November 6, 2024 | No. 63 |
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| African Agriculture Has $2B Untapped Digital Services Market |
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The untapped market for digital services that could transform African agriculture could be worth more than €2 billion ($2.26 billion). This is according to a new report from the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and Dalberg Advisors, which found that more than 90% of the market for digital services that support African smallholders remains untapped."Digitalization can be a game-changer in modernizing and transforming Africa's agriculture, attracting young people to farming and allowing farmers to optimize production while also making them more resilient to climate change," says Michael Hailu, director of CTA.Read more
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| The Call for Applications for Grant (CAG) 2024! |
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AGCO AGRICULTURE FOUNDATION GRANT!
The grant application will close on November 29th, 2024, 5:00pm EDT
The AGCO Agriculture Foundation (“The Foundation"), through its grant application platform, Benevity, is seeking proposals from nonprofit organizations to support the next generation of leaders in agriculture, helping them to develop innovative solutions for agri-food systems. This call for grant proposals seeks to work with nonprofits to support youth-led and high-impact innovations for sustainable food systems. Working with nonprofits, the Foundation will offer grants of USD 400,000 – USD 450,000 each for one or more projects, disbursed over a three-year project duration to support youth-led innovative solutions and educate young people in the agri-food sector. Apply here.
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| Joint solutions for sustainable agriculture |
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In opening the Agricultural Policy Dialogue in Addis Ababa, Germany is supporting African countries in their efforts to develop sustainable agriculture. This is an important project that will place Germany’s cooperation with its African partners on a new footing and aims to increase food security: during a four-day trip to Africa, German Food and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir opened the project office of the Agricultural Policy Dialogue (APD) together with Josefa Sacko, the commissioner for agriculture of the African Union (AU). The APD, which was opened in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, is the first collaborative project of its kind between the AU with its 55 member states and a German ministry. Read More
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| Africa Climate Change Fund: Fourth Call for Proposals |
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Funding Opportunity: Africa Climate Change Fund's Fourth Call for Proposals
Deadline: 11:59 PM GMT, November 29, 2024
The Africa Climate Change Fund (ACCF) invites proposals for its Gender-Transformative Methane Reduction initiative, offering up to $10 million in grants to support methane reduction projects in Africa. This call aligns with global efforts like the Global Methane Pledge, aiming to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030. Focus areas include: - Climate-Smart Agriculture: Empowering women, youth, and men through innovative, low-methane farming practices.
- Oil and Gas Sector: Enhancing conditions for methane abatement.
- Waste Management: Promoting gender-sensitive solid waste and wastewater management.
- Carbon Markets: Supporting African nations in achieving their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) via carbon trading mechanisms.
Eligible applicants include African governments, regional bodies, NGOs, and research institutions. Projects should range between $250,000 and $1 million. Read More |
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| Tanzania marks record agricultural achievement as African Development Bank President Adesina urges investment in Africa |
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Tanzania is setting new benchmarks in food self-sufficiency across Africa, raising hope that the fight against hunger and malnutrition on the continent is achievable. President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania said her country had reached 128 percent food security and is now exporting surplus to neighbouring countries. She was speaking on Thursday, October 31, during a high-level session at the World Food Prize Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue in Iowa, moderated by the president of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina. The session, entitled “Bold Measures to Feed Africa,” also featured the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio.Read more
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| Smallholder farmers from Africa call for improved access to technology to enable regenerative agriculture and foster resilience |
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Smallholder farmers in Africa benefit from regenerative agriculture through a diverse set of practices but need better access to technology. This is the key outcome of the second Roundtable of African Farmers, co-organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life, Bayer, Global Farmer Network, World Farmers’ Organization, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), and Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). Sub-Saharan farmers from Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Mali, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia discussed with international policymakers and other key stakeholders about the importance of policies that enable smallholder farmers to apply regenerative agricultural practices more broadly and to improve food security in Africa. Read More |
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| Sustainable Agriculture Brings Hope to Food Insecure Communities in Somalia |
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Somalia has been affected by severe weather patterns for years, trapped in a cycle between drought and extreme flooding that continues to devastate communities. The country recently faced its worst drought in 40 years, affecting nearly half of its 19 million population and displacing over 1 million people. The drought caused severe water shortages that resulted in widespread food insecurity. Thousands of farmers lost crops and their sources of income, and their livestock perished due to a lack of water and loss of vegetation. Many communities also found themselves in conflict with neighboring groups, competing for scarce resources like water and land. Read more
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| Three African green‑tech startups to watch |
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Meet three startups, from Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo, that are harnessing technology to provide simple, viable solutions to energy and food security in Africa. The success of Africa’s energy transition is not just being built in high-level meetings like COP29 and governmental meetings but by startups at the cutting edge of energy efficiency and agricultural innovation. Read More
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| Africa Youth Agribusiness Forum - Giving young agripreneurs a voice |
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On November 4, 2024, EU Ambassador to the African Union Javier Nino Perez - alongside AU Commissioner Josephine Sacko and German Agriculture Minister Cem Oezdemir - opened the Africa Youth Agribusiness Forum at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa. In his opening speech, Ambassador Nino Perez emphasized the importance of empowering young voices in agricultural decision-making. Youth engagement in agribusiness leads to innovation and sustainability in Africa and Europe. He also addressed the challenges in agriculture: climate change and generational renewal, because without young African students and farmers with knowledge and skills, there can be no sustainable future for agriculture. The initiative aims to bridge the gap between policy and action, ensuring that the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs can make a lasting impact on the future of food production and security on the continent.Read more
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| Modernizing Agriculture: African Development Fund Project Changes Lives in Benin’s Ouémé Valley |
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The sun rises early over Djeffa, a locality in southeastern Benin’s Sèmè-Podji district where Justine Gantekpin is already tending to her flourishing vegetable farm. Thanks to the African Development Fund Project for Support of Agricultural Infrastructure in the Ouémé Valley, Gantekpin has expanded her farm from a small plot to two hectares of thriving vegetables. "This scheme is well thought out and implemented. It has given us the material resources we need for modern agriculture. Our business has flourished,” Gantekpin says, gesturing to the newly installed boreholes and high-quality water pipes that now irrigate her tomatoes, aubergines, and lettuce.Read More
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Becoming an AAAE member: The African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE) is a nonprofit association serving the professional interests of those working in agricultural and broadly related fields of development economics. Becoming a member of AAAE brings together people who work in the same industry and/or share common interests and goals. Please subscribe today and become a member to help in advocating for our shared purpose. |
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African Association of Agricultural Economists c/o University of Nairobi, C.A.V.S, Upper Kabete Campus Loresho Ridge Road, Nairobi, Kenya |
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