The 75th anniversary of the International Health Day acknowledges the achievements made towards improving public health and calls for further efforts in ensuring Health for All. According to the World Health Organization, nutrition and food safety are fundamental to a healthy diet, which is essential for good overall health, well-being, optimal growth and development, and a protection against all forms of malnutrition.
Within this context, the agricultural and agrifood sectors are key to promoting healthy diets and contributing to the… +
The Fit for Market Plus programme recently held a collective training session in Njombe, from 21st-24th March 2023, on “Avocado Commercial Fruit Quality: Good Harvest and Post-Harvest Practices.”
This training aimed to enhance the capacity of twenty-three technical and extension staff, and agronomists responsible for avocado quality control in different exporting companies in Tanzania. The training covered avocado characteristics, nursery establishment, avocado maturity testing, harvesting, transport, packhouse operations, market requirements, and other relevant topics during two sessions: theoretical and practical.… +
In the framework of the Fit for Market Plus (FFM+) programme, a mission is taking place in Malawi with the participation of four COLEAD team members from the Technical Assistance and Training Units. The mission is an opportunity to meet the FFM+ applicants and share the COLEAD/FFM+ offer and global benefits.
Since the launch of FFM+ (in July 2022) a total of 65 applications for support have been received from Malawi as of early March 2023. This is substantially more… +
Four inspiring African entrepreneurs presented the range of skills that they have developed to build successful and sustainable agribusinesses in Africa during the 12th Innovations Session, organised by the Pan-African Farmers’ Organization (PAFO) and COLEAD on 15 February 2023. The online session was attended by over 215 participants from Africa, the Caribbean region and Europe.
The recordings of the session are available in English, French and Portuguese on COLEAD’s YouTube channel. Link to programme : English; French; Portuguese.
Link to… +
Four inspiring Caribbean women entrepreneurs presented on their successes as businesses operating in the agrifood sector of the Caribbean in the Caribbean during the 8th session of the Caribbean Agrifood Business Series organised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the COLEAD on 23 February 2023. The online session was attended by around 200 participants from the Caribbean region, Africa and Europe. The recordings of the session will be available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese on… +
In November 2022, COLEAD organised a collective training on “Farming as a Business 2 (FAB2)” for a group of companies based in Sierra Leone and Liberia. This training complements the first FAB1 training session, which took place in June 2022 and was followed by an individual and tailor-made coaching in December 2022. Each participating company received tailor-made support based on the priority needs identified by each manager.
The objective of this second session was to strengthen management and leadership skills,… +
Women are essential contributors to agriculture and the rural economy, as labour and production workers, as drivers of innovations and entrepreneurs, and as owners of farms, input supply stores, service delivery businesses and export firms. About a third of all global established businesses are women owned and managed (GEM. Women’s Entrepreneurship 2020/21: Thriving Through Crisis), while women are the main drivers of global food production (UNDP. Gender And Climate Change – Gender, climate change and food security).
Empowering women entrepreneurship… +
As part of COLEAD’s Fit For Market SPS programme, a training on “Bookkeeping and Cost-Benefit Calculations” was organised for Zanzibar Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (UWAMWIMA) in October 2022, at their premises on Zanzibar Island. UWAMWIMA is an association of smallholder producers from the horticultural sector in Zanzibar. The association was established in 2004 and counts over 2,000 smallholder producers as members. The smallholder producers are involved in the production of watermelon, tomatoes, pineapple, okra, papaya, cucumber, eggplant, green pepper,… +
BIOFACH was a great opportunity for COLEAD to connect with our partners-beneficiaries.
Joyce Kamugisha from JJ Agro Growers Ltd., Tanzania, shared that the knowledge she gained from the training on “Access to market” was extremely valuable.
Joyce shared the three key messages with us: Start from where you are – opportunities are in front of you
Look at your local market – test your product locally
Three words international clients want to hear from you before doing any business: sustainability,… +
A review of key Codex MRL changes in 2021-2022
Every year, the use of many plant protection products is affected by changes to permitted Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). As a result of COVID, the 2020 review of MRLs by the CODEX committee on pesticide residue did not take place. In 2021, MRLs were changed for 68 active substances and recently published in the CODEX Pesticide MRL database.
These changes often have a direct impact on producers who may need to… +
Brussels, 31 January 2023: The AGRINFO programme launch was attended by 119 participants including Embassy representatives from 45 countries worldwide, alongside EU Commission Services and industry associations. Following an introduction to the programme’s evolution and its new information platform and dissemination tools, those attending were able to meet and catch up with colleagues and friends.
The AGRINFO programme, funded by the EU and implemented by COLEAD, is designed to keep low- and middle-income countries up-to-date on new EU policies, regulations… +
Eosta is an international distributor of fresh organic and fair fruits and vegetables, with a focus on overseas fruit and greenhouse crops. The company operates worldwide, maintaining a close working relationship with more than 1,000 growers.
Food transparency is at the heart of Eosta’s ethos. The company’s ‘trace & tell’ system, Nature & More, provides consumers with transparency about organic products.
In late 2016, Eosta, through Nature & More, introduced the application of a ‘natural branding’ laser technique to mark… +
COLEAD is a network of businesses, professional associations and experts committed to inclusive and sustainable agriculture. As a non-profit private sector organisation, our mission is to facilitate and implement action to increase the contribution of the agricultural sector to the undertaking of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To achieve this, COLEAD provides you with access to tools and means of action that have been consolidated over the past 20 years in the implementation of development programmes funded mainly by the… +
The Sustainability Self-Assessment System (SAS) is a tool designed to facilitate, monitor and evidence the adoption of good practice that will enable producers and MSMEs become more sustainable, competitive and resilient.
The SAS is one of the three pillars of the COLEAD sustainability approach, along with the Sustainability Charter and training system.
The SAS has four key objectives: To provide a framework for continuous improvement in the application of sustainability good practice, with a particular focus on practices where there… +
Fruit flies remain a major challenge for West African mango exports to the EU. For species classified as ‘union quarantine pests’, fruits containing larva cannot enter the EU, and infested consignments will be rejected by the European phytosanitary services. The problem facing producers is compounded by the limited range of products authorised for their control.
In a step towards overcoming this challenge, a new plant protection product has recently been registered in Côte d’Ivoire and will be available to producers… +
The COLEACP Market Insights department translates qualitative and quantitative data into a deep understanding of markets, concrete initiatives for our partner beneficiaries that facilitate their B2B match making and decision-making processes driving their sustainable development. In 2022, 9 new reports were developed.
Click on the image to access the reports : Market Study of Fruit and Vegetables from ACP-Caribbean countries
Shows the production, imports and exports of horticultural products in the ACP-Caribbean countries. Logistics in the ACP-Caribbean countries
Maps logistics… +
The 2023 edition of Fruit Logistica marks a return to normal after COVID and the delayed 2022 fair, which took place last April. This year’s show had a total of 63,470 trade visitors, buyers from over 140 countries and 2,610 exhibitors from 92 countries. However, in 2019 the show had over 78,000 trade visitors from 135 countries and 3,200 exhibitors from 90 countries. In an increasingly digital world, this shows the continued need for face-to-face meetings, especially in difficult economic… +
January saw the local launch of the FFM+ programme in Senegal and the Gambia, following the programme’s virtual launch event for the Western African region in May 2022. The launch events brought together horticultural sector stakeholders in each country. The events were also an opportunity to inform partners and potential partner-beneficiaries about the new programme; to meet entities that have recently applied for support under FFM+; and to meet with current partner-beneficiaries under the FFM SPS Programme to evaluate activities… +
In December 2022, COLEAD organised a 3-day collective training on pineapple processing and conservation techniques in Benin, as part of the project “Support to the agroecological transition of the pineapple sector in Benin”. The project is being carried out in collaboration with Enabel, the Belgian development agency, as part of its Development of Entrepreneurship in Agricultural Sectors Programme (DEFIA).
The training was designed to benefit DEFIA’s partners through helping them to achieve their goals of improving sustainability, by reducing waste… +
As part of the work of the Freshfel Environmental Footprint Initiative, Freshfel Europe is developing shadow Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for fruit and vegetables. The objective of the shadow PEFCR is to create a state-of-the-art, standardised environmental footprint methodology for the fresh produce sector.
COLEAD, through its Fit For Market SPS and Fit For Market+ programmes, is part of the Steering and Technical Committee representing the ACP in the development of the shadow PEFCR that will be applied… +
Consistent and regular communication of official government information and international SPS requirements is a challenge to many agencies. There is therefore a need to ensure proactive, transparent and effective communication with stakeholders on market requirements and risks.
Communication is key for a National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO): the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) needs to communicate with agricultural industry players, government agencies/departments and donors. Communication can be informative but can also be used for specific targets to relay information… +
To reduce energy use and environmental emissions, growers need to understand where their energy is being used. Soaring energy costs continue to put growers under pressure and much of the agri-food supply chain is being heavily impacted by unprecedented price increases. Energy has always been important to growers – as they strive to reduce costs and protect their profits, finding ways to improve their energy efficiency remains a priority. Sustainable agriculture, which includes energy efficiency, can help to ensure economic,… +
EU and GB approval changes
Following the UK departure from the EU, COLEACP’s Regulation Monitoring now covers both EU and GB approval changes, enabling us to keep COLEACP members and partner-beneficiaries up-to-date on both regulatory frameworks.The European Commission (EC) has recently published changes to plant protection product (PPP) approvals within the European Union (EU). These include: Renewal of approval of Fish oil and Heptamaloxyloglucan as low-risk active substances
Renewal of approval of active substance Pythium oligandrum strain M1
Notification to… +
This week (8–13 January 2023), a delegation from the Ethiopian public and private sector are in Kenya as part of an expert mission on false codling moth (FCM) management. The visiting delegation is composed of technical and management staff from the Ethiopian Agricultural Authority (EAA) and the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA). The FCM is classified a priority quarantine pest in the EU, one of Ethiopia’s main export destinations. To address the FCM challenge, various consultations were held between… +