World Food Day 2023: highlighting the importance of water for agriculture and food
- 16/10/2023
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Corp EN, News
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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… +FFM+: Over 700 development projects, 60% of them for businesses and agricultural cooperatives
- 11/10/2023
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Corp EN, News
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… +Boosting intra-Africa trade: the agricultural midstream in the value chain – FFM+ in action at AASW8 side events
- 23/05/2023
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: ACP EN, Corp EN, News
As the link between the primary production of crops and the final stage of consumption, the agricultural midstream sector has a great potential to drive intra-African trade. It includes the processing, storage, and transportation of agricultural products, and it plays a crucial role in improving their quality, and making them marketable. This also contributes to reducing post-harvest losses. At the same time, intra-Africa trade has long been recognized as a crucial driver of economic growth and development for the continent.… +Unlocking business opportunities for young entrepreneurs: FFM+ in Action at AASW8 Side Events
- 17/05/2023
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: ACP EN
About 11 million young Africans enter every year the labour force which continuously adds pressure to local economies and food systems. Many young farmers and agri-entrepreneurs are innovators and risk-takers but lack access to market. There is an urgent need to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem, especially in rural areas, to ensure that youth can establish viable livelihoods. Investing in youth and empowering young agri-entrepreneurs to engage responsibly in their farms and businesses are fundamental to achieve many Sustainable Development Goals… +COLEAD: a network and a toolbox
- 11/04/2023
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: ACP EN, News
The development of a sustainable global food system is crucial to meet the challenges of reducing poverty and inequality, ensuring food security for all and protecting our planet. COLEAD aims to contribute to the agricultural sector’s transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems adapted to local contexts. COLEAD is a network of companies, professional organisations, experts, private and public partners working in the agricultural and food sector, the world of development and the transmission of knowledge and expertise. In practice, through… +PAFO-COLEAD Innovation Series Session n°12
- 20/03/2023
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: ACP EN
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… +FFM SPS supports Farm Fare Produce in implementing the SMETA 4-Pillar quality standard
- 10/01/2023
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Zimbabwe
From September to December 2022, the Zimbabwean company Farm Fare Produce – a family-owned horticultural business supplying fresh vegetables mostly to retailers and supermarkets – was supported by the Fit for Market SPS programme in implementing the SMETA 4-Pillar quality standard, demonstrating the company’s efforts in good practice on social compliance, environment, and business ethics. A local Zimbabwean expert was assigned to conduct a needs assessment in preparation for the upcoming audit and to train the staff on the SMETA… +Information session on the new EU Regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products (EU 2018/848)
- 15/12/2022
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Caribbean
The Fit For Market SPS programme, in collaboration with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), organised an information session specifically designed for the Dominican Republic on the new EU Regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products (EU 2018/848), and its implications for the certification of producer groups. This event took place online on 1 December 2022. The session was opened by Escipión Joaquin Oliveira Gomez, Assistant Secretary General, Sustainable Economic Transformation and Trade, Secretariat of the Organisation… +News digest: Agri-food Systems and Sustainability
- 28/10/2022
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: ACP EN, News
Climate Caribbean IICA-IFAD report highlights significant contributions of family farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean and pending challenges regarding action against climate change Family farming is highly vulnerable to climate change-related extreme weather events, a vulnerability that is exacerbated by a lack of funding, the deterioration of soil health and high production costs. However, in Latin America and the Caribbean, this sector is making important contributions to resilience, adaptation and mitigation, which often go unnoticed. These are the conclusions… +Madagascar: Support for the implementation of technical workflows for organic banana and passion fruit production
- 21/09/2022
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Madagascar, News
HavaMad, a Madagascan fruit processing company producing certified organic fruit juices and purees, has recently received technical support from the Fit For Market SPS programme, in the form of input from experts from both Reunion and the Tamatave Horticultural Technical Centre, Madagascar. The company wished to revise its workflow to produce passion fruit and also diversify into banana production. HavaMad also wished to continue the support initiated in February 2020 concerning the production of the passion fruit variety Galea. For… +