EU, FAO agree to deepen strategic alliance, halve food waste

NaijaAgroNet:

The European Union (EU) Commissioner of Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva have agreed to ratchet up collaboration between the two organizations to address food waste, food safety, and antimicrobial resistance in supply chains, reports NaijaAgroNet.

In a new letter of intent signed between, FAO and the EU, both pledged to work closely together to halve per capita food waste by 2030, a goal established under the new Sustainable Development Goals global agenda. It also commits them to intensified cooperation on tackling the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on farms and in food systems.

Speaking at a signing ceremony at FAO's Rome headquarters, Commissioner Andriukaitis said: "Food loss and waste represent an unacceptable, unethical and immoral squandering of scarce resources and increase food insecurity, while AMR marks a grave societal and economic burden," adding: "We are becoming more united, more efficient and more strategic in how we tackle these issues, and as such, this agreement should be celebrated."

Calling AMR growing global concern, Graziano da Silva said: "Unfortunately the use of antibiotics, including their use to promote growth, is already widespread."

He described FAO's vision that antibiotics and other antimicrobials should be only used to cure diseases and, in certain circumstances, to prevent epidemics. They should not be used for growth promotion, he said.    

Noting that food loss and waste is linked to many aspects of sustainable development, Graziano da Silva cited the importance of strong partnerships like that between the FAO and the EU in addressing the problem.

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Malabo Declaration, a stakeholder reference for next decade - EU

NaijaAgroNet:

Chairman of the European Union (EU) Development Partners Task Team, represented by the Head, Operations at EU Delegation to African Union, Ms Anna Burylo, has described the Malabo Declaration as a reference point for all African development stakeholders for the next decade, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment at the African Union headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, assured of their support to Malabo Declaration, stressing that Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) agenda is articulated into the new context created by the Malabo Declaration.

As said by her, the CAADP Results Framework (RF) along with the Malabo Implementation Strategy and Roadmap (IS&R) as well as its related programme of work are key documents demonstrating African leadership and framing Development Partners (DPs) and all other Malabo stakeholders action at continental, regional and national level, in particular through a set of headline indicators.

“All partners should adopt and adapt to these documents,” the EU Development Partners chair declared.

Pointing out that how DPs could align and tract their actions against such documents is a key issue of partnership.

 This is because, they would be able to frame the mutual accountability system which DPs will adhere too along with all other African CAADP and Malabo stakeholders, especially those seeking to coordinate and harmonise projects and programmes across Africa, by way of ensuring that food security and agriculture actions in global processes such as G8 and G20 align with African priorities and needs.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) in Addis Ababa 
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EU invests N251.1billion in West Africa

NaijaAgroNet

The European Union (EU) will pump about €1.15 billion (N251.1b) into peace, security and regional stability, including support to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its regional mandates, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Other aspects of interest covered by the fund include regional economic integration and trade, the private sector, regional integration and support for infrastructure.

The assistance made possible by the 11th European Development Fund, NaijaAgroNet gathered, was made public during the signing of a new regional funding for cooperation between European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimic and  representatives of regional organizations from West Africa.

 Mimica said, “Regional integration in West Africa is already bearing impressive fruits and today’s signing is the ambitious starting point for preparing new, concrete projects that will benefit the region and its countries. Having almost doubled our support from the last programming period, we will work with a wide range of partners to tackle the challenges that remain in West Africa, such as peace and security, economic integration and trade, as well as sustainable development,” NaijaAgroNet learnt.

The West Africa Regional Indicative Programme was co-signed by President Kadré Désiré Ouedraogo of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and President Cheikhe Hadjibou Soumaré of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).

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Food, nutrition security, climate change dominate FAO-EU talks

  NaijaAgroNet

 

  Food and nutrition security, climate change and soils are among the key issues slated for discussion in the coming months between Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the European Union (EU), NaijaAgroNet learnt.

According to a press release made available to NaijaAgroNet on Thursday, this follows series of meetings involving FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva and EU high-level representatives that were held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels.

Graziano da Silva, NajaAgroNet further learnt, met EU Commissioner of Agriculture, Phil Hogan, EU Director-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO), Fernando Frutuoso de Melo, and the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz.

NaijaAgroNet reports that both parties highlighted the alignment between the EU initiatives and FAO's strategic objectives, and expressed satisfaction on the strategic partnership and high-level political dialogue taking place on common key challenges.

They reiterated that food and nutrition security will remain at the heart of their respective programming cycles.

FAO and the EU have also stressed the joint role they will be playing within some of the main conferences and events to take place in 2015, reports NaijaAgroNet.

 
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EU, UN, Austria partnership assists Somali farmers to produce food

NaijaAgroNet

For the first time, Somali farmers are turning themselves into suppliers of high-quality food assistance for their fellow Somali people, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The new initiative, NaijaAgroNet gathered is backed by the European Union (EU), the government of Austria and two United Nations food security agencies has helped Somali farmers achieve this major agricultural breakthrough in a region of the country that was gripped by famine less than three years ago.

NaijaAgroNet also gathered that with the support of the EU and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), small-scale farmers have boosted the yields and quality of their maize grains, allowing them to sell 200 metric tons of high-quality maize to the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), which purchased the grain with funds supplied by Austria.

Agricultural communities – especially in south-central Somalia, the country’s grain basket – have, over the last two decades, been severely affected by conflict and recurrent drought, which has resulted in the widespread failure of crops and poor yields. The EU, Austria, FAO and WFP are working with local farmers to change that.

"The EU strongly supports this pilot initiative to empower the Somali farmers and their markets,” said Michele Cervone d'Urso, the EU Ambassador to Somalia. “By enabling them to provide food aid for Somalia, we support the entire Somali economy."

“This initiative shows that Somali farmers are not helpless. With minimal assistance including agricultural inputs, tools, technical skills in storage, grading and marketing, they can make a great difference,” said Luca Alinovi, FAO’s outgoing representative for Somalia.

WFP Country Representative Stefano Porretti described the initiative “as a significant achievement for the participating farmers” and a milestone for WFP’s operations in Somalia.

“Strengthening livelihoods and increasing resiliency is an integral part of WFP’s strategy in Somalia,” Porretti added. “WFP will continue to support small-scale farmers in Somalia by empowering them to produce and sell more food, so as to become competitive players in local markets.”

The Austrian embassy in Nairobi, which also covers Somalia, said that Austria, as one of the partners and sponsors of this project, was delighted that this valuable initiative had been such a success. It further added that it was another example that people in need, given the necessary assistance and possibilities, are able to help themselves and thus make a difference to their lives.

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Adesina says Nigeria has potentials to play big in EU fresh produce market

L-r Massimo De Luca, First Secretary- Trade Counsellor Delegation of the

European Union to Nigeria, Dirk Verheyen, Ambassador of the Kingdom

 of Belgium, Patrick Fay, Ambassador of Ireland and Head of the EU to Nigeria,

Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, Tajuddeen Dantata,

President AFGEAN, Akin Sawyerr, Executive Secretary AFGEAN and Dr. (Mrs) 
Nike Olufolaji, Executive Director of the Nigerian Horticultural Research 
Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina has expressed optimism about Nigeria’s ability to play big in the European Union (EU) fresh produce market.

Welcoming a delegation of EU and Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters’ Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN) to his office in Abuja, Dr. Adesina said that the country has the potential to do this, requesting, however, that a national strategy and investment plan must be put in place to pave way for this to be achieved.

He noted that a multi-stakeholder approach is needed in putting the plan and strategy in place.

As said by him the need for a research and development service as well as an institutional arrangement comparable to what obtains in Kenya, which is now a major horticultural product exporter in Africa is necessary.

The minister further told NaijaAgroNet Nigeria is closer to Europe than Kenya and could compete better than Kenya in the European market, adding that fresh produce economy in Nigeria would require activities beyond his ministry alone.

He, therefore, promised that an inter-ministerial meeting would be convened to include relevant ministries, states, financial institutions, AFGEAN, NGOs and other concerned groups to discuss cross-cutting issues.

The Horticulture value chain group of his ministry, he said, would work with DFID and EU to identify experts to evolve a comprehensive and detailed strategy that would help move from words to action.

The minister disclosed that that $380,000 has been included for AFGEAN and another $4 million for the development of horticulture.

Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Dirk Verheyen said, that they are concerned over promotion of exports from Nigeria.

“We are here because we want to promote not only the export from Belgium to Nigeria but also the opposite. We are here because there are airplanes coming from Belgium with freight. They are full when they are coming to Nigeria, but when they are going out of Nigeria, they are completely empty. So, I think there is a big opportunity for Nigeria to increase the export from Nigeria towards Europe,” he said.

The ambassador also spoke about agriculture in general, and also about fresh produce in particular, saying “there are concrete plans to develop and the Belgian Embassy and Belgian official institutions will try to support as much as possible.”

Decrying the lost opportunities in the past, President, Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters’ Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN), Alhaji Tajudeen Aminu Dantata, said Nigeria is seriously lagging behind in the export of vegetables whereas other nations are making a headway.

Dantata, who was in company of AFGEAN executive secretary, Akin Sawyerr, noted there are socio-economic benefits that can accrue to Nigeria through production and export of fresh produce from Nigeria to Europe.

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IFAD to support Yemen with N6.6b

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has promised to support agriculture and rural development in Yemen with the sum of $41 million, about N6.61 billion.

IFAD made the pledge after a two-day meeting held in Saudi Arabia, according to a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet by Jessica Thomas from IFAD.

The $41 million pledge is made up of $31 million from IFAD’s core resources and $10 million from the Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP), a new financing instrument established by IFAD to scale up and integrate climate change adaptation in smallholder development projects.

The meeting was developed by Yemen’s Government of National Reconciliation with support from the European Union (EU), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), World Bank (WB) and United Nations organisations and IFAD.

Also, the meeting attracted over 280 participants from 27 donor countries, 36 regional development international financial institutions, and observers from NGOs as well as private sector.

The money pledge according to IFAD is for Yemen government to develop new projects during the transition period.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that IFAD commenced operations in Yemen since 1979 which has seen to the enhancement of rural economic growth through the support given to national programmes in the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

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Bioenergy investors invade Africa, tackles food security

Head of NEPAD Energy Programme, Professor Mosad Elmissiry

A two-day bioenergy symposium brought together the experts and bio-energy investors to Johannesburg city in South Africa to deliberate on exploration of the continent’s resources by bioenergy industry for better energy and food security.

The bioenergy symposium hosted by the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) discussed ways of tapping into Africa’s resources in a bid to produce clean energy fuels.

The Energy Programme Head, at NEPAD, Prof. Mosad Elmissiry said NEPAD’ objective is to drive bioenergy programmatic activities and see real results that NEPAD is a result-oriented organisation.

The symposium also sees to the review of conditions, criteria and operation model to set-up Incubator Fund.

Also speaking about the outcome of the symposium, the Project Team leader of BizClim, Gavin Maxwell said Africa needs a solution that encourages enterprise and rewards work.

“This needs both public and private investment harnessed and distributed through a trusted channel, and that is the idea role for the Bio-Enterprise Incubator Fund,” Gavin explained.

He added that as BizClim is a European Union Project providing technical assistance for improving the business climate in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean, it has the interest of Africa at heart to be part of the symposium.

NEPAD boss, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki told participants to think radically on how to forge strong partnerships which could tackle developmental challenges in the continent as NEPAD’s role is to ensure the implementations of decisions are taken on energy.

Equally commenting, Ms. Nomfundo Mthembu of Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), says “Their approach is commendable as it involves a wide variety of delegates from the Bioenergy community. Unlike other development approaches, this approach is a “bottom-up” approach which is mostly guaranteed to achieve a higher level of success.”

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