November 11, 2020 | No.12 |
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25 young African agripreneurs advance to ‘boot camp’ in the African Development Bank’s $120,000 AgriPitch Competition
Twenty-five young African agripreneurs have advanced to the “boot camp” final round of the African Development Bank’s AgriPitch competition, stepping closer to a share of $120,000 in seed funding prizes, training and other benefits.The final round offers young entrepreneurs in Africa’s agricultural sector the opportunity to pitch their agribusiness proposals online to a panel of experts and investors who will select the winners. AgriPitch organizers received more than 2,500 applications and evaluated 605 proposals from 30 countries. The finalists, from 12 African nations, submitted promising proposals that best embraced the 2020 theme of “Driving Sustainable Nutrition and Gender Inclusivity in Africa's Agri-Food Systems: Youth Agripreneurs Seize the Decade.” READ MORE
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Nutritional implications of dietary patterns in Mali
Mali’s population is experiencing lifestyle and dietary changes that are driven in part by urbanisation and income growth. Utilising two large-scale datasets, we bring new empirical evidence regarding whether Malians are shifting toward highly processed foods, meals purchased away from home, and sugary foods. We find that on-farm production represents only 25% of the food consumed by rural households during the hungry season, and 36% after harvest. READ MORE
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2020 Annual trends and outlook report: Sustaining Africa's agrifood system transformation: The role of public policies
Sustained growth and improved governance in Africa’s agriculture sector are critical to meeting the continent’s development goals, including creating decent jobs for youth, nourishing growing cities with healthy foods, promoting resilience, and catalyzing domestic revenue mobilization. The 2020 Annual Trends and Outlook Report (ATOR) from the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS) focuses on the policies required to transform African agrifood systems to meet their potential. READ MORE
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Why Securing Youth Land Rights Matter for Agriculture-Led Growth in Africa
Africa’s “youth bulge” represents both an enormous challenge and a tantalizing opportunity for the continent. With over 60 percent of Africans under the age of 35, governments are under increasing pressure to grasp the “demographic dividend” youth represent to boost agricultural productivity, enhance food security, and expand economic opportunities for young men and women. Each year, about 10-12 million young Africans aged 15-24 enter the labor market, but only 3.1 million formal wage jobs are generated, pushing millions of youth into low paying and precarious informal employment. READ MORE
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Building transformative change in Africa’s smallholder food systems: Contributions from climate-smart agriculture and agroecology
Transforming food systems under a changing climate entails amplifying solutions that build sustainability along multiple interconnected principles—i.e., diversity, resilience, equity, economic viability, health and renewability. Two different approaches are engaged in this transformational work in Africa: climate-smart agriculture (promotes participatory multi-stakeholder collaborations and climate-informed sustainable agriculture innovations) and agroecology (prioritizes co-created diversified livelihood strategies). READ MORE
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What Does Building Back Better Look Like for African Women Engaged in Smallholder Agriculture and Food Businesses?
“We need to build back better.” This has been the rallying call on the COVID-19 response by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to leaders and communities around the world. It has been echoed in conference rooms and in the numerous Zoom meetings organized to discuss the pandemic. It will be especially important to apply the idea to women working in the agriculture and food sector. Women farmers often have lower access to productive resources than men—so in times of crisis, like COVID-19, their farm productivity and food security will likely be hit harder. The pandemic is affecting input availability and use. In a survey by Precision Agriculture for Development in Kenya, 8 in 10 agri-dealers reported a decrease in farmer footfall, and 76% reported lower sales compared to a month earlier. READ MORE
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Farmers flock towards nutritious, orange maize
At seed fair in Masvingo District, Zimbabwe, farmers browse numerous displays of maize, sorghum, millet, groundnuts and cowpeas presented by the seed companies gathered at Muchakata Business Centre. The event — organized by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) as part of the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative — is promoting a range of stress-tolerant seeds, but there is a particular rush for the vitamin A-rich, orange maize on offer. Farmers excitedly show each other the distinctive orange packets they are purchasing and in no time all, this maize seed is sold out at the Mukushi Seeds stand. READ MORE
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Request for Proposals (RFP): Smart Farming Innovations for Small-Scale Producers
Smart Farming Innovations for Small-Scale Producers Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks Smart Farming solutions that leverage digital technology innovations that have the potential to drive positive impact for smallscale producer (SSP) entrepreneurs delivered through bundled farmer services and enabled by scalable digital and data platforms. . READ MORE
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Apply for Funding: Taking agri-tech skills to Africa:
Three-quarters of the poorest people in Africa live in rural areas and rely on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods. They face many challenges, including from climate change and scarcity of resources, demographic changes, changes in diet, and changing markets. Innovation in agriculture and food systems is low in developing countries. It needs to speed up to meet the challenges. READ MORE
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Meet Dr. Jemimah Njuki - The New IFPRI Director for Africa
Jemimah Njuki is the new International Food Policy Research Institute's (IFPRI) Director for Africa. Before that, she was a Senior Program Officer at Cultivate Africa’s Future (CultiAF) International Development Research Centre Regional Office for Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining IDRC, she led the multi-country program on Women and Agriculture at CARE USA, the Poverty, Gender and Impact Program at the International Livestock Research Institute and served in several capacities at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture. She has worked extensively in Africa and Asia on gender and agriculture research and development and has published widely including two books on Farmer Innovation, and Women and Livestock in Eastern and Southern Africa. READ MORE
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