News digest: Agri-food markets, production and trade
- 06/12/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Avocados, Cameroon, Caribbean, Citrus fruits, Coffee, Fiji, Kenya, Mangoes, News, Nigeria, Pacific, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda
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Agri-food Africa Rwanda: Rwanda plans to double its lending to agriculture Rwanda plans to double its lending to the agricultural sector from 5.2 to 10.4% by 2024. The goal is to modernise agriculture, which now accounts for one-third of Rwanda’s GDP. Small farms can rarely access financial services due to high interest rates (18-24% per year). Access to these loans will enable farmers to invest in new means of production and thus secure the food supply for a country whose… +Updated guidance on the new EU Organic Regulation
- 29/11/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Caribbean, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, News, Nigeria, Pacific, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe
The new EU Organic Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2018/848), originally intended to apply from 1 January 2021, was postponed to 1 January 2022 to allow for completion of the secondary legislation due to Covid-19, among other reasons. In the meantime, several new delegated and implementing acts have been issued during 2021. At the time of writing, 18 items of secondary legislation have been published, and a further eight are in the adoption process. These latest changes are included in COLEACP’s “Update… +5th African Diaspora Agrofood Forum: summary
- 26/11/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, News, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Last September, COLEACP supported Belgium-based NGO The FoodBridge with the organisation of the 5th African Diaspora Agrofood Forum which reunites stakeholders to discuss the role of the African Diaspora and global agribusiness in supporting development both on the African continent and in diaspora communities. Over 200 participants followed the online conferences on ‘Recovery, resilience and sustainability: African diaspora agrofood entrepreneurship in a changing world‘ on Friday 17th September 2021. The recordings of the conferences are available on COLEACP YouTube channel… +INNOVATIONS SERIES : 1-year anniversary of inspiring stories from African businesses and SMEs
- 16/11/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Benin, Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, News, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda
In November 2020, the Pan-African Farmers’ Organization (PAFO) and COLEACP launched the Innovations Series held every two months and aimed at showcasing innovations and successes of African farmer-led businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Six Innovations Sessions have been organised on various topics and featured 24 inspiring farmers groups and entrepreneurs. They presented their businesses to more than 2 200 participants from more than 100 countries on different continents. Find here a snapshot of their presentations which we hope… +SPS Good Practice Guide for Penja pepper
- 02/11/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Cameroon, Pepper
A “Sanitary and Phytosanitary Good Practice Guide for the Penja Pepper Sector” has recently been published in French and will soon be available in English. Together with sector stakeholders, the Penja Pepper Representative Geographical Indication Group (GRIGPP) managed the development and production of the guide, which is based on an analysis of SPS risks throughout the value chain. The publication was achieved through the project “Improving SPS capacity in the Penja pepper value chain”, which is funded by the Standards… +ALFA: A new Africa-France link for agriculture and food
- 27/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, France
On 6 October, a new initiative was launched at the headquarters of the Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF), on the sidelines of the Africa-France summit. The Agriculture-Livestock-Fisheries-Africa (ALFA) initiative, a grouping of 105 French companies covering the entire value chain, was launched by Karim Aittalb, CEO of GEOCOTON and co-founder of ALFA1, in the presence of France’s Minister for Foreign Trade, Franck Riester. The aim of this new platform is to contribute to renewing the partnership between Africa… +UNIDO Senegal: Waste management for mango processers in Casamance
- 27/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Mangoes, Senegal
COLEACP is contributing to a UNIDO project in Senegal that aims to create shared prosperity, by providing support to improve the competitiveness of the country’s mango sector and advice in the environmental and social fields. COLEACP’s Research & Innovation service has been working with partners in Senegal to support the improvement of waste management in mango processing. During July and August, a technical team worked to identify appropriate methods for the valorisation of mango production waste and co-products. This study… +News digest: COP26, climate change and food systems
- 26/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
What’s happening at COP26? You can view the overall schedule and themes here. What events are relevant to food systems? As well as the international negotiations, there are many “Green Zone” events and side events. The following selection focuses on natural resources, agriculture, and the ACP regions. Green Zone You can join these events virtually by subscribing to the COP26 YouTube channel. Links to each free live stream will be found on the Green Zone webpage. Date in November Time… +News digest: Agri-food markets and production
- 26/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Avocados, Bananas, Caribbean, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gambia, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mangoes, Mozambique, New Zealand, News, Onions, Pacific, Papayas, Rwanda, Senegal, Spain, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom
AFRICA Building resilient food systems in Africa – Declaration at the 11th AGRF The 8,300 participants of the Eleventh African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) came together in Nairobi, Kenya from 7 to 10 September 2021 to call for and plan action on building resilient food systems in Africa. “Here at the AGRF, we have heard a strong call for Africa and the world to change the way we produce, process, market, consume food, and reduce waste. We know that a… +Reducing pesticide use in tropical agriculture
- 26/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
On 11–12 October COLEACP participated in a workshop on “Reducing the use of pesticides in tropical agriculture: Key challenges and strategies”, organised by the Agropolis Foundation. During these two days, scientists from the European Union, Middle East and Africa exchanged views on topics ranging from epidemiology, toxicology and environmental impact to societal impacts resulting from pesticide use across the globe. Edouard Lehmann, COLEACP’s Research & Innovation Manager, took part in a round table on how to promote multi-stakeholder collaboration in… +