The FFM+ Programme recently organized an intensive four-day training in Ziguinchor, from November 28th to December 1st, 2023, hosted at the BAZINESS LAND incubator. This session aimed to enhance the skills of managers of horticultural enterprises, specializing in the processing and marketing of local fruits and vegetables. Fourteen enterprise managers benefited from this reinforcement, focusing on administrative and accounting management, planning, and procedure implementation.
The training covered basic accounting, including the preparation of balance sheets and income statements, as well… +
The STDF Guinea project recently held a two-day collective training in Conakry, from 6 to 7 December 2023, focused on “quality control of imported seeds, with a focus on potato seeds.”
The training aimed to enhance the skills and capacities of phytosanitary inspectors responsible for executing controls at various border posts in Guinea, as well as control post leaders and officials from the Directorate of Plant Protection and Stored Products (DNPV-DS). In total, 20 agents from the DNPVS were trained.… +
There are upcoming reductions to maximum residue levels (MRLs) for two pesticides widely used on fruit and vegetables. Although the official regulations outlining these MRL changes have not yet been published, their final drafts have already received approval through a positive vote during the Standing Committee of 18 – 19 September 2023. Consequently, the publication of these revised regulations is expected to follow in the near future.
Oxamyl
Oxamyl is an insecticide used mainly on vegetables. Following the non-renewal of… +
Acknowledging the profound effects of climate change on agriculture and food systems, particularly on the most vulnerable communities, and recognizing the pivotal role it plays both as a significant contributor to climate change and as a potential solution, COP28 has, for the first time, designated a specific day to focus on the issues of food and agriculture. Please click here to read the COP28 UAE Declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action.
Today’s food systems account for… +
COLEAD recently finalised its Gender Strategy and Action Plan, emphasizing the integration of gender perspectives across all facets of its operations and programme activities. To develop its plan, COLEAD commissioned an external evaluation in 2023 to assess the existing gender responsiveness of its programmes and operations. As part of this exercise, the organisation : facilitated extensive consultations across COLEAD to gather perspectives and ideas for improvement, including with team members, national relays, experts/consultants, board members, donors and partner-beneficiaries;
collectively discussed… +
COLEAD has recently been recommended for ISO 21001 certification by Tuv Nord. ISO 21001 is a Management System standard specifically designed for educational organizations, aiming to support competence development through teaching, learning, or research, irrespective of their size, type, or method of delivery.
This significant milestone aligns with COLEAD’s overarching vision of “Growing People” and marks over two decades of dedicated efforts in the development and implementation of training programmes in the agrifood sector. The last three years have seen… +
On December 1st, a year after the 2022 Consultative Committee (AC), COLEAD, represented by its management and Board of Directors, convened with key partners to assess progress and strategise on leveraging COLEAD’s toolbox and network for contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary objective is to align COLEAD’s future actions based on shared technical and policy priorities, confirming the organisation’s course for the coming years, starting in 2024.
The General Delegation of the association presented a comprehensive review of… +
We are delighted to announce the launch of Agrinnovators, a platform for African entrepreneurs passionate about innovation and sustainability in the agri-food sector. This initiative is a collaboration between COLEAD and PAFO.
The Agrinnovators blog will feature stories, insights, and tips from successful agripreneurs who are transforming the food system in Africa through their creativity, resilience, and vision. It will also showcase the latest trends, technologies, and opportunities in the agri-food sector, such as urban agriculture, vertical farming, circular economy,… +
AGRINFO UPDATE is a regular email newsletter on new EU policies, regulations, and standards with potential implications for low- and middle-income countries exporting agri-food and fish to the EU market.
As a taster, see the latest issue of AGRINFO UPDATE here.
Links in the newsletter take you to our website. There you will find more details about recent and upcoming changes – and the actions companies or authorities need to take to meet new rules, or to give feedback on… +
Every operator, from the manager to the worker, including the middle manager or small producer, has a role to play in ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and food.’ That is why’ it is essential that our learning methods and tools are designed to correspond to the qualification levels and needs of each link in the value chain.
To achieve this, the COLEAD training system integrates two frameworks: A learning objectives framework: the training catalogue.
A skills framework: the catalogue of… +
Access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) is a significant obstacle to the development of inclusive and sustainable agricultural and food sectors, especially in vulnerable and high-potential countries such as Sub-Saharan African countries.
For over 20 years, COLEAD has been actively involved in this area, despite it not being originally part of the priority intervention themes of the programmes, which were more focused on strengthening the technical capacities of operators in agricultural practices and market access. These… +
As part of the NExT Kenya programme, the Kenyan National Horticultural Taskforce, in collaboration with HCD (Horticultural Crops Directorate), a directorate established under the Agriculture and Food Authority and COLEAD, visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last October. The aim was to gain a better understanding of the Middle East market, its specific requirements and to deepen existing relationships to capitalize on emerging opportunities. The trade mission was also attended by representatives of Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), Fresh… +
Continuous improvement is one of COLEAD’s five values. The feedback from our partner beneficiaries (BPs) plays a crucial role in guiding our activities, development, and the evolution of our practices. In this context, we launched a satisfaction survey during the summer, which will be repeated annually. The questionnaire is concise, designed to gather thoughts and observations to assess our performance and identify areas for improvement. A survey based on 14 questions was sent to all organizations with a development project… +
One of the activities of COLEAD’s Market Insights department, is to translate qualitative and quantitative marketing data into market information that will help our beneficiary partners understand trends in the agri-food sector, as well as in specific market segments.
Here you can find three recently published technical and marketing publications available in our COLEAD e-library. Please click on the corresponding image to access the reports:
Mango-based food products: dried, fresh-cut, frozen, puree, vinegar and pickles and waste recovery products: compost,… +
The Fit for Market Plus (FFM+) programme was launched in the Caribbean Region in May 2022 (webinar) and in November 2022 through local workshops. As a result, 41 requests for support have been received to date, with 10 coming from Suriname and 17 from Trinidad and Tobago. This marks the initiation of numerous upcoming development projects.
Overall, the actions planned by COLEAD through FFM+ and implemented partnerships in the region are complementary and integrated into projects aimed at facilitating better… +
ABIM 2023: meetings and innovations in biological crop protection
We are pleased to share some highlights from COLEAD’s participation in the 18th Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) held in Basel from October 23 to 25, 2023. ABIM, a global event for the biocontrol industry, serves as a platform to showcase research and innovation in crop protection, stay up to date with the latest developments in biocontrol (including legislation), and foster connections with Plant Protection Product (PPP) companies to facilitate access… +
On the 1st of December 2023, COLEAD celebrated its 50th anniversary in Brussels with 120 partners, directors, former DGs of the association, team members and friends of COLEAD in attendance. Also in attendance virtually, were more than 200 members of the association from 25 different countries, from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. “A perfect illustration of the COLEAD network”, said Jeremy KNOPS, COLEAD’s DG, in his speech.
COLEAMA was founded 50 years ago at the 46th Brussels International Fair,… +
During the IICA-COLEAD Caribbean Agrifood Business Session n°11, on Thursday 16 November 2023 – 14:00-16:00 UTC / 10:00-12:00 AST – inspiring Caribbean agrifood entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will present how their business models promote circular economy. Register here to join the session: https://shorturl.at/eqFMR
The session will be held online (Zoom) and have live interpretation in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. The programme is available is all these languages by clicking on the links below: English
French
Spanish… +
Discover technological innovations in the agrifood sector that African farmers and entrepreneurs have developed and/or adopted to support the development of value chains in the next PAFO-COLEAD Innovations Session. The online session will be held on Thursday 9 November 2023 – 12:00-14:00 UTC / 13:00-15:00 CET, and will have live interpretation in English-French-Portuguese. Register
Programme Technological innovations can equip smallholders and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the necessary tools to support climate resilience, improve productivity, manage natural resources sustainably… +
EU and GB approval changes
Following the United Kingdom (UK) departure from the European Union (EU), COLEAD’s Regulation Monitoring now covers both EU and Great Britain (GB) approval changes, enabling us to keep COLEAD members and partner-beneficiaries up-to-date on both regulatory frameworks.
Note that EU approvals still apply in Northern Ireland. Great Britain is the mainland comprising England, Scotland and Wales.
The European Commission (EC) has recently published changes to 59 plant protection product (PPP) approvals within the EU, some… +
Changes to EU and GB pesticide maximum residue levels
Following the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU), COLEAD’s monitoring of pesticide regulations now covers maximum residue limit (MRL) changes in both the EU and Great Britain (GB), enabling us to keep COLEAD members and partner-beneficiaries up-to-date.
Note that EU MRLs still apply in Northern Ireland (GB covers only England, Scotland and Wales).
During the period July-September 2023, we have been highlighting significant changes to EU MRLs… +
The 2023 World food Day – with the theme “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind.” – highlights the importance of water as a finite and essential element to life. Despite covering 71% of the Earth’s surface, only 2.5% of water is fresh and suitable for drinking, agriculture, and industrial use. Most of the fresh water available, 72%, is used for agriculture.
Rapid population growth increasing the global demand for food production combined with urbanization, climate change… +
Launched in January 2023, AGRINFO has just published its 300th record on evolving EU policies, regulations and standards impacting agri-food value chains in low- and middle-income countries worldwide.
In its first phase, the AGRINFO programme is focusing on EU policies and regulations and their impacts on non-EU countries. It provides clear information about recent and upcoming changes, timelines, and actions that companies or authorities need to take to meet the new rules.
And it clearly informs stakeholders about when and… +
Since the launch of the digital system for receiving applications for support under the Fit For Market+ programme in early July 2022, 716 applications for support (as at 21 September 2023) have been received. Most (60%) of these requests have come from horticultural businesses and cooperatives. Other requests come from the structures that make up the ecosystem of these businesses, namely consultants, support structures, professional organisations, training and research institutes, and the competent authorities.
The number of requests for support… +