The Panafrican Farmer’s Organisations (PAFO), AgriCord and CTA support Capacity-development of African Farmer’s Organisations through improved Policies, Technologies and Capabilities.

The European Commission and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have strengthened their partnership to boost the resilience of millions of people struggling with severe and often prolonged or recurrent food crises around the world. The agreement for €70 million contribution, signed by Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, and the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, José Graziano da Silva, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York today, contributes to the Global Network against Food Crises to promote sustainable solutions to food crises.

The Sahel countries are confronted with numerous challenges which hold back their development potential. The countries in the region have to deal with climate change risks, increasing demographic pressure, an increasingly urban trend and the security crisis shaking the region. Agricultural yields are declining significantly, creating food security issues. In order to get through these issues and allow the region to develop, innovative solutions and research exist.

Consumer expectations and demands have a role to play in improving food safety in Africa, according to speakers at an event in Brussels this week. The briefing in the Belgian city was organized by the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, with the European Commission (DG DEVCO and DG SANTE), the ACP Secretariat, CONCORD and the Global Food Safety Partnership (GFSP).

The African Development Bank has signed two grant agreements to finance agri-business development projects through the Agriculture Fast Track Fund. Funded by the United States, Denmark, and Sweden, the Agriculture Fast Track Fund supports Africa-based agri-business SMEs by financing the development costs of agriculture infrastructure projects that span the value chain from rural feeder roads to agro-processing and marketing facilities, to out-grower schemes.

As part of its mission to raise quality standards of fish in our country, the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Maritime Economy, through the National Bureau for Sanitary Control of Fishery Products (ONSPA), this week handed over two ice-making factories and a cold storage facility to the Jasmin Trading House company, the only fish factory satisfying the required health standards during a recent visit by EU experts, with the aim of strengthening the company.

During times of drought, herder Buchu Boru has to walk tens of kilometres in search of pasture for his animals - with no guarantee he will find it. "Somebody tells you by word of mouth that there is pasture but on arriving you don't (find) any," said the 60-year-old, who has had to walk from his home all the way across the Ethiopian border to find grass some years.

One of the main causes of food insecurity for farmers in rural areas is limited access to agricultural inputs. In a bid to combat that, international donors and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) have instigated input trade fairs and voucher schemes to provide poor, vulnerable and food insecure farmers with access to seeds, fertilisers and tools. Similar schemes are being promoted by the EU, which has placed support for ‘resilience’ in farming and food security at the heart of its projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

On Friday 13th April 2018, the governor of the Hauts-Bassins region, Antoine Atiou, presided over the official launch ceremony of the ‘Integrated Programme for the Diversification of Production and Improvement of Nutrition in the Hauts-Bassins region’ (PADIS project).This project, financed by the German Ministry of Cooperation and Development BMZ, has been launched by the NGO Action Against Hunger (ACF) in partnership with CBM (Christoffel Blindenmission).

The European Union has agreed to provide Mozambique with 30 million euros (about 37 million US dollars) to support the campaign for improved nutrition over the next four years. The drive to combat chronic malnutrition is being undertaken by the Ministry of Health through the National Health Institute (INS). Geert Anckaert, the head of operations in the Economic Development and Governance section of the EU delegation in Maputo, announced the financing on Thursday, during the launch of a project to assess nutrition programmes and policies.