The Fall Armyworm, a very invasive insect pest, has spread rapidly since its arrival in African 2 years ago and now covers almost all of Sub-Saharan Africa. Feeding most destructively on maize, but also on sorghum and other crops, FAW is considered a major threat to production if not well managed.
In late June, GFAR Secretariat launched a survey, commissioned by the EU as part of the development of the DeSIRA (Development-Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture) initiative. The survey aimed to produce a rapid picture of the types and scales of research capabilities and activities available among European research organizations, towards the management of climate change implications in agriculture.
GFAR Vice-Chair Raffaele Maiorano organized the 60th Anniversary meeting of ANGA (Giovani di Confagricoltura - the Italian national association of young farmers) at the Confagricoltura headquarters, Rome, on 8 June. The meeting included a range of high profile speakers including UN SDG and climate change action advocate Marc Buckley, Pekka Pesonen, the Secretary-General of COPA COGECA and Jannes Maes, President of the European Council of Young Farmers, who gave inspiring speeches about the state – and challenges of sustainable agriculture and the implications of sustainability f
FAO is organizing an International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers at FAO HQ in Rome, November 21-23 2018. Non-state actors interested in attending the Symposium can express their interest in attending here until 31 August 2018.
Dear subscribers, partners and colleagues,
As you may be aware, FAO is organizing an International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers at FAO HQ in Rome, November 21-23 2018. The theme is of course highly relevant to GFAR’s work in promoting farmer-centred agri-food research and innovation.
The Food4Foresight initiative is intended to bring together foresight practitioners from around the world, in a global drive to address key issues around the future of food and agriculture. Foresight is a key tool that governments, private sector and civil society can jointly use to better understand future risks and opportunities in food systems, explore possible futures and to adapt.
The Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network, a Partner in GFAR, is a group of volunteers (based in countries in SSA, also Asia, USA and Europe)- linked across the world via an online platform to share findings and seek advice for their practical projects – that have a strong interest in Climate-Smart Agriculture(CSA) and the environment.
On 1-2 June, the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development of the European Commission (EC DG-DEV) organized a workshop for the African continental and regional agricultural research institutions, to which GFAR Executive Secretary Mark Holderness was invited to represent GFAR. The EU is developing a new frame for support to agricultural research and innovation in the Sub-Saharan Africa region and seeks a clear structure and basis for their future support.
Carried out over a number of months by an independent team of experts commissioned by IFAD, an Independent Forward-Looking Learning Review of GFAR has now been published.
The GFAR Steering Committee, EXCO and many GFAR stakeholders were actively consulted during the review process, and a separate desk review study also informed the findings and recommendations presented.