UK supports agricultural statistics with N3.9bn

The Food and Agriculture Organisatoion (FAO) of the United Nations has signed an agreement with the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom to improve agricultural statistics.

According to the agreement, as revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement made available by the UN agency, the Department for International Development is to support an innovative new global partnership with the sum of $25million, about N3.938 billion.

The innovative new global partnership is to ensure the improvement of agricultural statistics available to governments and farmers around the world.

The UK's contribution is to cover the programme's first phrase between 2012 and 2016. NaijaAgroNet also gathered that the contribution will support mainly African and Asian countries.

Commenting on the agreement, FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva said "Empowering farmers can change their lives. By improving statistics, this programme will contribute to this goal."

"The UK Government's generous support will help deliver enormous benefits to governments around the world and the people they serve," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.

The first phase of the programmes is to improve how governments organize and manage their statistical systems and on technical assistance and staff training in national statistics offices and ministries of agriculture. 

NaijaAgroNet further gathered that the DFID's contribution will also support research to identify innovative approaches for cost-efficient data collection, analysis and dissemination. This includes digital and georeferencing technology and devices, such as smartphones, GPS and satellites.

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African youths to discuss challenges, policies of agriculture

African youths would today commence a three-day conference in Accra-Ghana to discuss changes, challenges and policy implications for the development of agricultural sector on the continent.

The conference with the theme “Young People, Farming and Food,” organized by the Future Agricultures Consortium in conjunction with the Institute of Statistical and Social Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana scheduled holds in Accra, Ghana between 19th and 21st March, 2012.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the conference would examine how young people engage with the agricultural sector in Africa as producers, entrepreneurs, employees, consumers and citizens.

Changes in the sector and what this means to young people would also top discussions, even as the conference would look at the implications for young people of alternative policy approaches to the development of the agri-food sector.

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African agronomists in Kenya for food enhancement

Agricultural experts from Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania gathered in Kenya for an empowerment workshop on carbon projects geared towards enhancing food production, reports CoastWeek.

The workshop is organized by World Bank; NaijaAgroNet gathered is to support farmers in Africa to earn from carbon credits.

Speaking about the workshop, Dr. Mei Xie, a Senior Specialist of Climate change at the World Bank Institute said the programme is aimed at building hand on capacity ad know how to establish activity monitoring systems and model derived emission factors for smallholder carbon agricultural projects.

"We look forwards to empower the agricultural experts from the respective countries on the development of carbon projects and take back home the experience and knowledge to the benefits of the farmers," she said.

The workshop is a platform for networking and sharing experiences among participants during and beyond the forum. Read moreAdmin/LS

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UK leads stakeholders’ dialogue to reshape agro-research

Some stakeholders comprising the United Kingdom (UK) Parliamentarians and Civil Servants joined the African farmers, international donors and scientists for a policy dialogue targeted at reshaping agricultural research.

The reshaping of agricultural research as revealed in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet is to serve development goals and the public good.

The agenda of the dialogue is to include prioritising for plant breeding and seed selection, options for managing soil fertility, options for developing accessible markets, ways of governing, organising, funding and practising research, and the types of policies needed to transform Africa’s agriculture, comprising changes to tenure, subsidies and investment.

The event organized by International Institute for Environmental and Development (IIED), was held between February 1 and 3, 2012 in Accra, Ghana.

The Executive Director of Oxfan-Novib, Farah Karimi reportedly co-chaired the event with Olivier de Schutter, who is the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.

Emphasizing the importance of the dialogue the Director of IIED, Dr. Michel Pimbert said it is a valuable platform for smallholder farmers to get their voices heard. 

 "We’d like to see this constructive dialogue setting an agenda for future research priorities across the region,” he said.

A major funder of agricultural research in African with a total budget of nearly US$400million about N64.396billion, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), NaijaAgroNet gathered also participated in the dialogue.

The AGRA team at the dialogue followed-up on what the small-scale farmers and food producers from West Africa think agricultural research should be about. 

“Publically funded research can make a huge contribution to eradicating hunger and poverty.  But the way it is designed, managed and implemented rarely involves the people who produce, process and consume agricultural produce,” Dr Michel Pimbert, an expert in agricultural ecology and the governance of food systems and natural resources.

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