The counter-productivity of fragmented investments in African food systems

Billions of dollars have gone into African agriculture and food systems over the past few years but the main challenge remains the absence of a coordinated framework for deploying such resources. Resources that are squandered through fragmented investments by development organizations, government, and the private sector are more than what is needed to address challenges…

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“Sinners Reloaded” to premiere at Theatre in The Park

Zimbabwean theatre audiences starved of good theatre would be pleased to note that a new play “Sinners Reloaded” written by Patrick Chisaya is set to premiere on 20th February 2024 at Theatre in the Park. Directed by veteran Peter Churu and produced by Daves Guzha for Rooftop Promotions, the sequel to “Sinners”, “Sinners Reloaded” will…

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EcoSure rewards “Titambire Sethule” promotion winners with holiday packages

EcoSure, a micro-insurance brand under Econet Life, has rewarded lucky customers with holiday packages, following their participation in its “Titambire Sethule” promotion. The recent promotion, which ran between September and December 2023, was open to new and existing EcoSure customers who subscribed to the company’s USD Basic ($1), Standard ($2), or Premium ($5) plans, and…

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African Development Bank Backs Mozambique with $33 Million for Food Security and Climate Resilience

In a significant move to bolster food security and climate resilience in Mozambique, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has committed $33 million to support agricultural and meteorological initiatives in the region. This investment, approved by the AfDB’s board in January, is part of a larger $150 million program co-financed with the Mozambican government and other…

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Spaza Shop Indaba: A New Chapter Unfolding Through Rebranding

Spaza Shop Indaba! Wear Your Brand Foundation is thrilled to announce a comprehensive rebranding initiative aimed at enhancing the Spaza shop’s presence and redefining the shopping experience for the township community. With the magnitude of more than 150,000 spaza shops in South Africa at an estimated market size of R178billion. Over the years, Spaza Shops…

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$15M additional funding to tackle food waste around the world

Nairobi/Cape Town, 31 Jan 2024) Work tackling the huge environmental cost of food waste has been given a massive boost this year, as international climate action NGO WRAP receives catalytic funding from the Ballmer Group. The $15M funding will support essential work by WRAP and our partners in tackling food loss and waste through existing Voluntary Agreements in Australia, Indonesia, Mexico, and South…

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How to stem the turbulent tides of food insecurity across Africa

Food insecurity in Africa is off track. The situation keeps becoming aggravating as soaring food prices, inflation, conflict, and climate change are plunging parts of the continent into a severe and enduring food crisis, magnifying hunger and malnutrition. This extreme situation is hitting great swathes of Africa in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel particularly…

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Science module on communicating genome editing under review

A science module on communicating genome editing – a powerful tool that holds immense potential in revolutionizing the field of biotechnology to optimize African agriculture, is under review in Harare this week. Addressing participants in his welcome remarks today, Dr. Leonard Madzingaidzo, the Chief Executive Officer of the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre…

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Food Security: Experts Advocate Adoption Of Technology And Innovation

Experts and agricultural researchers have advocated the adoption of technologies and innovation to produce intensive agriculture and bridge the yield gap between Africa and other continents so as to ensure food security in the continent.  The researchers, from different research groups including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), WorldFish,…

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WCPFC Refusal to Address Compliance Secrecy Calls Sustainability into Question

WASHINGTON: “90% transparency is not transparency.” That was the verdict from Accountability.Fish Global Director Ryan Orgera, who yesterday blasted the Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission for failing to address continuing secrecy issues in WCPFC’s compliance processes during its Annual Meeting earlier this month. “The WCPFC and its cheerleaders in the industrial fishing community have been…

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2nd Food Safety Conference for Africa takes off in Accra

The African Continental Association for Protection (ACAFP) is organising its 2nd Food Safety Conference for Africa under the theme “Towards A Safer Food Supply for Africa”. The conference is taking place from December 12-14, 2023 at Erata Hotel, East Legon, Accra. This aligns with the sustainable and safe food production and supply initiatives in Africa. The…

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Grain Industry Insights in Africa

The grain industry is a cornerstone of food security in Africa, serving as a staple for millions across the continent. With a burgeoning population and socioeconomic transformations, understanding the volume of grain production and consumption is pivotal for ensuring the resilience of food systems in Africa. The data obtained from IndexBox shows that the largest countries in…

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Training provides regulatory frameworks for application of Genome Editing

The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPA) is holding training to create awareness among in-country regulators drafting and implementing policies and regulations critical for shaping communication and advocacy narratives on genome editing. In a speech on behalf of Mr. Willard Munango, the Deputy Chief Secretary for the Office of the President and Cabinet, Mrs. Anna Tinarwo,…

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AI-Powered Solutions for Agriculture in Africa

In this rapidly modernizing World, the slow blending of technology with AI Development is painting a new reality that is quite unimaginable. Apart from this collaboration, AI is catching up with agriculture too much and taking it to the next level. Regions like Africa, where agriculture is the cornerstone, face the scope of development. In…

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Kenya Develops Innovative Hermetic Bags to Revolutionize Grain Storage

The Kenyan government has been working in partnership with private sectors to develop new technologies to ensure that farmer’s harvest were well preserved during storage to avert losses. Hermetic Storage Technology Bags are able to preserve stored grains while restricting the existence of cereal pests by depleting oxygen levels. The air-tight bags prevent air or…

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Southern Africa Fertilizer Program a game-changer for farmers

Writes Dr. Mathew M. Abang Agriculture is the backbone of most economies in Southern Africa. However, overall the sector is not performing well due to low agricultural productivity which is partly attributed to the under-use of oftentimes poor quality fertilizers. The poor performance of the agriculture sector is posing a serious constraint to economic growth,…

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University of Edinburgh and the International Livestock Research Institute Renew Partnership

In order to further advance collaboration in livestock systems research, the University of Edinburgh and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), a CGIAR centre, have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding, further strengthening their decades-long partnership. This strategic alliance, announced at ILRI’s Nairobi Campus in Kenya on 29 November 2023, underscores a shared commitment to deepen…

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Drought claiming livestock in Matebeleland South

Own Correspondent Rural communities in Matabeleland South have raised calls of despondency following the depletion of water sources and grazing plains which has resulted in the death of livestock which include cattle and donkeys.  The prevailing harsh climatic conditions have precipitated an erratic start to the 2023/2024 rainy season currently being experienced in most parts…

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Researchers predict climate change-driven reduction in beneficial plant microbes

Bacteria that benefit plants are thought to be a critical contributor to crops and other ecosystems, but climate change may reduce their numbers, according to a new study by an international team of researchers. They published their findings in Nature Food. The collaboration, including Francisco Dini-Andreote, professor of plant science at Penn State, characterized the abundances…

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AMR poses threat to public health and sustainable food production

Anti-microbial resistance (AMR) poses an increasingly serious threat to public health and sustainable food production, necessitating an effective response involving all sectors of government and society, stakeholders attending the World AMR Awareness Week in Zimbabwe have said. Addressing delegates during the official opening ceremony of the 5th Continental World Antimicrobial Awareness Week for Africa in…

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Minister Chombo praises Grace Gaidzanwa for impressive agricultural enterprise

Writes Elvis Dumba Chinhoyi – A Chinhoyi-based young woman has caught the eyes of Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Hon Marian Chombo after she turned an urban piece of land into a vibrant agriculture enterprise boasting of a fish farming project. Grace Gaidzanwa erected a small dam from the harvested…

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Zimbabwe Hosts the World AMR Awareness Week 2023, 18-24th November 2023

The Quadripartite partners consisting of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), in partnership with African Union agencies, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and African Union Inter-African Bureau for…

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AfDB supports small livestock farmers in Zambia to adapt to climate change

With 96.7% of households adopting new production practices for milk, the nutritional benefits for adults and children have also improved The Climate Resilient Livestock Management Project, implemented by the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) in Zambia between 2017 and 2022, has helped to equip small livestock farmers to adapt to climate change. In particular, the percentage…

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AGRA’s Extension Model Hits 11m Farmers With New Technologies

The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has recounted the efforts it made towards implementing its mandate, saying it has reached over 11 million farmers in Nigeria. The Country Director of AGRA, Rufus Idris, disclosed this during the just concluded Africa–Wide Agricultural Extension Week (AAEW) in Abuja. Idris, while receiving an award for AGRA’s…

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FAO opens Global Forum for Animal Feed and Feed Regulators

Scores of international experts, including government officials, researchers, and industry leaders from several continents, gathered at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Headquarters in Rome for the two-day Global Forum for Animal Feed and Feed Regulators. The Forum focuses on a sector that generates more than $400 billion in annual commercial…

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Implementation of innovation, knowledge-led initiatives transforms economies: Dr Bayisa Bedada

Dr. Bayisa Bedada, the State Minister of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Ethiopia has encouraged African countries to accelerate economic transformation through knowledge-based and innovation-led initiatives. He made the remarks today at a stakeholder validation meeting of genome editing communication and advocacy training materials and curriculum underway in Addis Ababa from 15 to…

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FAO Food Outlook Predicts Declining International Trade in Some Basic Foodstuffs

Production prospects across most basic foodstuffs are favourable, but extreme weather events, rising geopolitical tensions, and sudden policy changes pose risks for global food production systems and could potentially tip delicate demand-supply balances and dampen prospects for trade and global food security, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United…

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Workshop validates genome editing communication training materials and curriculum

A three-day workshop kicked off in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia today to validate genome editing training materials and curriculum that will be used at the continental level to communicate new breeding tools and create awareness of the technology meant to optimize African agriculture. In his welcome remarks, Dr. Kassahun Tesfaye, the Director General of the Ethiopian…

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Africa shifts towards genetic modification to boost food security

The designation of Ghana as the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) collaborating center for Africa, focusing on plant breeding and associated technologies for food and nutrition, is being seen as a pivotal moment in the application of genetic modification in Africa. In a recent press statement, the IAEA announced its collaboration with the Biotechnology and…

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Digital tool to increase farm profitability, sustainability

A western Australia-based project aims to develop a scientifically rigorous decision-support tool to help farmers and their advisors increase profitability and optimise risk management. Dubbed the Agri-analytics Hub, the $4-million project will help producers analyse variability in crop performance and profitability on an in-paddock scale. The project involves the Food Agility Co-operative Research Centre, NGIS,…

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Reach Out Foundation gives disadvantaged children a lifeline

Mr. Dumisani Hamandishe, the founder, visionary, and chief operations officer of  Reach Out Foundation has said the organisation seeks to empower orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe. The foundation was established in the year 2020 and is anchored on awareness campaigns, food aid, school bursary funds, and skills development programs. Through the leadership skills, passion,…

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Rising El Niño Intensity Sparks Global Food Security Concerns

Global climate shifts this year are likely to disrupt food production throughout the world, straining food security worldwide. A report published this month by scientists associated with Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) explained that El Niño is going to bring too much rain to some parts of the world, and too little to others. This…

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Strategic partnerships, alliances with institutions of higher learning drive genome editing

There is a need for strategic partnerships, alliances, and linkages with institutions of higher learning and national research institutes for the successful implementation of genome editing tools that require strong institutional capacity, a senior government official has said. This was said today in Harare by Deputy Chief Secretary in The Office of the President and…

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Baobab Collection throws a lifeline to communities in drier parts of Manicaland

Writes Tafadzwa Muranganwa A visit to a son-in-law in Birchenough a few years ago is all that led Aaron Chenjerai Mazorere of Chiadzwa to start the collection of the baobab fruit. He prides himself on initiating the project in his home area which has attracted a lot of interest from fellow villagers. “Some years back…

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The Correlation of Family Background And The Learner’s Academic Performance

By Rudo Tivaone The physical, socioeconomic, and social background of a learner has an impact on the learner’s academic performance. Children from poor families tend to have more disadvantages which leads to poor academic results as compared to those who come from well-up families. However, to a lesser extent, some children from poor backgrounds perform…

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Great optimism for African agriculture if continent embraces right strategies

The 14th African Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) and the 19th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform (CAADP PP) painted a bright future if the right strategies are embraced to ensure the continent’s food and nutrition security. In his address, while pulling the curtain down to the meeting, Mr. Patrick K. Kangwa,…

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Extend Malabo Declaration Commitments from 2025 to 2030: WFP’s Stanlake Samkange

Mr. Stanlake JTM Samkange, outgoing Chair of the Development Partners Coordination Group (DPCG) of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and Senior Director for Strategic Partnerships at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has called on the African Union and development partners to extend the time period for implementing the Malabo Commitments through…

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