Smart innovation: Update on the DeSIRA-LIFT project
- 25/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, News
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The European Union’s DeSIRA programme is working towards the Development of Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture. Launched in June 2021 with funding from the European Commission (DG INTPA), the DeSIRA-LIFT project, “Leveraging the DeSIRA initiative for agri-food systems transformation”, aims to support the programme’s current and future activities in order to enhance its impacts. The EC funding is €6,500,000 for a duration of 3 years (June 2021–May 2024). The specific objectives of DeSIRA-LIFT are: Supporting country-based DeSIRA project actors… +Sustainability Self-Assessment System at the heart of COLEACP’s activities through FFM and FFM SPS programmes
- 25/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
Sustainability – environmental, social and economic – is key to COLEACP’s mission. Our members are encouraged to sign up to our Sustainability Charter, and to regularly complete our Sustainability Self-Assessment System, which was initially supported by the Fit For Market programme (FFM). The system enables producers and agribusinesses to monitor their evolving impacts in all three areas and demonstrate their progress to current and potential customers, and other interested parties. By utilising the system, businesses can: Strive for continuous improvement… +Unfair Trading Practices Directive now law in most EU countries
- 25/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
For over 10 years, COLEACP has been part of a coalition of organisations, including Oxfam, the Fair Trade Advocacy Office and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM-EU), lobbying the EU to tackle unfair trading practices (UTPs) in agricultural supply chains. We advocated strongly for new legal provisions to extend beyond the EU to also protect third country suppliers. The groundbreaking EU Directive 2019/633 on Unfair Trading Practices in Business Relationships between Businesses in the Agricultural and Food Supply… +COLEACP and partners supporting sustainable entrepreneurship
- 25/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
During September and October COLEACP collaborated with partners to present four online events, supported by the Fit For Market programme. With OECD: Fruit and Vegetables Industry Series: Session no. 1 On 14 September the OECD Fruit and Vegetables Scheme and COLEACP launched the Fruit and Vegetables Industry Series to highlight the significance of the sector in the context of the United Nations International Year of Fruit and Vegetables (#IYVF2021). The first joint session, with 220 participants, focused on “The fruit… +Caribbean AgTech investment opportunities
- 25/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Caribbean, News
The first 2021 Caribbean AgTech Investment Summit explored the opportunities for agricultural technology companies in the Caribbean, welcoming over 500 registrants from 60 countries around the world. Introducing the event, Dr Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana, spoke of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) e-agricultural strategy “to improve producers’ competitiveness, incorporate greater climate smart technologies in the production process, increasing intra-regional trade and improving market infrastructure and connectivity, especially for small producers” (Caribbean Export News, 6 October). This is a key part… +Fruit Attraction 2021: Fit For Market support for COLEACP members and partners
- 25/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
From 5–7 October COLEACP, partner-beneficiaries from programmes and members took part in the trade fair Fruit Attraction 2021. The B2B event was a hybrid – both in-person and online – for the first time in 2021, presenting opportunities for more ACP horticultural businesses to take part. Exhibitors participated in-person with a stand, online through the LIVEConnect platform, or through a combination. This year the online platform LIVEConnect will remain open to bring the fruit and vegetable community together all year… +The future of food is in women’s hands
- 16/10/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Angola, Caribbean, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, News, Nigeria, Pacific, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
To celebrate World Food Day (16 October) and the International Day of Rural Women (15 October), COLEACP joins the United Nations in celebrating the unsung contribution of ACP women entrepreneurs to our food system. Women are a significant entrepreneurial force as owners of farms, input supply stores, service delivery businesses, and processing and export firms whose contributions to local, national, and global economies have significant impact on poverty reduction, employment creation and wellbeing of rural communities and society at large.… +Rural women – heroes and role models – are not celebrated enough
- 15/10/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Angola, Caribbean, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, News, Nigeria, Pacific, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Did you know? “Rural women make up a quarter of the world’s population and work as farmers, entrepreneurs or agricultural workers” United Nations. To celebrate the International Day of Rural Women (15 October) and World Food Day (16 October), COLEACP joins the UN in celebrating the resilience of rural women in the wake of Covid-19. The pandemic has affected most sectors, and many are still struggling to recover. Agriculture is no exception, especially the women in this sector. According to… +Surinam: Closing event of the implementation of official controls training
- 12/10/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Caribbean, News
COLEACP’s training on ‘Implementation of Official Controls’ in Suriname took place between 12 August and 3 September 2021. An eager group of 19 employees from the Suriname Ministry of Agriculture undertook this practical training. The focus was on the importance of international standards for phytosanitary measures in relation to mandates for phytosanitary control; phytosanitary inspection; the types of official controls; and organisation and procedures for official controls. To end on a high note, Ing. Parmanand Sewdien, Minister of the Ministry… +Cameroon: Launch of COLEACP R-SAT
- 12/10/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Cameroon, News
The first meeting of the working group for the implementation of the Rapid SPS Assessment Tool (R-SAT) in Cameroon took place on 30 September 2021 in Yaoundé, where a timetable and next steps were agreed upon. R-SAT has been developed by COLEACP to assist competent authorities, in consultation with key public and private sector stakeholders, to assess the status and functioning of SPS systems. COLEACP would like to thank the Director of the Department of Regulation and Quality Control of… +