Agriculture
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Water at the core of community resilience in the face of El-Nino-induced drought
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Zimbabwe has said access to safe water and improved sanitation and hygiene services are key to ensuring children’s rights to health, nutrition, education, and protection. As Zimbabwe faces the El Nino-induced drought, the UN agency is calling on the Government and partners to prioritise investment in water, sanitation, and…
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Mitigating drought: Zimbabwe compels farmers to use wheat stover as livestock feed
Dr. Anxious Masuka, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Lands, Agriculture Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, in terms of section 21 of the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, and Remedies Act [Chapter 18:12], has compelled farmers to use wheat stover as feed. In Statutory Instrument (SI) 159 of 2024 cited as the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds and Remedies (Wheat stover as…
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AGRA shares perspectives on AU’s 10-Year Fertiliser and Soil Health Action Plan
The Alliance for a Green Revolution Africa (AGRA) applauded and embraced the 10-Year Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan and the Soil Initiative for Africa Framework adopted by African Heads of State at the African Union Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit. The Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA) is an ambitious long-term effort to systematically…
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Agriculture a pillar of Africa’s economy: Ambassador Josefa Sacko
Agriculture continues to be the mainstay of the African economies, accounting for 17.2 per cent of the continent’s gross domestic product, the Commissioner of the African Union’s Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Josefa Correia Sacko, said in Puglia, Italy. Ambassador Josefa Sacko, who presented these figures during the G7…
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Addressing food waste and loss mitigates climate change
Climate change and food loss and waste are two interconnected global challenges that threaten the very foundation of our food systems. With one-third of all food produced globally going to waste, the environmental, economic, and social implications are dire. As climate change intensifies, its impact on food production, distribution, and consumption becomes increasingly evident. This…
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National Sanitary and Phytosanitary systems promoting food and nutrition security
National Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) systems play an important role in ensuring food and nutrition security through protecting human, animal, and plant health; supporting economic development; promoting environmental sustainability; ensuring compliance with international standards; and building public trust and confidence in agrifood systems. This came to the fore during a Workshop on the Validation…
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AGRA proffers recommendations for improving Fertiliser Subsidy Programmes in Africa
The Alliance for a Green Revolution Africa (AGRA) has offered recommendations for strategic priorities for Improving Fertilizer Subsidy Programmes in Africa (FSP). Available evidence indicates that FSPs in Africa have generated several positive impacts, notably by bolstering agricultural productivity, augmenting farmers’ incomes, and fortifying food security. These impacts have come at a high cost…
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Private sector critical in driving investment to reduce post-harvest food loss
Dr Agens Kalibata, the President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution Africa (AGRA) has underscored the importance of working with the private sector to drive investment to reduce post harvest food loss. She was speaking at the 2024 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA2024) in a session titled “Opportunities To Unlock Private Sector Investment…
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AU concerned about post-harvest food losses in Africa
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African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Ambassador Josefa Correia Sacko said today in New York that the levels of post-harvest food losses in Africa are sufficient to meet the annual food needs of some 48 million people. Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, which has been taking place since last Monday,…
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Workshop validates SPS Communication strategy, action plan and corporate branding
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A workshop to develop a robust and targeted communications strategy for the African Union (AU) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Programme in Africa is underway in Lusaka, Zambia with a view of outlining clear guidelines and approaches for communicating key messages, advocacy, and awareness creation among key audiences. In welcome remarks read by Chiluba Mwape,…
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Good Seed and Food Festival celebrates Zimbabwe’s agricultural diversity and resilience
Writes Lloyd Rabaya Guitars, drums, and throats soothed the ears, plenty of seed varieties were on display, and lots of food was prepared for sale to visitors as farmers exhibited at the Good Seed and Food Festival held in Harare at Botanical Gardens. Farmers from across Zimbabwe converged at the Botanical Gardens “Celebrating the resilience…
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Prof Charles Adetunji on 2024 Career-long List of the World’s Top 2% Scientists
Nigerian erudite academic, Prof Charles Adetunji has been recognized in the prestigious 2024 Career-long List of the World’s Top 2% Scientists, as well as the single-year Most Impactful List of Distinguished Professors globally. In an interview with Spiked Online Media, the respected scientist said the achievement reflects the unwavering support and dedication of many individuals…
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Just Transition: Resolving Climate Debt Critical for Sustainable Development in Southern Africa
As Southern Africa faces escalating climate challenges, the urgency for enhanced climate finance in 2024 has never been more critical. With increasing temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and extreme weather events, the region is at a pivotal moment where proactive measures can shape its future. Southern Africa is uniquely vulnerable to climate change impacts, which threaten…
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Zimbabwe to harness benefits of IAEA Scientific Forum in promoting food security
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Zimbabwe’s Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr. Anxious Masuka has said lessons from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Scientific Forum 2024, themed ‘Atoms4Food: Better Agriculture for a Better Life’, should be harnessed to promote food and nutrition security in the country. He revealed that in a panel discussion of a…
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Industries fuelling climate crisis draining public funds in the Global South: ActionAid report
Climate-wrecking fossil fuel and industrial agriculture sectors are squeezing climate-hit countries for over US$600 billion in public subsidies every year. ActionAid’s groundbreaking new report on the corporate capture of public finance finds that climate-destructive sectors are benefiting from subsidies amounting to an average of US$677 billion in the Global South every year, money that could…
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68th IAEA Conference: Minister Masuka shares insights on improving food security
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Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, shared opportunities and insights that stakeholders could utilize to improve food security. He was speaking during the 68th International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Scientific Forum being held under the theme “Atoms4Food: Better Agriculture for a Better Life”, running from 17…
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IAEA Scientific Forum 2024: How nuclear technology can help tackle global food insecurity
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Scientific Forum 2024, themed Atoms4Food: Better Agriculture for a Better Life, opened alongside the 68th IAEA General Conference, focusing on how nuclear technology can help tackle global food insecurity. With an audience of over 260 participants, including high-level speakers and ministers from various countries, the opening session was filled…
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Zimbabwe’s Climate Challenge: A Catalyst for Economic Reinvention
Writes Dr Ayodele Odusola, UNDP Zimbabwe Resident Representative Zimbabwe stands at a pivotal moment in its development journey, facing the dual challenge of climate change and economic transformation. The recent Zimbabwe Economic Development Conference (ZEDCON) in Victoria Falls underscored the urgency of addressing these intertwined issues, highlighting both the vulnerabilities we face and the…
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The Climate Adaptation Water Energy Programme: Empowering Communities for a Sustainable Future
By: Dr. Ayodele Odusola, UNDP Resident Representative, Zimbabwe Dr. Solomon Mutambara, Project Manager Climate Adaptation, Water and Energy Programme, United Nations Development Programme Zimbabwe The Climate Adaptation Water Energy Programme (CAWEP) stands as a testament to the power of strategic intervention and community-driven development in building resilience in the face of climate change. Funded by…
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2024 Zimbabwe Economic Development Conference focuses on building resilience to climate change
In pursuit of realizing the nation’s 2030 vision to become an upper-middle-income society, the 2024 Zimbabwe Economic Development Conference in the resort city of Victoria Falls is focusing on building resilience to climate change. The Conference is running under the theme ‘Building Resilience and Driving Economic Transformation under Climate Change’ from 14-18 September 2024…
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Kutsaga Clinches additional Double Awards in One Day!
The Tobacco Research Board, trading as Kutsaga, continues its remarkable streak of achievements, having secured two additional prestigious awards on Saturday, 13 September 2024. The Board’s Public Relations and Communications Officer, Mr. Tatenda Mugabe, won the highly coveted Silver Award for Best Public Relations Practitioner of 2024 at the Exceptional Marketing Awards, hosted…
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Why Just Transition Matters for Zimbabwe
As the world heads towards COP 29, the issues of climate finance and a fossil fuel phase-out towards a just energy transition are ever more critical for climate action. The upcoming UN General Assembly, the UN Summit of the Future, and the Global Renewables Summit all taking place one after the other in September, provide…
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AU defends climate-resilient agricultural practices
OWN CORRESPONDENT Cuiabá (Brazil) – African Union Commissioner Josefa Correia Sacko today defended the need for climate-resilient agricultural practices, climate information services, and agricultural insurance programmes to support farmers in Chapada dos Guimarães in central Brazil, 62 km from the city of Cuiabá, capital of the state of Mato Grosso. Speaking at the G-20…
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2024 Africa Food Systems Forum: Financing needed to boost agriculture
Hon Richard Tusabe, the Minister of State in Charge of the National Treasury for Rwanda has said there is a need to finance the agriculture sector on the African continent to ensure food and nutrition security. He was speaking during a side event for parliamentarians that was moderated by Dr. Fatimata Lovetta Sesay, the…
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Republic of Korea contributes US$1 million to WFP’s drought response in Zimbabwe
The Word Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a contribution of US$1 million from the Republic of Korea to meet the nutrition needs of 22,000 people adversely impacted by the El Niño-induced drought, which has exacerbated food insecurity across Zimbabwe. An estimated 5.9 million people living in rural Zimbabwe and 1.7 million in urban areas are…
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Zimbabwe Agriculture Resilience Symposium Highlights Urgent Need for Action Amidst Drought Challenges
In a significant gathering at the Rainbow Towers in Harare yesterday, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development for Zimbabwe, Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka, delivered a powerful address at the Zimbabwe Agriculture Resilience Symposium and Drought Action Committee (DAC) feedback report meeting. The event brought together key stakeholders, including government officials, representatives…
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2024 Africa Food Systems Forum: Youth in agribusiness Ainembazi Rodgers shares inspiring story
During the 2024 Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, Spiked Online Media caught up with Ainembazi Rodgers – a male Ugandan Entrepreneur, Youth Mentor, and Agribusiness Practioner, a business incubator at expert level 1 from African Agribusiness Incubators Network. Rodgers holds a bachelor’s degree of science in planning and community development from Mbarara…
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Experts sound alarm on poultry diseases
Writes Panashe Gwesu Avian veterinarian, Mr. Rinesu Muzori of the Department of Agritex urged farmers and animal breeders to prioritize their understanding of poultry health, particularly concerning diseases that affect chicks saying that ignorance may put livelihoods of these animals at risk. Speaking at a workshop held at Prince Alfred’s Christian College in…
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Fanuel Songwe appointed to the Research Ethics Advisory Committee of the African Genetic Biocontrol Consortium
Dr. Fanuel Songwe, a Researcher and Lecturer in the Department of Applied Biosciences and Biotechnology of the Midlands State University from Zimbabwe has been appointed to the Research Ethics Advisory Committee of the African Genetic Biocontrol Consortium. The Africa Genetic Biocontrol Consortium (the Consortium) was established as an agreement among member organizations committed to…
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The natural wisdom of not treating seed and food as separate entities
Writes Charles Dhewa The way African territorial mass food markets reproduce and strengthen the natural relationship between seed and food clarifies the differences between agroecology and industrial food systems. These markets demonstrate the extent to which indigenous seed and food have multi-purpose uses from seed to food and beverages, among other uses. While the…
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2024 AFSF: Prof Lindiwe Sibanda emphasises importance of healthy soils, improved diets
Prof Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) System Board Chairperson has said that the institution’s vision for adopted crops and soils for Africa is to build resilient agrifood systems by leveraging opportunity crops and building healthy soils to enhance agricultural resilience to climate change and improve diets. She was…
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African ministers of agriculture urged to promote sound agri-food systems
Dr. Agnes Kalibata, the President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has urged ministers responsible for agriculture on the African continent to drive real change in the food systems in the face of climate challenges. She raised the issue during a ministerial roundtable held on 4 September 2024 at the…
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2024 Africa Food Systems Forum sets out roadmap for improving agricultural production and productivity
The 2024 Africa Food Systems Forum has emerged as a mechanism for the implementation of various initiatives and a tool for action in pursuit of achieving improved agricultural production and productivity and attaining food and nutrition security on the continent. This was revealed by Dr. Agnes Kalibata, the President of the Alliance for a…
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Better nutrition is a story that can change a lifetime: GAIN Executive Director
Dr. Lawrence Haddad, the Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has said nutrition is a story that can change a lifetime. Speaking on the progress of food systems in Africa during the launch of the Africa Agriculture Status Report (AASR), Dr. Haddad said stakeholders on the continent have lots of…
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Investing in women in agribusiness transforms Africa’s food systems
Investing in gender-sensitive policies and regulatory frameworks that encourage investment in women agripreneurs is central to the future of agrifood systems in Africa. This was revealed by Nana Amoah, AGRA’s Director of Gender, Youth, and Inclusiveness during the Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday 5 September 2024 during a deal room knowledge…
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Science-based V30 Accelerator model wins Zimbabwe the Africa Food Prize
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Tinotenda Mhiko, the Chief Executive Officer of the Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) has said the implementation of the revolutionary agricultural science-based Vision 2030 (V30) accelerator model has won him the prestigious 2024 Africa Food Prize. He was addressing journalists at a press conference at the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC) in Rwanda yesterday…
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ARDA CEO Tinotenda Mhiko wins the coveted Africa Food Prize
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Tinotenda Mhiko, the Chief Executive Officer of the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) has won the coveted US$100,000 Africa Food Prize that celebrates Africans who are taking control of the continent’s agriculture agenda. The prize puts a spotlight on bold initiatives and technical innovations that can be replicated across the continent to create…
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Desertification in Africa causes damage to productive land, warns AUC’s Commissioner Sacko
At least 4.4 million hectares of productive land are lost to desertification every year, leading to the malnutrition of some 68 million people in Africa, African Union Commissioner Josefa Correia Sacko said today in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The diplomat, who was speaking at the Tenth Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the…
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Africa Food Systems Forum: Seed Sector Performance Index (SSPI) disseminated
The 2023 Seed Sector Performance Index (SSPI) Status Report for Africa was disseminated at the African Food Systems Forum’s 2024 Summit on 2 September in Kigali, Rwanda. The SSPI is a new, single score-based measurement tool that provides “a bird’s eye view” of the health of national seed systems across the continent. The SSPI was…
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Digital Agriculture Providing New Frontiers in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
Writes George Marechera (AGRA – Head of Digital Systems and Solutions for Agriculture) New technologies and digitalisation are transforming agriculture and offering new opportunities for transformative agriculture development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Digital agriculture is a new and emerging field that has the potential to help address the productivity, sustainability, resilience, market, and trade…
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Zimbabwe demonstrates innovative food system policy through the 1-hectare irrigation model
Zimbabwe demonstrated a scalable innovative food system policy through its 1-hectare irrigation model during a plenary session on the official opening yesterday of the Africa Food Systems Forum running from 2 to 6 September 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda. Addressing participants during a room discussion on scalable innovative food systems policies and the financing needed…
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AUC’s Ambassador Sacko calls for increased investments in agricultural research and development
H.E. Amb. Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment of the African Union Commission has called for increased investments in agricultural research and development. She was speaking through the Director of her Department, Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa, during the official opening of the Africa Food Systems Forum that is running…
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Sustainable African food systems accelerate attainment of SDGs
Building productive, nutritious, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable African food systems accelerates the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This was revealed today by Hon Ildephonse Musafiri, Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources during the official opening of the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda. He…
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Renewable energy, food security, and digital economy topical at Second Indonesia-Africa Parliamentary Forum
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In her keynote address during the official opening of the Indonesia-Africa Parliamentary Forum in Bali, Indonesia on 1 September 2024, Her Excellency, Dr. Puan Maharani, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, said there is a need for strategic cooperation between Indonesia and Africa in the arena of renewable energy, food…
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Extension services, research and development improve smallholder farmers’ agricultural production and productivity
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The provision of extension services tied to research and development will improve the capacity of smallholder farmers to increase agricultural production and productivity. This came to the fore yesterday during a side meeting of extension base actors held at the Lemigo Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda at the African Food Systems Forum running from the…