News digest: Agri-food markets, production and trade
- 06/12/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Avocados, Cameroon, Caribbean, Citrus fruits, Coffee, Fiji, Kenya, Mangoes, News, Nigeria, Pacific, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda
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Agri-food Africa Rwanda: Rwanda plans to double its lending to agriculture Rwanda plans to double its lending to the agricultural sector from 5.2 to 10.4% by 2024. The goal is to modernise agriculture, which now accounts for one-third of Rwanda’s GDP. Small farms can rarely access financial services due to high interest rates (18-24% per year). Access to these loans will enable farmers to invest in new means of production and thus secure the food supply for a country whose… +INNOVATIONS SERIES : 1-year anniversary of inspiring stories from African businesses and SMEs
- 16/11/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Benin, Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, News, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda
In November 2020, the Pan-African Farmers’ Organization (PAFO) and COLEACP launched the Innovations Series held every two months and aimed at showcasing innovations and successes of African farmer-led businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Six Innovations Sessions have been organised on various topics and featured 24 inspiring farmers groups and entrepreneurs. They presented their businesses to more than 2 200 participants from more than 100 countries on different continents. Find here a snapshot of their presentations which we hope… +ALFA: A new Africa-France link for agriculture and food
- 27/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, France
On 6 October, a new initiative was launched at the headquarters of the Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF), on the sidelines of the Africa-France summit. The Agriculture-Livestock-Fisheries-Africa (ALFA) initiative, a grouping of 105 French companies covering the entire value chain, was launched by Karim Aittalb, CEO of GEOCOTON and co-founder of ALFA1, in the presence of France’s Minister for Foreign Trade, Franck Riester. The aim of this new platform is to contribute to renewing the partnership between Africa… +News digest: COP26, climate change and food systems
- 26/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
What’s happening at COP26? You can view the overall schedule and themes here. What events are relevant to food systems? As well as the international negotiations, there are many “Green Zone” events and side events. The following selection focuses on natural resources, agriculture, and the ACP regions. Green Zone You can join these events virtually by subscribing to the COP26 YouTube channel. Links to each free live stream will be found on the Green Zone webpage. Date in November Time… +News digest: Agri-food markets and production
- 26/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Avocados, Bananas, Caribbean, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gambia, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mangoes, Mozambique, New Zealand, News, Onions, Pacific, Papayas, Rwanda, Senegal, Spain, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom
AFRICA Building resilient food systems in Africa – Declaration at the 11th AGRF The 8,300 participants of the Eleventh African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) came together in Nairobi, Kenya from 7 to 10 September 2021 to call for and plan action on building resilient food systems in Africa. “Here at the AGRF, we have heard a strong call for Africa and the world to change the way we produce, process, market, consume food, and reduce waste. We know that a… +Smart innovation: Update on the DeSIRA-LIFT project
- 25/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, News
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… +Pacific: Training continues in the context of Covid
- 25/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Fiji, Pacific
Agriculture in the Pacific region has suffered during the pandemic due to its close relationship with tourism. COLEACP’s regional relay in Fiji, Mereia Volavola, describes the impact: “The Covid19 pandemic seriously affected the businesses in the Pacific, especially the tourism and agriculture sectors. As the international borders closed, the tourism industry collapsed and the demand and export supply for agricultural produce fell. Shipments via airlines and ships were drastically affected as the number of flights and ships reduced and cost… +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: Strategic review of the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency
- 17/09/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Caribbean, News
With the support of COLEACP, the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) is undergoing significant changes to ensure that it fulfils its mandate and maximises the value it offers to member countries. CAHFSA’s role is particularly important in the current context of a global pandemic; the increasing importance of non-tariff barriers and agricultural nationalism; threats to food security; and the need to rapidly diversify and expand exports from the Caribbean region. For CAHFSA to contribute effectively to addressing… +The role of agricultural Research and Innovation on food systems transformation
- 01/07/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
During the Science Days for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, Agrinatura, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and COLEACP are co-organising a side-event on “The role of agricultural research and innovation on food systems transformation”, on 6 July 2021, 15:00 – 17:00 CEST via Zoom. During the side-event, DeSIRA LIFT partners will present successful cases of transdisciplinary research resulting from examples of Africa-European Union cooperation, and discuss good practices and principles, as well as recommendations for a… +