Ignorance is no bliss; children’s education is a priority say sorghum farmers in Mali
Farmer Timothée Goita builds a house in nearby Yorosso town so that his daughter Safiatou, who is studying there, faces no accommodation problems. If you thought education is expensive, try ignorance says a popular quote. Farmers in Mali whose parents could not afford to send them to school know this too well and they do not want history to repeat. Farmers like Timothée Goita says that if it was not for interventions that improved his economic status, he would not have been able to enroll his children in school or provide them three square meals a day. READ MORE
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Economic impact of COVID-19: Protecting Africa's food systems from farm to fork
The global spread of COVID-19 and the rising number of confirmed cases in Africa have raised concerns about the weak health care systems in the region, while the lockdowns have caused economies to contract substantially. Receiving less public attention, and yet also putting at risk lives and livelihoods, is the likelihood that COVID-19 and the associated economic challenges will spill into an African food crisis if the food system cannot cope. READ MORE
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Africa is facing a food crisis due to COVID-19. These seeds could help prevent it
Sub-Saharan Africa is facing one of its biggest farming crises in living memory. Floods, drought, devastating diseases such as maize lethal necrosis, and pests such as fall armyworm and desert locusts weakened its food supply even before the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures. An even bigger problem is looming on the horizon. All these disastrous factors are not only hurting the current crop, but disrupting the supply of quality seed for future harvests. READ MORE
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Locusts are putting 5 million people at risk of starvation – and that’s without COVID-19
A second crisis is ravaging an area of Africa that’s already grappling with the impact of COVID-19: locusts. The most serious desert locust outbreak in 70 years could leave nearly 5 million people in East Africa facing starvation, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC). It comes as many of the countries in the region are already struggling to manage food insecurity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE
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How to grow a fortune in the golden fields of Africa.
The African continent is home to what is considered a huge growth opportunity – agriculture. With 65% of the world’s available uncultivated arable land, potential exists for African countries to reach their developmental goals and become major players in the global food system. Despite the continent’s abundance in arable land and water resources, its economies and communities are yet to reap the benefits. Agribusinesses in Africa still face serious challenges and as a result, the sector remains largely untapped. READ MORE
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End food insecurity across Africa through agricultural change
In the aftermath of the financial and debt crises that started in 2007, food prices increased 57% in 2008 and 64 per cent in 2012, leading to a global food emergency in which 75 million more people went to bed hungry. The food crisis contributed to major protests and instability across the world, including in Mexico, Bangladesh and Burkina Faso. In the Middle East, it helped trigger the Arab Spring of 2012. READ MORE
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IFPRI Blog: Prepare food systems for a long-haul fight against COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global economy hard, and in many places other factors—such as the locust invasion in East Africa and falling export commodity prices—are compounding its effects. FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero observes that no modern economy has experienced anything like the combination of the Great Lockdown and the worst recession since the Great Depression, and that these could trigger a global food crisis—with Africa south of the Sahara especially vulnerable. —Johan Swinnen, series co-editor and IFPRI Director General. READ MORE
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IFPRI Virtual Event - Hindsight is 2020: Reflecting on IFPRI’s ‘2020 Vision Initiative’
Launched in 1993, IFPRI’s 2020 Vision Initiative set out to develop and promote a shared vision to eradicate hunger and malnutrition while protecting the environment and to catalyze global action. Through this initiative, IFPRI hosted a landmark series of high-profile conferences, workshops, and meetings to generate debate; produced an array of publications and communication products to inform the global discourse; developed an innovative program to strengthen agricultural economics training in Africa; and much more. READ MORE
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African Development Bank approves $3 million loan reallocation to agriculture sector for COVID-19 response in Togo The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank have approved the reallocation of $3 million in loan resources to help Togo purchase agricultural inputs to enhance food security in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The approval on 18 June, enables required funds from a previously approved African Development Fund (ADF) loan to be channeled to the Togo Agro-Food Processing Project (PTA-Togo), for the purchase of fertilizers, organic pesticides and seeds for approximately 150,000 smallholder farmers. READ MORE.
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New partnership inked with AGRA to boost improved technology uptake in Africa’s agriculture
ICRISAT-led AVISA project is partnering with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to enhance uptake of modern technologies, including improved crop varieties. The new partnership will utilize AGRA’s extensive networks to bridge gaps in market access to early maturing and high nutrition varieties, and is also expected to alleviate the effect of COVID-19 on agriculture. READ MORE
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