On the occassion of International Farmer Innovation Day, and to provide an update on its activities, Prolinnova has just released a new bulletin. Prolinnova is a Partner in GFAR, and GFAR has for several years supported this NGO-initiated multistakeholder programme promoting local innovation in ecologically oriented agriculture and natural resource management. 

A new report from the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) shows that for each dollar invested through its Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP), farmers could earn a return of between US$1.40 and $2.60 over a 20 year period by applying climate change adaptation practices.

This week in the Hungarian capital, FAO convenes decision makers, experts, civil society organizations and others for three days of discussions on the concept of “agroecology.”

Nearly 200 participants from over 40 countries across Europe and Central Asia will examine current practices in agriculture and food systems, identify opportunities for innovation, and consider how agroecology can be scaled up to help countries achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals.

At an event sponsored by the Netherlands, held at the COP22 in Marrakech on 15 November 2016, the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Ms Lilianne Ploumen, discussed ways in which climate change can be effectively fought through securing indigenous and community land rights.

Biotechnology and drones may be the most visible innovation areas in the world of agriculture, but spare a thought for new approaches to data dissemination.

Data - costly to produce and often complex to communicate - is the key decision-support tool for policy makers engaged in concrete action.