality, disease tolerance and better yield. One of the successes of this project has been the production of the Golden potato.


Broadly, Afri-Sol aims to address existing knowledge gaps and challenges within the respective African regions.The participants concentrated their efforts on mapping out the way forward for Afri-Sol. The problems Afri-Sol would seek to address were defined as follow:

•  Knowledge gaps in terms of health and nutritional value of solanaceae, consumer preferences and ornamental value.
• Regional challenges in terms of coordination of research, access to Germplasm, markets, identification of stakeholders, research infrastructure, biotic and abiotic stresses of solanaceae.

From these identified problems, a goal for Afri-Sol was formulated and it is; “To Unlock African Solanaceous biodiversity for nutrition, health and income improvement”. The participants defined following specific objectives of Afri-Sol:

1. Gathering of indigenous knowledge of African Solanaceae species (Uses, Propagation, Access to information)
2. Assessment of genetic resources (existing collections, exploration, bio-prospecting, conservation, characterization and core collection, germplasm sharing, preliminary screening, gene mining, breeding)
3. Basic biology (Cytogenetics, Biochemical and molecular tools, Ontology)
4. Nutrition and health (Micro nutrients, Bio active analysis, Social economics studies, Novel bioactives, Human intervention studies)
5. Seed systems (Indentify stakeholders in seed systems, Seed regulation, Seed quality & management, Seed markets, Seed storage)
6. Value addition and Markets (Demand Analysis, Supply analysis, Product development, Post harvest, Industrial applications)
7. Capacity building (Taxonomy, the “Omics” (Genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics), Human intervention studies, Biochemistry, Infrastructure, Curriculum

RIO+20 and Sustainable Agriculture

11 June 2012. In the run-up to RIO+20, the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), CGIAR, the global agricultural research partnership, issued a call to action. In this seven-point plan, CGIAR outlines how agricultural research for development can contribute to a more sustainable, food-secure future.

The conference recognizes the need for agricultural research for development: The Zero Draft of the conference's outcome document calls on "all states to prioritize sustainable intensification of food production through increased investment in local food production, improved access to local and global agri-food markets, and reduced waste throughout the supply chain, with special attention to women, smallholders, youth, and indigenous farmers.

The preparations for Rio+20 have highlighted seven areas that need priority attention. CGIAR's main focus, "food security and sustainable agriculture," is one of those seven areas.

Bruce Campbell Ph.D. Director, CGIAR Research Progamme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, interviewed  Dr. Frank Rijsberman, the newly appointed CEO of the CGIAR Consortium, to find out how agriculture and the environment are now "best friends."Community-designed programs"... focusing on small holder farmers?

Yes, contrary to the focus of the big agro-business, CGIAR concentrates on supporting and strengthening local production groups and small holders. Marginalized food producers, particularly women, need to be included more in the bid for sustainable development. They should be empowered to increase their production and marketing of a wide diversity of adapted and nutritious crops, many of which have been long-neglected by agricultural research. This empowerment can be achieved through a combination of basic agronomic research, strengthened land and water rights, increased access to markets, finance and insurance. While CGIAR concentrates on local research, we enhance local capacity -- where possible -- through community-based farmer organizations.

SIDE EVENTS AT RIO+20 

More than 500 on-site side events organized by Governments, Major Groups, Organizations from the UN system and other International Organizations will take place in RioCentro during Prepcom III (13-15 June), the Sustainable Development Dialogue Days (16-19 June) and the Summit (20-22 June).

Following side events target [African] agriculture and environment:

• Mainstreaming Organic Agriculture as a Means of Implementation International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) 
• Feeding the World: Sustainable Agriculture & Innovation  International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
• Biotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI)
• Women's Leadership in a Green Economy: Valuing Women's Contributions Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN)
• From Production To Consumption - Towards A Sustainable Food System, Millennium Institute
• Fertile Soil for our Future: nourish our people - nurture our planet Biovision + Foundation for ecological Development
• Peasants Reclaiming our Future with Food Sovereignty and Agroecology LA VIA CAMPESINA - International Peasant Movement 
• RECOGNIZING AFRICA'S ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT AND HARNESSING NATURAL CAPIT Senegal
• Sustainable Energy for All - implications and opportunities for Africa Practical Action
Crossborder Projects of Maiombe and Kaza: The actual status of implementation Angola
• Towards Sustainable Food Security in the Sahel Niger
• African Young Scientist Initiative on Climate Change and IKS South Africa
• Workshop on the Protection of Lake Chad Chad
• Sustainable Development in the context of Regional Integration in EAC East African Community (EAC)
• FINANCING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA African Development Bank (AFDB)
• PRIVATE SECTOR DIALOGUE IN THE CONTEXT OF GREEN ECONOMY African Development Bank (AFDB)
• Sustainable Development Goals: From 'silo thinking' towards an integrated approach. Insights from the European Report on Development  European Commission
• Goals for Healthy Soils and the Role of the Global Soil Partnership European Commission
• South-South&Triangular cooperation:innovative solutions to achieve SDG ACP Secretariat
• Food for life & life of food Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Steering Committee Meeting of EFARD

12th – 13th June 2012. Brussels. Steering Committee Meeting of EFARD (the European Forum on Agricultural Research for Development). EFARD’s strategic objectives are to encourage dialogue between European ARD stakeholder groups promoting awareness, innovative approaches, and partnerships in order to build a more efficient and impact focused ARD; to support global ARD initiatives within the framework of GFAR and the GCARD process; and to to promote inter-regional partnerships and collaborative ARD activities for joint research initiatives, capacity strengthening and greater impact, particularly in developing countries.

The 3 major agenda points were the role of ARD in Horizon 2020, the EFARD communication strategy and the contribution of EFARD to the GCARD 2 conference in Uruguay (October 2012).

• In order to continue with efforts to ensure ARD is more prominent in the awareness of policy makers and funders, the EFARD Steering Committee decided that more efforts are needed on Horizon 2020 (the successor of FP7). A letter will be addressed by EFARD to Paolo De Castro, Chairman of the Commission on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Parliament on food security. 
• In order to implement the GFAR’s agricultural information and communication management programme which sets out to enhance stakeholders’ access to agricultural knowledge, a desk study was led by CIRAD. The objective of this study was 1) To review and map the major European information and communication system: portals and websites dealing with Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D); 2) To provide some suggestions on how to integrate European agricultural information resources into the existing global agricultural information and communication management systems. 
•  The EFARD lead activities in support of GCARD Road Map are Foresight; the role of the ARI’s; Capacity Strengthening and coordination with CSOs and NGOs. 

Participants:Alessandra Giuliani (SFIAR, Switzerland, Vice Chair) Arno Maatman (ICRA) Observer Catherine Guichard (COLEACP, France, Chair) Christian Hoste (AGREENIUM/ France) Codrin Paveliuc-Olariu (YPARD – Europe representative) Caroline Sidi (ACF, France) substitute for Myriam Ait-Aissa Didier Pillot (AGRINATURA) David Radcliffe (EC/DEVCO; Executive Secretary) Frédéric Lapeyrie (CRAI, France) Francois Stepman (European Co-manager, PAEPARD) Observer George Rothschild (UK Forum) Judith Francis (CTA, Netherlands) Observer Jennie van der Mheen (WUR, Netherlands) Nicoliene Oudwater (ETC) substitute for Ann Waters-Bayer Paolo Sarfatti (AGRINATURA/ IAO, Italy) Philippe Petithuguenin (EC, DG RTD, representing EIARD) Sander van Opstal (ERA-ARD representative) Observer Wim Andriesse (WUR, Netherlands) Alex Percy-Smith (Consultant to Secretariat) Francoise de Chevigny (ICRA), VAN OPSTAL, Sander Senior Officer, Directorate for Knowledge, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Ede, The Netherlands

Related: EFARD Joint meeting with EIARD 
As a new point at the end of the EFARD SC meeting and at the beginning of the 54th EIARD Working Group meeting a joint session was held with the following agenda:

• Presentations of EIARD and of EFARD 
• Discussion on linkages (incl. governance and communication) 
• GCARD 2 preparation and participation 
• Bi-continental platforms with Africa (PAEPARD), ASIA and Latin America: PAEPARD presentation on re-thinking funding mechanisms for multi stakeholder ARD consortia
• Participation of ARIs in the CGIAR CRPs 

Participants:

• EFARD Steering Committee (see above)
• KALDERS, Joseph NCP WG Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, DGOS, Brussels, Belgium 
• THEVENOUX, Philippe European Commission, DG DEVCO, Brussels, Belgium 
• PETITHUGUENIN, Philippe ExSec European Commission, DG Research, Brussels, Belgium
• RADCLIFFE, David European Commission, DG Development, Brussels, Belgium 
• LAPEYRIE, Frederic NCP Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research, Paris France 
• FLOOD, Frank Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs, Limerick, Ireland 
• VAN GILST, Daniel M Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), Oslo, Norway 
• CHIVERTON, Philip NCP Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden 
• THOENNISSEN, Carmen NCP WG Senior Advisor, CGIAR, Global Program Food Security, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Berne, Switzerland 
• TOLLERVEY, Alan NCP Agriculture Team Leader, Research and Evidence Division DFID,  London, UK
• Wofgang Kasten Germany, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Eschborn, Germany
• HAUG Ruth, Norway 
• DOBAO Maria Teresa, Spain

World Farmers Organization General Assembly

June 6 – 9, 2012. Rome. World Farmers Organization General Assembly. The objective of the GA was to provide an opportunity to discuss WFO‘s statutory issues; as well as offer the possibility to farmers associations to discuss and share experiences in agriculture related key issues (trade, food security, climate change, education and awareness raising programs); sharing experiences on outreach activities, special programs, services, products; collecting best practices and case studies; stimulate cooperation and partnership among WFO’s members and agriculture related organizations; build Interactive platform for sharing experiences and cooperation network.

Presentations from Africa: 

• What is the enabling environment needed for thriving Producer Organizations and Cooperatives, Mr. Jervis Zimba, President, ZNFU, Lusaka 
• Practical role and challenges of Farmer Organizations in developing Countries, Mr. Nduati Kariuki Chairman, Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers (KENFAP), Nairobi 
• Ensuring food security in sub-Saharan Africa, a way through, Dr. Martin Eweg, AFAAS board, South Africa 

PAEPARD related:
Agriculture Research for Development: GFAR, GCARD and Farmers’ Organizations, Mr. Thomas Price, Senior Officer, Agricultural Innovation and Society, FAO, Rome

World Bank urges Africa-Brazil partnership in agricultural development

5 June 2012. The World Bank organised a video conference for some African countries including Ghana, Liberia, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia to present experience of the Brazilian corporations in agriculture, social protection, vocational and technical training.



The conference papers were presented from Washington DC in US to participants in their respective countries. Brazilian technology is said to be easily adaptable to many African countries because of geophysical similarities in soil and climate. Andre Nepomuceno Dusi, Structuring Projects Coordinator of Brazilian EMBRAPA pledged the Brazilian government's commitment to help develop the agricultural capacity of African countries, especially those in the Sub-Saharan region.

14 June. This half-day seminar organized by the WB Africa Region aims at presenting Brazilian cooperation experiences in the areas of agriculture, social protection and vocational training.

Shantayanan Devarajan, Chief Economist – Africa Region. The World Bank



Related: 
“Bridging the Atlantic, Brazil and Sub-Saharan Africa. South-South Partnering for Growth” is the title of a recent report produced jointly by the Capacity Development and Partnership Unit of the Africa Region at the World Bank (WB) and the Brazilian Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA). As the report points out, Brazil and Africa are natural partners with strong historic and cultural links. Complementing these links, Brazilian technology seems to be easily adaptable to many African nations because of geophysical similarities in soil and climate. Brazil’s recent successes on the social and economic fronts have attracted attention from many African countries. They have requested Brazilian cooperation in areas such as tropical agriculture, tropical health, vocational training, energy and social protection among others.

Agricultural Research in Africa: Why CAADP should follow IAASTD

A new briefing paper from APRODEV and PELUM Association analyses the agricultural research policies of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the extent to which they address the needs of marginalised smallholder farmers. CAADP has a huge opportunity to promote good agricultural research by following the findings of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). However, CAADP is largely not following the IAASTD roadmap.

The paper highlights five key problems with CAADP’s policies and practices:

  1. African governments are ignoring their CAADP commitment, set in 2003, to double their annual spending on agricultural research within 10 years; rather, many have been reducing their spending. CAADP has not invested enough in examining why CAADP commitments are not met at member state level and therefore falls short of appropriate measures to meet the set targets of 6% agriculture growth.

 2. Despite the fact that women constitute most farmers in Africa, they are paid lip service in CAADP programmes. Women are largely ignored in countries’ CAADP and other agriculture strategies.

 3. CAADP is promoting a farming model, associated with the Green Revolution, that encourages heavy reliance on expensive external inputs, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and improved and/or hybrid seeds bought from agribusiness companies; this comes at the expense of promoting sustainable agriculture approaches which are likely to benefit poor farmers much more.

 4. CAADP’s lead partner in agricultural research, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, has taken a lopsided stance on GMOs and advocates strong IPR regimes that threaten farmers’ rights to retain and exchange their traditional seeds; ignoring the consensus on sustainable, agro-ecological farming models as a viable solution for African agriculture.

5. Smallholder farmers, especially women, are being insufficiently consulted in the design of agricultural research policies.

Eating Planet, Nutrition Today: A Challenge for Mankind and the Planet

Eating Planet, Nutrition Today: A Challenge for Mankind and the Planet, a new book released by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN), hopes to educate the public about food production and the challenges it faces and the benefits that reform could bring. The book is available for download from here.

Everyday one billion people go to bed hungry while 30 per cent of food is wasted and another billion people suffer from health problems related to obesity. As society has become more urban, younger generations have no idea as to how food is produced. Finally, the global agricultural system is responsible for one third of greenhouse gas emissions. Most of it coming from livestock, which accounts for about 20 per cent of the total, according to a UN report from 2006.

"Access to food is one of the first and most fundamental of all human rights," says Guido Barilla, chairman of the Barilla Group. "Where food is lacking, it becomes impossible to live with dignity, and the rights to a healthy life and peaceful coexistence are undermined."

The book was organized in collaboration with the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet project, which provides an evaluation of environmentally sustainable solutions to alleviate hunger and poverty.

"The study's conclusions represent a major step toward ensuring that agriculture contributes to health, environmental sustainability, income generation, and food security," said Nourishing the Planet project director, Danielle Nierenberg. "The ingredients will vary by country and region, but there are some key components that will lead to healthier food systems everywhere."

The report is divided into four sections: Food for All, Food for Sustainable Growth, Food for Health, and Food for Culture. Each of these sections ends with concrete recommendations, proposals, and actions that need to be taken to solve the global food crisis. It also features contributions from experts such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres, Italian economist and former Prime Minister Mario Monti, philosopher and environmental activist Vandana Shiva and Carlo Petrini, founder of the International "Slow Food" Movement.

One of the points made in the book is that people in developing countries should be educated about the advantages of healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, before bad eating habits develop into deep-rooted cultural practices, which is already happening in places like India, where meat and dairy consumption are on the rise. It is important to develop healthy eating habits during childhood to ensure overall health later in life. Besides, healthy eating is also lighter on the environment since it is animal-derived produce that has a higher carbon footprint.

On June 28, 2012, the Barilla Center for Food and Nutriton and the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet project teamed up to launch their new book, Eating Planet--Nutrition Today: A Challenge for Mankind and for the Planet. The event featured notable speakers such as Nourishing the Planet Director Danielle Nierenberg, food waste activist and author of American Wasteland, Jonathan Bloom; founder of The 30 Project and new member of the BCFN Advisory Board, Ellen Gustafson; publisher of "Edible Manhattan" and author of Eat Here, Brian Halweil; Stephanie Hanson, Director of Policy and Outreach for the One Acre Fund; Kelly Hauser, Agriculture Policy Director for the One Campaign; and founder and director of Citizen Effect, Dan Morrison.