SDG: Shakira, Angélique Kidjo, Malala add voices to Pope Francis in support of children

NaijaAgroNet:

The Grammy Award-winning singers, Shakira and Angélique Kidjo both UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, Friday’s celebrated adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals with powerful performances before an audience at the United Nations General Assembly that included over 130 heads of state and government, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This follows an address from His Holiness Pope Francis, with Shakira taking to the stage to sing “Imagine”, John Lennon’s iconic anthem of love and peace.

“We live in a world in which many who are born poor will die poor. It is up to us to be the first society to eradicate poverty and bring justice and equality to the most disenfranchised people on earth,” Shakira, a passionate advocate of children’s rights, told the assembled world leaders before her performance. “Our children have the right to equal opportunities; to thrive, to be happy, healthy, and safe.”

Angélique Kidjo, who has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002, sang a moving version of ‘Afirika’ – her hymn to the continent she calls home.

“Africa and its children have the most to gain from the Sustainable Development Goals, but they also have the most to lose if our leaders do not fully commit to this new agenda for peace and prosperity,” Kidjo said. “As an artist I want to use my voice to make sure that people around the world understand the new global goals and why they matter, so that they can hold their leaders accountable for their success or failure.”

Flanked by a group of young people from across the world, Malala Yousafzai then delivered a message of hope for today’s children before the SDGs were ratified by world leaders.

The Sustainable Development Goals represent an ambitious plan of action that aims to eliminate extreme poverty and hunger, provide quality lifelong education for all, protect the planet and promote peaceful and inclusive societies.

These new global goals offer a historic opportunity to provide children with the fair start in life they deserve, UNICEF said, cautioning that this opportunity will be wasted if the world does not focus efforts and investments on the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children.

Video and photos are available for download

here.
 

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CTA seeks on-site reporters for Barbados Agri-Food forum

NaijaAgroNet:

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) is seeking on-site reporters to participate at the four-day Caribbean and Pacific Agri-Food (CPAF) Forum in Bridgetown, Barbados, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The forum slated to hold between November 2 and 6, 2015 is being organized in collaboration with CPAF.

According to the Junior Programme Associate on Information Communication Technology for Agriculture (ICT4Ag) at CTA, Ms Nawsheen Hosenally, disclosed to NaijaAgroNet that the purpose of this forum is to bring together diverse actors from the Caribbean and Pacific, who are part of the agri-food system, to engage in collective actions that could contribute to the transformative efforts of agriculture and the rural milieu.

And in order to raise awareness on the event, engage on-site participants and reach out to a wider audience remotely, she said, CTA would like to support the participation of some young social reporters for the online coverage of the event.

“The on-site reporters will be from the ‪Caribbean region and up to 3 (three) social reporters might be selected for a short consultancy,” she said, noting that anyone from any region or country could apply to be in the online team.

Hosenally further advised that applicants could access the form here.

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Fish breeding: 50 researchers, technicians, others set to breed tilapia in Cuba

NaijaAgroNet

About 50 researchers, technicians and farmers working in Cuba will be involved in the breeding and fattening of tilapia in Cuba, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The director, Base Business Unit (UEB ), Zenaida Arboleya, said this is a programme that seeks to achieve more efficient fish by breeding, which has a component of training and consulting services.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is about launch a freshwater fish breeding programme in Cuba.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that the programme will include training and introduction to fish breeding, according to Carlos Pulgarín, an FAO officer in Panama, serving the Caribbean and Central America.

He further said that the project is expected to begin this year in the Base Business Unit (UEB, in Spanish) El Dique, a part of the Company for the Development of Aquaculture Techniques, located in Loma de Tierra, in the municipality of Cotorro, Havana.

Cyriacus Nnaji with additional report from The Fish Site/GEE

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FAO injects N97,117m to fight pests, diseases in Botswana

NaijaAgroNet

The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has said it has injected P281 000 million, about N97,117 million in a bio security joint project with the Ministry of Agriculture to fight pests and diseases in Botswana.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the project which was officially launched at Ramokgwebana border post by the assistant Minister of Agriculture, Fidelis Molao, is expected to clamp down on the risks of unsafe and contaminated plants and foodstuffs from being brought into Botswana, even though the awareness campaign which is targeted at cross-border travelers is expected to educate the public on the importance of bringing into the country plants and non plants which have been inspected and pest free.

According to THEVOICEBW, an FAO representative, David Tibe, said that bio security is critical if Botswana is to maintain and upscale its food security: “Increased travel is also creating more pathways to spread diseases, pests and other hazards that are moving faster and further than ever before,” Tibe said.

Tibe added that the joint project will help the ministry of agriculture and other stakeholders to improve their capacities at all levels to provide public services to plant and animal health as well as food safety, NaijaAgroNet learnt.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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Lagos plays host again to Bird Flu

NaijaAgroNet:

 

Incidence of the deadly bird flu has been reported in Lagos state as an estimated 60, 000 birds have been infected.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that this figure was confirmed by the Executive Secretary of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, Mr. Olugbenga Ogunsetan.
Report by News Agency of Nigeria revealed that a lot of poultry farms got affected by this disease in the Ikorodu area.

“Over 60,000 birds were lost in August after the avian influenza ravaged the farms.

“This has largely affected production of poultry products and leading to price hike in the area,” Ogunsetan said.

Efforts, NaijaAgroNet gathered, are being made by the state government alongside the Federal Government to compensate the farmers affected by this disease scourge. This move is being made to encourage other farmers, whose poultry stock may also be affected by this disease to voice out.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE
 
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Quinoa set to serve as major food

NaijaAgroNet:

 

Due to its high nutritional, agronomic and economic values, Quinoa is set to be a major food for future generations and an important alternative crop considering the challenges caused by climate change, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The Director of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Division of Nuclear Techniques in FAO, Qu Liang, made disclosure in a public statement on FAO website.

He  said in the battle to help developing countries overcome threats from declining food production caused by climate change, NaijaAgroNet gathered, one species of edible grain-like crop has caught international attention because of its unique nutritional value. New and improved varieties of quinoa, historically grown in the highlands of South America, will be made available to farmers in mutations adapted to challenging environments in Bolivia and Peru.

Also speaking, Principal Professor and Head, Cereals and Native Grains Research programme, National Agrarian University of La Molina in Peru, L. Gomez-Pando, pointed out that increased genetic diversity is the result of the use of nuclear techniques in collaboration with the IAEA and FAO, said the

“There are 64 mutant lines of quinoa selected by yield potential and quality for the market. These mutant lines will be further evaluated and the best lines will be released as new varieties in 2015–2016,” Gomez-Pando said.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that Quinoa has exceptional nutritional composition, with higher protein content than brown rice, barley and millet. Besides being gluten free, quinoa is an excellent source of dietary fibre and has elevated levels of phosphorus, magnesium, iron and calcium. It is also rich in vitamins.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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Google, MasterCard, others support WFP initiative for families affected by war

 NaijaAgroNet

Google, MasterCard are among multi-industry effort that represents a powerful, tangible way to make a difference toward peace, refugees, displaced people and their families, NaijaAgroNet reports.  

On 21 September, the International Day of Peace, global brands are joining forces across industries and geographies in an unprecedented effort to highlight the vital role of food assistance in creating a more peaceful world. Many companies are donating television and digital media channels to drive support for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the frontline agency fighting hunger. 

First championed by McDonald, other supporting companies include Burger King, Cargill, DreamWorks Animation, Facebook, McCain, McDonald's, OMD, Twitter, TBWA and United Airlines.

World Food Programme Executive Director, Ertharin Cousin, NaijaAgroNet gathered, said, "Today is about people coming together across regions and cultures to take action for a hunger-free and peaceful world. Food assistance plays a powerful role in times of conflict by saving lives and alleviating suffering. Food brings and keeps families together. Food security gives families hope during desperate times while eliminating the need for families to resort to extreme and harmful measures as the only option for survival."

Cousin further said, "Humanity has one future together. This effort provides a great example of people and companies joining forces to make sure we achieve the goal of a zero hunger future".

All funds raised from this effort, NaijaAgroNet, will go to WFP's emergency response fund that is used to support WFP's most critical operations, including crises in and around Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen. With more people displaced now than any time since World War II, the needs are greater than the resources.

"The private sector has a significant role to play in ending hunger and promoting peace," said  WFP Director of Private Sector Partnerships, Jay Aldous. "And this global effort is a powerful example of brands coming together with one voice to make a tangible impact in the lives of vulnerable people."

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

 
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Pix: Ertharin Cousin,

mPedigree confirms product originality

NaijaAgroNet:

The mPedigree anti-counterfeiting solution, a cloud-based system that creates unique 12 digit numbers  has been developed to confirm if a product is original or fake, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The12 digit numbers which are put on single packs of medicines hidden under an opaque layer, is revealed when the consumer is buying the product. A customer can then send these PINs by SMS to a special short code, and within 15 seconds receive a reply confirming if the product is original or fake.

Ghanaian startup mPedigree, which uses mobile phones to secure pharmaceutical products against counterfeiting, has expanded to a number of other Africa countries since its 2007 launch, partnering with the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to roll out a mobile phone-powered traceability and e-verification service for agricultural inputs and commodities, NaijaAgroNet learnt.

Aside from expanding into other countries, mPedigree has also been entering other sectors in a bid to scale its business, with Disrupt Africa reporting in March it had entered the Ghanaian textiles industry. It is now launching operations in Uganda’s agricultural sector, it is also an e-verification product for inputs and commodities such as seeds, fertilisers and crop protection products.

Aside from UNBS, the startup has also partnered RenPublishing, a Ugandan corporation, and the Feed the Future Uganda Agricultural Inputs Activity, an initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-run project Feed the Future.

The initiative, NaijaAgroNet informs, brings together the E-Tags quality certification and auditing service of the UNBS and mPedigree’s Goldkeys serialisation and authentication engine to create a channel for verifying the source and supply chain status of agro-inputs as well as their compliance with acceptable quality standards under Ugandan law and regulations.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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