• New EAT–Lancet Commission: healthy, sustainable and just food systems for the post-2030 era

    • 03/11/2025
    • Posted by: Sandra Borma
    • Category: News
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    Six years after its first publication, the EAT–Lancet Commission on Healthy, Sustainable and Just Food Systems returns with a renewed vision in a world that has been profoundly transformed: geopolitical instability, soaring food prices, and the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges highlight once again that food systems lie at the heart of global balance — food security, human health, environmental sustainability, social justice, and resilience. While current systems have managed to feed the world’s population in caloric… +
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  • Learning integrated pest management: the example of the Dominican Republic

    • 03/11/2025
    • Posted by: Sandra Borma
    • Category: News
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    This training session, held in Baní (Dominican Republic), focused on “Developing a crop protection strategy centred on the mango and banana sectors.” Organised with the support of the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, the initiative aimed to strengthen local capacities in integrated pest management (IPM) and promote sustainable, competitive agricultural practices. A participatory and inclusive training The session brought together a wide range of stakeholders from the agricultural sector, including production managers, technical supervisors, exporters, agronomists, plant health and… +
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  • Supporting partner countries in achieving compliance with EU organic standards: the case of Zimbabwe

    • 03/11/2025
    • Posted by: Sandra Borma
    • Category: News
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    As part of the FFM+ programme, COLEAD recently supported the Rusitu Valley Fruit Growers and Marketing Trust (RVGMT) and the Pineapple Growers Agricultural Cooperative Society Limited (PGACSL) in aligning their Quality Management System (QMS) and Internal Control System (ICS) with the new EU Organic Regulation (EU 2018/848). This revision of the European framework introduces stricter requirements for group certification, traceability, and transparency, which are essential for maintaining access to EU organic markets. The assignment involved close collaboration with the RVGMT… +
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  • Strengthening dialogue for a sustainable agro-industry in West Africa: insights from the Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition

    • 03/11/2025
    • Posted by: Sandra Borma
    • Category: News
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    From 15 to 18 September 2025, COLEAD took part through the FFM+ programme, in the Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition (GISE), a major event for industrial transformation in Ghana and across West Africa. The mission aimed to strengthen synergies between public, private and technical partners, while showcasing initiatives implemented through the Fit for Market Plus (FFM+) and AGRINFO programmes. Beyond institutional visibility, this participation marked a key milestone in promoting a sustainable, innovative, and competitive regional agro-industry. The GISE: a… +
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  • Focus Caribbean – strengthening agricultural value chains and regional synergies

    • 03/11/2025
    • Posted by: Sandra Borma
    • Category: News
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    From 23 September to 8 October 2025, a dedicated mission took COLEAD to Saint Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, and Guyana under the Fit for Market Plus (FFM+) and AGRINFO programmes. The objective: to support the empowerment of Caribbean agricultural stakeholders while strengthening coordination with regional institutions and development partners. This field mission also marked COLEAD’s first physical presence at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), following several virtual participations since 2021. Caribbean week of agriculture 2025: a strategic participation Organised… +
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  • Flashback 2014 – Tapping into local and regional markets

    • 03/11/2025
    • Posted by: Sandra Borma
    • Category: News
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    Source : Horizons magazine, October 2014 (…) COLEACP helps farmers improve the quality of products for the local market.  As the standard of living rises in the ACP states, short supply chains now offer real opportunities for economic development. Local and regional markets are developing into important outlets for the agrifood sector in Africa and the Caribbean. They represent an attractive alternative to export. In many African countries, selling goods at a stall or a local grocery is no longer… +
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  • Strengthening local agri-food value chains and women’s entrepreneurship: the example of Casamance, Senegal

    • 03/11/2025
    • Posted by: Sandra Borma
    • Category: News
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    Processing units play a central role in creating added value, ensuring product quality, and enhancing the competitiveness of horticultural value chains. Moreover, strengthening the technical and organisational capacities of small enterprises and cooperatives is a key condition for scaling up the regional agri-food sector and recognising the economic role of women within value chains. In Casamance, training sessions organised through the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme have brought together production and processing managers with a clear objective: to improve… +
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  • Strengthening crop protection: the example of Ramsay Agriculture

    • 03/11/2025
    • Posted by: Sandra Borma
    • Category: News
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    As part of the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, COLEAD provided technical assistance to Ramsay Agriculture, a small but dynamic farming enterprise based in Mzuzu (Malawi), through the Horticultural Production and Marketing Consortium (HOPMAC). Towards a safer and more sustainable production model The support aimed to help the company put into practice the knowledge acquired during the training course “Developing a Crop Protection Strategy”. Over four intensive days, the COLEAD expert assessed existing pest management practices, trained field staff… +
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  • Towards circular waste management: example of support for Jacarandas in Madagascar

    • 03/11/2025
    • Posted by: Sandra Borma
    • Category: News
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    As part of the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, Jacarandas, a company specialising in the production of spices and essential oils in Madagascar, benefited from technical assistance to update its Waste Management Plan (WMP). The mission, carried out jointly by LONO (Côte d’Ivoire) and SOATY, a Malagasy expert trained under the programme, aimed to provide the company with a plan aligned with international standards and oriented towards a “Zero Waste” policy, through the recovery or treatment of all waste… +
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  • Supporting agribusinesses in developing bankable business plans: the case of Produhort in Malawi

    • 03/11/2025
    • Posted by: Sandra Borma
    • Category: News
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    As part of the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, COLEAD supports agribusinesses in developing bankable business plans, essential tools for growth and long-term sustainability. In this context, a post-training support mission was conducted with Produhort Investments Ltd, a horticultural enterprise based in Lilongwe (Malawi). As a participant in the “Develop a Business Plan for Your Agribusiness” training, Produhort received tailored coaching to finalise and strengthen its 2025–2030 business plan. A business plan to guide growth The mission’s objective was… +
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