Mo Ibrahim delivers IFAD lecture, canvasses creating opportunities for African youngsters

NaijaAgroNet:

Globally recognized entrepreneur and founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Dr Mohamed Ibrahim, at the weekend delivered the annual lecture for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), canvassing for the creation of opportunities for African youngsters in agriculture, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Dr. Ibrahim who spoke in Rome, took African governments to task for not living up to their commitments to invest in agriculture and rural development, stressing that its essential that they create opportunities for young people in agriculture so that they are able to resist the dangerous call of extremism. 

“No jobs, no hope,” he said, adding that Africa has more hungry, malnourished people than anywhere else in the world. “We are by far the least productive region in the agriculture sector but because we have more uncultivated, arable land than anywhere else, it presents opportunities.”

NaijaAgroNet equally gathered that a private-sector panel which included Sunny Verghese, Co-founder and Group CEO of Olam International, highlighted the need for bold initiatives to better link smallholder farmers to markets. Panel participants emphasized that everyone – government, the private sector, financing institutions such as IFAD, small- and medium-sized enterprises and smallholders farmers – have a role to play. 

While the second panel discussion, facilitated by IFAD Associate Vice President Périn Saint Ange, focused on innovative agricultural solutions to many of the global challenges discussed over the two days, including IFAD investments in farming technologies, approaches to empower women and youth, and the use of new technology to enhance rural development project design and management.

Dr Ismahane Elouafi, Director General of the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, told correspondent that the world is at a crossroad in terms of its overuse of natural resources, and that the Middle East and North Africa region already has some of the highest water scarcity in the world.

"Climate change impacts the poor and marginalized most of all,” she said, underlining that they have huge challenges ahead, and there is need to act now.

NaijaAgroNet further gathered that some of the outcomes from the Farmers’ Forum, a two-day meeting held in conjunction with IFAD’s Governing Council, organizers announced a plan to make the platform for dialogue more inclusive, inviting pastoralists and livestock breeders to take part, and more decentralized creating stronger links to smallholders and family farmers on the ground.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) +Naija AgroNet

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Pix: Mo Ibrahim

Top fishery officials say aquaculture comes of age

NaijaAgroNet:

High-level delegations of fisheries ministries from over 50 countries have gathered in Agadir, Morocco for a summit to discuss emerging governance needs in the aquaculture, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Also, NaijaAgroNet gathered,  is that fishery sector provides the world with 17 per cent of its animal protein and developing countries with more export revenue than meat, tobacco, rice and sugar combined. 

Audun Lem, Deputy-Director in FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division observed that the globalization of the fish trade, driven in large part by fast growth in aquaculture, raises challenging needs for better rules and practices regarding traceability, labor conditions and the protection of biodiversity as well as commercial preparations for shifts in demand, consumption habits, climate change impacts, and the rapid rise of supermarkets with their corollary supply chains. 

"Trade in fish is much more important than people think, both in absolute and relative terms," said Lem, who also is secretary of the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade whose biennial meeting is being held in Africa for the first time. 

Dialogues over the week-long meeting in Morocco, Lem said would help FAO, its member countries and industry representatives understand new trends, opportunities and challenges in the fishing sector, fostering the development of strategies that could be the best position developing countries to develop their fisheries sectors in a sustainable manner and to maximize their economic benefit from the growth we expect to witness. 

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Expert says agro-biotechnologies essential in fighting hunger

NaijaAgroNet:

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) José Graziano da Silva has said that agro-biotechnologies are essential in fight against hunger, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Addressing the opening session of the FAO-hosted international symposium on "The Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition the need for a broad portfolio of tools and approaches to eradicate hunger, fight every form of malnutrition and achieve sustainable agriculture." 

"As a neutral forum, FAO has been promoting debates, dialogues and exchanges of information in order to enhance our knowledge of these tools and approaches," the DG said.

The symposium, de Silva said, focuses mainly on the broad range of biotechnologies that could result in yield increases, better nutritional qualities, and improved productivities of crops, livestock, fish and trees benefitting family farmers and their food systems, nutrition and livelihoods. 

These, he said, include many "low tech" applications, for example fermentation processes, bio-fertilizers, artificial insemination, the production of vaccines, disease diagnostics, the development of bio-pesticides and the use of molecular markers in developing new varieties and breeds.

"We cannot lose sight that biotechnologies, knowledge and innovation must be available, accessible and applicable to family farmers including small holders," Graziano da Silva told symposium participants. "We must find the means to remove the barriers that prevent their availability to family farmers.

The symposium,he said, is not about genetically modified organisms (GMOs), pointing out that agricultural biotechnologies are much broader than GMOs.

About 500 scientists, representatives of government, civil society, the private sector, academia, farmers' associations and cooperatives are participated in the three day event.

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IFAD tasks leaders to break chains of desperation

NaijaAgroNet:

The President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze, has tasked development leaders to break chains of desperation, which often lead to emergencies and humanitarian disasters, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Addressing the 39th Governing Council of IFAD in Rome at the weekend, Dr. Nwanze said this has become necessary given the backdrop of new reports that showed the number of refugees entering Europe has continued to skyrocket.

He told senior government officials attending the final day of the Council session to renew their commitments to invest in smallholder agriculture and reduce poverty in developing countries.

As said by him, rural development plays a fundamental role in stabilizing communities and reducing migration and conflict, and “by working together to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) starting with zero poverty and zero hunger; we can break the chain of desperation” that leads to emergencies and humanitarian disaster.”

He also made urgent calls for action in support of increased investment in smallholder agricultural to ensure food security, climate change adaptation, equitable prosperity and ultimately to remove the root causes that lead to conflict and migration, were shared throughout the two-day conference, held annually in Rome for senior government officials representing IFAD’s 176 member states.

Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Italian Republic, pledged that Italy will continue to play a key role in the eradication of hunger and poverty, conditions he described as "insidious".

Equally, Mattarella brought attention to the increasing number of refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria and called on leaders of all nations to get involved.

"Saving human lives and reaching out to those fleeing war or misery is a moral duty, a duty for any society that defines itself as free, democratic and truly respectful of human rights," he said.

 
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$5,000 seed funding up for youth agripreneurs

NaijaAgroNet:

The Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) and Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) have launched a pilot project tagged Youth Agripreneurs Project (YAP) beginning with the seed funding of 5,000 USD, reports NaijaAgroNet.

GFAR Social Media Coordinator, Mr. Peter Casier, said that the project was in recognition of the crucial importance of young farmers, and the role of small entrepreneurship.

The Youth Agripreneurs Project, he said, is a pilot project providing seed funding (US$5,000) to young agriculture entrepreneurs.

According to him, there is more, we'll integrate them in an extensive one year mentoring, online media training via advocacy and online networking are essential for young agripreneurs, and follow-up programme to ensure their agripreneurs project becomes a success.

“We have a solid support infrastructure in combination of GFAR, CGIAR and YPARD resources; have the basic funding in place,” he said.

Casier also commended the first sponsors, namely the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Agropolis Fondation.

He disclosed they have a solid project outline which was participatory designed together with a large group of YPARD youth. Just as they plan an online media training package at the upcoming  #GCARD3 Global Consultation in South Africa and a well-oiled and tested YPARD mentoring programme.

 

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms)  

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