President Obama’s visit to Senegal highlighted the country’s recent announcement of its intent to join the New Alliance for Global Food Security and Nutrition. In joining, 10 private sector companies, of which 9 are Senegalese, will invest over $134.4 million to help provide new market opportunities for smallholder farmers through enhanced production and processing activities. […]
Archive | Blog
RSS feed for this sectionUSAID Assessment of Market Information Systems (MIS) in Africa
$new_string
The results of an assessment carried out to determine the sustainability and scalability of MIS in Africa suggests it may be beneficial to combine market price services with other information services. The assessment focused on how MIS enhances trade and competitiveness of smallholder farmers. http://www.ictworks.org/2013/05/20/usaid-assessment-of-market-information-systems-in-africa/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=usaid-assessment-of-market-information-systems-in-africa
$new_string
Curbing Maize Postharvest Losses Continues
$new_string
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) hosted a stakeholder workshop under their ‘Effective Grain Storage for Sustainable Livelihoods of African Farmers Project’, with objectives to provide a forum for ideas, raise awareness, share technology, consult actors on adoption, and engage in policy dialogue around postharvest loss. http://blog.cimmyt.org/?p=10557
$new_string
Giving Power to African Farmers: Learning from the Indian Experience
$new_string
A group of agriculture professionals from Africa took part in a study in India to gain insights on the role of farm mechanization in sustainable intensification. Participants were exposed to various technologies, including gender-friendly equipment for postharvest operations. Four international research organizations coordinated the tour. http://blog.cimmyt.org/?p=10406
$new_string
Improving Global Food Security Without Rocket Science
$new_string
Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), writes that ‘tackling postharvest losses is not rocket science’, but does require the coordinated effort of many actors. The WFP addresses postharvest loss under its ‘Purchase for Progress’ pilot capacity-building and training program, currently working in 20 countries. http://www.euractiv.com/development-policy/improving-global-food-security-r-analysis-528272
$new_string
Advancing Global Food Security: The Power of Science, Trade, and Business
$new_string
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs released the report, ‘Advancing Global Food Security: The Power of Science, Trade, and Business’, at their recent symposium in Washington, D.C. The report sites reducing loss as an essential element to sustainable intensification of agriculture. The Council also covered postharvest loss in a commentary piece leading up to the event. http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/UserFiles/File/GlobalAgDevelopment/Report/2013_Advancing_Global_Food_Security.pdf
$new_string
Commentary – Prioritizing Reduction of Food Losses and Waste for Food Security
$new_string
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs released the report, ‘Advancing Global Food Security: The Power of Science, Trade, and Business’, at their recent symposium in Washington, D.C. The report sites reducing loss as an essential element to sustainable intensification of agriculture. The Council also covered postharvest loss in a commentary piece leading up to the event. http://globalfoodforthought.typepad.com/global-food-for-thought/2013/05/commentary-prioritizing-reduction-of-food-losses-and-waste-for-food-security.html?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonuqTOc%2B%2FhmjTEU5z17%2BwtX6CygYkz2EFye%2BLIHETpodcMSsZnNa%2BNFAAgAZVnyRQFHuWDeZg%3D
$new_string
Freezing the Footprint of Food
$new_string
The World Wildlife Fund listed reducing food loss and waste in the food chain as the first step to ‘freezing the footprint of food’, or producing twice as much food with the same amount of resources. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jason-clay/population-growth-food_b_3280807.html
$new_string
Mobile Phones Unleash Farmers in Uganda
$new_string
A new cloud-based mobile platform that combines agricultural information and financial services is being made available to smallholder farmers in Uganda. The platform collects data and optimizes services and product offerings based off data analysis and farmer history. The platform was developed by Farmers Centre (U) Ltd., which is already uploading info about its 10,000 clients. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2013/0509/Mobile-phones-unleash-farmers-in-Uganda
$new_string
Feeding 9 Billion: What Research Do we Prioritize to Find Solutions?
$new_string
Cross-sector representatives met in April for the first Food Security Futures Conference. Participants discussed how to accomplish the wide array of food security goals on the international agenda, and agreed that public and private research is essential. The conference produced a list of priorities, one being to develop better metrics for evaluating food systems. http://www.ifpri.org/blog/feeding-9-billion-what-research-do-we-prioritize-find-solutions
$new_string
