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GLOBALHORT NEWS

 GlobalHort welcomes the submission of news features of interest to our communities.  Please send your suggestions, features or publications that you would like to have disseminated to the editor.

New issue of the GlobalHort Newsletter Now Available

Published on 14^th Aug 2011

Please click  v.4 no.3, July-September, 2011 to access.  If you would like to be placed on the mailing list for future issues send a message to the Editor.

The 9th GlobalHort Board Meeting, FAO, Rome, June 22-24, 2011

Published on 14^th Aug 2011

The GlobalHort Board meeting was held for two days at its new headquarters at The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.   

The move of GlobalHort to Rome from Tanzania was the result of the successful signing of a MOU with CIRAD, FAO and GlobalHort. GlobalHort, by this agreement, will be hosted by FAO-AGP for 1 year, although this can be extended with the agreement of all parties. All Board members agreed that it was a smart move and enriching for the Executive Secretary, Dr. Remi Kahane, to work more closely with FAO colleagues. Dr. Kahane was given the status of a consultant with compensation, an office, Internet access, legal services and secretariat assistance. The challenge will be to balance the initiatives that arise from our cooperation with FAO with others that involve our other partners or have no link to the FAO programs related to horticulture for development. 

The GlobalHort Board was pleased with the outcomes of a round table session involving representatives of  the  FAO Divisions with whom GlobalHort will now work closely:  Nutrition and Consumers’ Protection  (AGN), Crop Production and Protection  (AGP), the Food for the Cities Initiative, and the  Office of Corporate Communication and External Relations (OCE). Each spokesperson provided an overview of their activities that have relevance to horticulture for development and where cooperation with GlobalHort is either already happening or is anticipated.                        

Dr. Looney chaired the general discussion session that followed these presentations. He used this opportunity to thank these colleagues for the welcome they have given to Remi Kahane and the collegiality that is rapidly developing. He observed that FAO has achieved an important leadership position within the realm of city food supply issues (its Food for the Cities and Growing Greener Cities initiatives) and congratulated all for the conceptual approach of “food ecosystems” that addresses the needs of cities for sufficient and safe food supplies. Finally, he applauded the involvement of FAO in initiatives that address issues around biodiversity and sustainable diets and especially its involvement with WHO and other partners (including GlobalHort) in supporting the PROFEL and PROFAV workshops in Africa. It is clear that both GlobalHort and these Divisions of FAO recognize that diet diversification to include more fruits and vegetables is better than the biofortification of staple crops approach to addressing vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies (‘hidden hunger’)  

 

Promotion and advocacy

 GlobalHort and the Development Opportunity Crops (DOC) Network¹: GlobalHort will cooperate with the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) to facilitate the preparation of a Position Paper on “Promoting Agrobiodiversity for International Development: A Rationale and Roadmap for Collective Action”. This Paper will be prepared by a consultant engaged by GlobalHort and will be funded with a grant-in-aide of $50,000 during 2011. This Paper will assemble published data and the case studies that document the potential of a wide range of non-staple plants and crops to generate income, improve health and nutrition, and provide the genetic resources and crop diversification options needed to achieve food security despite climate change and other agro-ecological challenges. It will provide the arguments for a paper to be presented at the upcoming CGIAR Science Forum (Beijing, October 2011) followed by publication in a peer-reviewed journal. It will have ongoing value to all of the DOC Network organizations (including GlobalHort) when advocating for donor support or when seeking partnerships with other research organizations, such as the international centres of the CGIAR.

The vision of Mark Holderness (GFAR Executive Secretary) is that with this project GlobalHort will capture and represent the collective interests and arguments of the entire DOC Network. Each partner will provide data from relevant experiments and case studies. GFAR is facilitating this project but will not be involved in its management. Holderness also called attention to the potential support for agro-biodiversity research that could come from Article 6 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) that provides for supporting efforts in aide of the sustainable use of plant genetic resources and where the importance of strengthening agro-biodiversity is specifically championed. He mentioned a $130 M fund earmarked for work related to the exchange of information, transfer of technology and capacity building related to plant genetic resources. However, the “development opportunity crops” are still not regarded as an important issue, so there is the problem of highlighting the situation. It is a reality that Annex 1 of the ITPGRFA reveals that very few horticultural crops (and even fewer underutilized plants and crops) are officially covered by the Treaty. The Board agreed that GlobalHort will accept this opportunity to work with GFAR and will move forward with formalizing the letter of agreement (LOA) and selecting the consultant.

GlobalHort represented at May 2011 Conference of the RUAF Foundation: Dr. Kahane attended the RUAF conference on urban agriculture for resilient cities at Almere, The Netherlands on May 2011 to explore opportunities for cooperation. The RUAF Foundation (Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Food Security) was very involved with the Dakar symposium of 2010. After 10 years of activity, RUAF is now looking at the regional food systems. However, after 2011 there will be no more support from The Netherlands. Thus, its future will depend on project funding. This is disappointing given that the CGIAR interest in urban agriculture (the Urban Harvest program) has also ended. Dr. Looney stated that, “With our engagement with the Dakar conference, our representation at the RUAF conference and our almost daily interaction with the FAO personnel involved with urban horticulture/agriculture initiatives, GlobalHort is positioned to play that leadership role. The UPH realm, as it relates to international development, is ours to advocate, network and coordinate existing and future efforts. This should be clearly recognized within our annual Work Plans.”

GlobalHort lends its support to the International Conference on “Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services: Linking Knowledge to Policy and Action for Food and Livelihoods”, November 15-18, 2011 in Nairobi: Given that both GlobalHort and ISHS have strong and ongoing connections to the program of work of the CTA   (Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation – ACP and EU) the Board decided to support this very important and timely conference that will address issues related to technology transfer.   Inadequate extension services in Africa are a constraint clearly identified by GlobalHort as needing attention. GlobalHort will keep in touch with CTA and explore ways to contribute and/or participate in this conference.  

GlobalHort will synergize efforts for Food City Supply at the 10th ACSS Conference:  The convener, Nancy Karanja, of the workshop on urban and peri-urban agriculture hosted by the 10th African Crop Science Society Conference, 10-13 October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique, has invited GlobalHort to give a keynote speech for the promotion of this topic. Remi Kahane has accepted to present the complementarities existing among several programs and initiatives by the international community, RUAF, FAO and Urban Harvest in particular. The abstract, The agricultural issue of growing cities need a coordinated action in Africa, has been accepted for presentation at the conference. More synergy among partners would help local and regional authorities to adapt to city growth and respond to the increasing food request in a regional system approach combining rural and urban development.  

Facilitating capacity building and knowledge management

Regional platforms in support of horticulture in Africa – IFAD funding denied

As previously reported, GlobalHort had submitted for IFAD support a proposal titled "Training  trainers for smallholder horticulture - Pilot project for Eastern Africa". A delegation of 5 Board members (Keatinge, Giyose, Montemayor, Pillot and Looney) met with Drs. Shantanu Mathur and Rodney Cooke at IFAD headquarters to seek clarification about whether this proposal would be supported. They were informed that the new rules established for project approvals require that the Regional IFAD Directors (in this case the Director for East Africa) must sign off on all grants for work in a region. Until recently, Small Grants could be approved at the level of Mathur and Cooke. Unfortunately, the East Africa director argued that this project was aimed at building system-wide capacity to support smallholder horticulture whereas what was needed to support other IFAD investments in that region was “knowledge transfer” directly to the small farmers – a step below what this project proposed. Thus, it is now necessary that we inform our prospective partners in this project that it will not receive the needed funds. The delegation was informed that there would be no official pronouncement about this decision. 

Nonetheless, each of the Board members represented at this meeting with IFAD officials presented their views about the present and potential value of GlobalHort to international development at large. They pointed out that GlobalHort brings together the actors needed to credibly advocate for greater attention to horticulture for development and to connect and inform the larger community of organizations and individuals working to potentiate the benefits of high value horticultural crops. Drs. Mathur and Cooke appeared to appreciate what GlobalHort can continue to deliver to the larger agriculture research for development community and offered the possibility that IFAD could provide a level of “core funding” to the Initiative. 

Dr. Mathur explained that such funding (funds that come to IFAD from the European community) must be handled by GFAR as an intermediary agency. He indicated that this is quite feasible but will require the agreement of the Global Forum and its Board. Dr. Looney was advised to discuss this procedure with the GFAR Executive Director prior to leaving Rome. [This was done and the discussions with IFAD are moving ahead. Dr. Mathur indicated that the next funding tranche would come in September, which should be the target date for a decision.] 

Video-conferences on high value markets in AfricaIn 2010 GlobalHort coordinated a video conference series funded by the World Bank Institute-AAACP.  This offered the opportunity for GlobalHort to provide leadership and gain regional visibility. The activity also created or strengthened national horticultural networks. These efforts provided important financial support for GlobalHort and its other activities. Didier Pillot suggested that it would be good to transform this material into something pedagogical that could give rise to courses. Training materials would be good to offer as a service supporting horticulture for development. This possibility will be explored by Dr. Kahane and Mr. Miner. 

Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetablesGlobalHort involvement in the Promotion of Fruit and Vegetables for Health: Anglophone Africa Workshop (PROFAV) Sept. 26-30, 2011:  This conference will bring together representatives of the horticulture, health, and education sectors and has sponsorship from NEPAD, WHO, FAO and GlobalHort. One hundred people are expected from 22 countries. Bibi Giyose (NEPAD), NeBambi Lutaladio (FAO) and Remi Kahane will contribute to this conference and their respective organizations will sponsor participants. AVRDC will also be represented through its Arusha Center. Dr. Kahane recommended that Jacky Ganry, one of the founders of PROFEL (the previous conference in Francophone West Africa) and PROFAV, be supported to attend this conference by GFAR.  He also recommended that CTA be approached to support delegates from East Africa. Bibi Giyose felt that the outcomes of this workshop would be relevant to the African Food and Nutrition Day activities in late 2011. She also recommended to link with the East African Community seated in Arusha.  

Connecting and informing the H4D community

 

The web-portal www.globalhort.org

 

The GlobalHort web-portal is now almost five years old and it is time to consider upgrading.  In the MOU between Globalhort and ISHS, both organizations have agreed to work together more closely in this area as they “recognize the importance of Information and Communication Technology”. In view of its importance and the costs associated with the acquisition of electronic platforms and their maintenance, ISHS and GlobalHort agree to evaluate how  they can be of service to each other to gain in visibility, search for synergy and save through economies of scale. For example, in partnership they could develop a joint photo data base, a combined calendar of events, a shared mailing list, and various other resources of common interest.

 

Coaching research for development projects 

 

Recipes for Success

“Enhancing productivity and consumption of indigenous horticultural food crops for better nutrition and health through enhanced communication of research results in community-run resource centres” (the Recipes for Success project in Africa) was concluded with a “Completion Workshop” in Cotonou, Benin in April, 2011. A portion of the Workshop was devoted to preparing an application for continued funding of the project. The project leader, Dr. Hannah Jaenicke reported the results of this project during the GlobalHort 5th Anniversary Event in Montpellier on April 8, 2011.

News from the Board Members

NEPAD

Bibi Giyose reported that she has had discussions with the Gates Foundation and internally at NEPAD around the concept of joining the forces at NEPAD, CTA and GlobalHort to specifically address African nutrition issues through the promotion of smallholder horticulture. Her vision is that NEPAD would provide the administration services and enabling environment, CTA the information dissemination outputs, and GlobalHort would manage the R&D projects that might be funded under this program. Her argument is that this collaboration could add significant value to what is being done by these partners individually. She strongly suggests that GlobalHort work with these partners to craft a Concept Note by Sept. 2011. Such a project should be attractive to the Gates Foundation since it addresses their known interest in improving nutrition, especially in Africa. Dr. Looney suggested that when crafting this Concept Note we must consider that GlobalHort no longer has a Research Project Manager position and has also decided that it is not our core business to initiate and conduct research projects that could be conducted by a partner organization. Thus, the Concept Note must clearly define the contribution of GlobalHort to this project. It was concluded that Dr. Kahane and Bibi Giyose work on a concept note to be shared by the Board before September 2011.   Bibi Giyose attended the Brussels Briefing on ACP Nutrition Security, June 15, 2011 where she was interviewed on the actions and obligations of regional actors for fighting poverty. 

AgriNatura

Didier Pillot informed the Board that AgriNatura is a consortium of 31 European universities and research institutions interested in agriculture for development, many in horticulture. It facilitates joint activities and identifies and exploits synergies amongst the members. Horticulture is one of the most synergistic topics.

Several European universities have developed a curriculum in horticulture for development: Munich, Bologna, Montpellier (and Angers), Vienna and Budapest. These curricula offer students the opportunity to move from one university to another during training. They have submitted a proposal to the EU (DG-Education) for people from outside wishing to study horticulture in Europe to gain a Masters or PhD (DocHort) degree. Students must be registered with a European university but can do the work in the South, affiliated with another institution. Didier explained how it can work with GlobalHort to develop topics, submit or review applications, and elaborate distance learning courses. If the project proposal is approved, the first call for PhD students will be in September 2012.  

France and Germany are in the process of developing a project on Horticultural science education in Africa. After 20 years of inaction, donors would like to become active in supporting higher education in Africa. The leaders of the CAADP Program of the African Union and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency are playing a leading role following the Ministerial Conference on Higher Education in Agriculture, Kampala (17-19 Nov. 2010). That conference was largely organized by RUFORUM but was supported by FARA, AgriNatura, CTA, (American) Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the government of Uganda. Horticulture is one of the topics that should be highlighted given that is so knowledge and skills dependent. 

Pillot feels that an important role for GlobalHort is to be informed of the efforts of the other partners involved in horticulture education and training in Africa and serve a coordination role. These include the Hort CRSP, existing centers of excellence in horticulture education in Africa and the efforts that are expected to be supported with the AgriNatura initiative.  Africans have their own organizations (RUFORUM and ANAFE) and AgriNatura would have to place its suggestions accordingly. Probably 10 students per year could access a scholarship via AgriNatura, and some recommendations could come from GlobalHort. As an example, the Bioactive Net granted project (Hort CRSP) could host one PhD student granted via AgriNatura. 

Hort CRSP and the Nutrition CRSP

Elizabeth Mitcham updated the Board on the Hort CRSP - the Horticulture Collaborative Research Support Program managed by UC Davis and the new Nutrition CRSP managed by Tufts University. Both are funded by USAID. 

The Hort CRSP is now in the second year of a 5 year program. It is essentially a granting program which started with 15 immediate impact projects which are all winding up, although there have been some extensions. Ten of these are exploratory projects funded at $75 K each and five are pilot projects designed to run for three years. The second call for research projects will close on July 15.  They are specifically calling for projects in four key areas: postharvest handling; seed systems; orange flesh sweet potato; and African leafy vegetables. The sweet potato theme is somewhat controversial given that there is already a lot of attention being given to this crop. However important areas like curing, storage and processing are not presently being addressed. With respect to African leafy vegetables, they want projects dealing with post-harvest handling including processing and cooking methods. One reality of the CRSP programs is that USAID has a list of ‘focus countries’ and this can be constraining. For example, Cambodia is the only focus country in SE Asia. The Hort CRSP Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled on Feb. 8-11, 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the opportunity to launch the first center of excellence (Kasetsart University).  

The Hort CRSP is still struggling with the concept of establishing centers of excellence. Present thinking is that it will scale back the original idea of five centers and look at providing support for technological training centers where resources are already in place (i.e. collaborating with local horticultural centers and associations). An example would be the KARI Professional Training Center in Thika, Kenya. 

Regarding the development of the web page for the Hort CRSP, Dr. Mark Bell is developing the horticulture knowledge bank and is presently getting feedback that there is a need to make the knowledge based website more useful for clients in developing countries. It was suggested that perhaps international horticulture development students could work on this. 

Bibi Giyose is on the International Advisory Board for the new Nutrition CRSP and indicated that she is ready to work with Beth Mitcham to link the programs of these two CRSPs. She also suggested that the Nutrition CRSP should appear on http://www.globalhort.org/.

___________

 

Tanzania-based consortium to start manufacturing Agronets

Published on 16^th Aug 2011

A Tanzanian Company, A to Z Textile Mills, member of a consortium of companies producing OlysetR nets in Joint Venture with Sumitomo Chemicals Japan recently started to manufacture Agronets farmers can use to cover horticultural crops and prevent them from pest attacks. A to Z is partnering with the Michigan State University, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, CIRAD, France, Egerton University and International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology in a USAID funded project to test the efficacy of these nettings.
Vector Health International (VHI) which is the name of the Joint Venture is in the process of building a new state-of-the-art research-and-development facility in Kisongo area of Arusha town which it plans to utilize to diversify its products. VHI has recently recruited a Director for the Centre, Dr Johnson O. Odera, who has been charged with the responsibility of overseeing the development and testing of new products, especially insecticide treated materials, for crop protection and vector control. >>>More

Mosquito nets can be used to protect cabbage plants from aphids and caterpillars

Published on 19^th Jul 2011

Fifth anniversary of GlobalHort subject of editorial in recent issue of Fruits journal

Published on 14^th Jul 2011

Dr. Jacky Ganry, Scientific Director of Fruits, has provided a short overview of GlobalHort over the last five years in the vol. 66 (2011) issue of Fruits .  Please click here to access his editorial, "5 years already gone for GlobalHort."

New Book: "Speciality Crops for Pacific Islands"

Published on 13^th Jul 2011

Specialty Crops for Pacific Islands
by Craig R. Elevitch (Editor)

Hardcover - 576 pages
Full color - over 940 photographs
Format - 8.75" X 11.25" (22.2 cm X 28.6 cm)
Weight: 5 lb (2.3 kg)
Release date: July 2011 (expected)
Publisher: Permanent Agriculture Resources
ISBN-13: 978-0-9702544-8-1

This book covers:

• 26 important specialty crops
• Value-added processing
• Enterprise development
• Accessing unique markets
• Sustainable local food production
• Economic and ecological viability
• Multi-crop agroforestry systems
• Local systems with export potential

Click here to order.

CABI launches open access Invasive Species Compendium

Published on 8^th Jun 2011

The Invasive Species Compendium is an online, open access reference work covering recognition, biology, distribution, impact and management of the world's invasive plants and animalsThe Invasive Species Compendium currently covers over 1,500 species with over 7,000 basic summary datasheets and 1,500 detailed datasheets. You can also access over 800 full text articles (in pdf format) and 65,000 abstract summaries, with plans to add 10,000 more by the end of 2011. This new resource has been built upon a brand new technical platform which enables our experts to update the datasheets and bibliographical data on a weekly basis.Go to the new, open-access Invasive Species Compendium

• Download a range of information materials
• View an introductory video
• Learn more about CABI's work with invasive species by signing up to our invasives blog

Global crop loss initiative launched by CABI

Published on 3^rd Jun 2011

CABI, a UK-based not for profit organization, has launched Plantwise, a new global initiative aimed at improving food security and the lives of the rural poor by reducing crop losses. The program is broadly composed of a network of plant clinics to be established internationally, and a knowledge bank comprised of worldwide data on crops and crop pests (including insects, weeds, pathogens/diseases).

 Partial funding will be provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation to the tune of US$9.3 million over a five-year period. Plantwise is designed to generate immediate positive impacts for the globe's
smallholder farmers said to be "the backbone of rural economies," and to fill current production voids until additional scientific pest management research becomes available. 

The clinics will be patterned as "doctor's style clinics for plants," according to CABI information materials. Establishment of hundreds of community-based clinics in developing regions is envisioned. Currently there are clinics operating in 14 countries while the goal anticipates expansion to 40 nations during the next three years. The clinics, operated by trained local personnel, advise farmers on pests in a manner similar to the way a health center does for humans.

The Plantwise knowledge bank--a prototype is set for launch in May 2011--will be a repository for high-quality information, both historical and current, and is seen as an underpinning for the plant clinics. A wide range of international sources will provide material, augmented by validated observations from the clinics. The gathered information is to be digitized, aggregated, structured, updated, and made searchable, CABI documents explain, thus "providing a level of detail that has simply not been available before." It is hoped that the bank will become a "comprehensive source of plant health intelligence."
 CABI, Plantwise, Nosworthy Way, Wallingford, Oxforshire, OX10 8DE, UK.  enquiries@cabi.org.  Fax: 44-0-1491-833508.  Voice: 44-0-1491-832111.
www.cabi.org.
   --excerpted, with thanks, from CABI Ezine, April 2011.   

New FAO study find that more research is needed on the reduction of food losses at all levels

Published on 27^th May 2011

Food security is a major concern in large parts of the developing world. Food production must clearly increase significantly to meet the future demands of an increasing and more affluent world population. This study illustrate that one of the first mean to fight imbalances and reduce tensions between the necessary increase in consumption and the challenging increase in production, is to also promote food loss reduction which alone has a considerable potential to increase the efficiency of the whole food chain. In a world with limited natural resources (land, water, energy, fertilizer), and where cost-effective solutions are to be found to produce enough safe and nutritious food for all, reducing food losses should not be a forgotten priority. The study revealed that there are major data gaps in the knowledge of global food loss and waste. Further research in the area is urgent. 

 

This new publication “Global Food Losses and Food Waste: Extent, Causes and Prevention” is based on studies carried out from August 2010 to January 2011 by The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) on request from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Two studies on global food losses (one for high/medium-income countries and one for low income countries) were conducted to serve as a basis for the international congress Save Food!, 16-17 May 2011, at the international packaging industry fair Interpack2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Save Food!  The aim of this congress was to raise awareness on global food losses and waste, and on the impact of these on poverty and hunger in the world, as well as on climate change and on the use of natural resources. 

The results of the study suggest that roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year. This inevitably also means that huge amounts of the resources used in food production are used in vain, and that the greenhouse gas emissions caused by production of food that gets lost or wasted are also emissions in vain. Food is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production down to final household consumption.

• In medium- and high-income countries food is to a significant extent wasted at the consumption stage, meaning that it is discarded even if it is still suitable for human consumption. Significant losses also occur early in the food supply chains in the industrialized regions.
• In low-income countries food is lost mostly during the early and middle stages of the food supply chain; much less food is wasted at the consumer level. Overall, on a per-capita basis, much more food is wasted in the industrialized world than in developing countries. It is estimated that the per capita food waste by consumers in Europe and North-America is 95-115 kg/year, while this figure in Sub-Saharan Africa and South/Southeast Asia is only 6-11 kg/year.
• The causes of food losses and waste in low-income countries are mainly connected to financial, managerial and technical limitations in harvesting techniques, storage and cooling facilities in difficult climatic conditions, infrastructure, packaging and marketing systems. Given that many smallholder farmers in developing countries live on the margins of food insecurity, a reduction in food losses could have an immediate and significant impact on their livelihoods.

The food supply chains in developing countries need to be strengthened by, inter alia, encouraging small farmers to organize and to diversify and upscale their production and marketing. Investments in infrastructure, transportation, food industries and packaging industries are also required. Both the public and private sectors have a role to play in achieving this. The causes of food losses and waste in medium/high-income countries mainly relate to consumer behavior as well as to a lack of coordination between different actors in the supply chain. Farmer-buyer sales agreements may contribute to quantities of farm crops being wasted. Food can be wasted due to quality standards, which reject food items not perfect in shape or appearance. At the consumer level, insufficient purchase planning and expiring ‘best-before-dates’ also cause large amounts of waste, in combination with the careless attitude of those consumers who can afford to waste food. Food waste in industrialized countries can be reduced by raising awareness among food industries, retailers and consumers. There is a need to find good and beneficial use for safe food that is presently thrown away. 

While increasing primary food production is paramount to meet the future increase in final demand, tensions between production and access to food can also be reduced by tapping into the potential to reduce food losses. Efficient solutions exist along the whole food chain, for reducing total amounts of food lost and wasted. Actions should not only be directed towards isolated parts of the chain, since what is done (or not done) in one part has effects in others. In low income countries, measures should foremost have a producer perspective, e.g. by improving harvest techniques, farmer education, storage facilities and cooling chains. In industrialized countries on the other hand, solutions at producer and industrial level would only be marginal if consumers continue to waste at current levels. Consumer households need to be informed and change the behavior which causes the current high levels of food waste. Another point to be stressed is that the food supply chain of today is more and more globalized. Certain food items are produced, transformed and consumed in very different parts of the world. The impact of growing international trade on food losses still has to be better assessed.

Due to lack of sufficient data, many assumptions on food waste levels at foremost the distribution and consumption levels had to be made. Therefore, the results in this study must be interpreted with great caution. Further research in the area is urgent, especially considering that food security is a major concern in large parts of the developing world.

ASNAPP-supported horticultural project in Livingstone, Zambia proves to be a big success

Published on 18^th May 2011

ASNAPP-supported farmers must probably be shouting their last hurrah as their total produce sales for 2010 pushes for the third million dollar milestone. Roughly a year ago, the project in Livingstone (Zambia) alone, in partnership with Sun International Hotel and with seed funding from USAID, recorded its first $1 million in sales revenue. That was when the Livingstone Project reinforced its position as a viable rural agricultural development model worthy of replication across the region. Now, with significant contributions from the Livingstone Project, farmers in the ASNAPP regional program comprising those from Zambia, Malawi and South Africa have made over $2.6 million in sales revenue for fiscal year 2010.

The full article is in the latest ASNAPP Newsletter issue of The Agribusiness.

Going Forward: Agro-Biodiversity Collective Action Strategy

Published on 22^nd Apr 2011

Opportunities exist for collective actions involving GlobalHort, Crops for the Future, the Non-Timber Forest Products Partnership, Bioversity International, the Global Crop Diversity Trust, and others. These partners share the vision that encouraging and facilitating the cultivation and marketing of a greater diversity of high value specialty crops, both indigenous and exotic, can significantly improve incomes and health of the rural poor. They also point to the important environmental services pro-vided and to the ‘preservation through use’ of valuable plant genetic resources.

At a January 20-21 Workshop convened in Rome by the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR) and the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), GlobalHort Board Chair, Norman Looney, helped to craft a manifesto for this kind of Collective Action. It was agreed that GFAR would provide the required leadership and coordination, noting that the promotion of High-Value Specialty Plants such as horticultural crops could make an important contribution to the GFAR effort to connect, inform, and identify priority issues for the global community of professionals engaged in agri-cultural and socio-economic research for development. Dr. Looney observed that GlobalHort can contribute importantly to ensuring that high-value specialty plants and crops receive the attention deserved within the context of reducing poverty and improving food and nutrition security of smallholders.

Sponsorship Opportunity – 2nd ALL AFRICA HORTICULTURE CONGRESS 2012

Published on 11^th Mar 2011

The 2ND ALL AFRICA HORTICULTURE CONGRESS will take place from 15-20 January 2012, at the Skukuza Conference Centre in the world-renowned Kruger National Park.  The Congress will take place under the aegis of the International Society for Horticultural Science and aims to bring together scientists involved in diverse horticultural endeavours in Africa and will provide a platform that will encourage a spirit of communication, collaboration and sharing of knowledge and expertise for the benefit of the African Continent and its people. As an important role-player with a direct interest in agriculture, you have an opportunity to sponsor and participate in the Congress.

 

The Congress provides opportunities for interaction between academia, researchers, extension and industry specialists who will present their latest scientific findings, and deliberate a number of pertinent issues facing African horticulture.  Not only will this event broaden the knowledge base of all concerned, but it will also enhance the synergies between the different institutions and business sectors. The first Congress attracted over 350 delegates and since many of the delegates are important opinion formers and role-players in agriculture, exposure of your company or organisation to this diverse audience should result in long term dividends. 

You are invited by the Local Organizing Committee to be an integral part of this 2nd ALL AFRICA HORTICULTURAL CONGRESS. Attached are opportunities for sponsorship whereby you could enhance your visibility. The logos and contact details of all sponsors will be included on the official website and a list of sponsors will be displayed during the congress, which will indicate contributions in terms of categories. Gold sponsors (over R50 000) will be entitled to banners in the venue as well as inclusion of their logos in the Programme and on delegates’ name tags which are worn throughout the Congress. Sponsorship for an event or item not on the formal list will of course also be welcomed as will reasonable partial sponsorships. Please note that you can also place an advertisement in the Programme and Abstract booklet. 

Please make use of this opportunity to participate in the furthering of agricultural and horticultural science to the benefit of Africa and its people. Queries can be made to Karin Hannweg by e-mail or phone.

 

Women are key to easing world hunger says FAO report

Published on 9^th Mar 2011

 March 2011, Rome - If women in rural areas had the same access to land, technology, financial services, education and markets as men, agricultural production could be increased and the number of hungry people reduced by 100-150 million, FAO said in its 2010-11 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture report.

Yields on plots managed by women are lower than those managed by men, the report said. But this is not because women are worse farmers than men. They simply do not have the same access to inputs. If they did, their yields would go up, they would produce more and overall agricultural production would increase, the report said. 

"The report makes a powerful business case for promoting gender equality in agriculture," said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf.

"Gender equality is not just a lofty ideal, it is also crucial for agricultural development and food security. We must promote gender equality and empower women in agriculture to win, sustainably, the fight against hunger and extreme poverty," he added.

Foresight: The Future of Food and Farming (2011) highlights rising food prices and the importance of fruit and vegetables

Published on 25^th Jan 2011

The 221-page report, titled Foresight. The Future of Food and Farming and written by the Government Office for Science in the United Kingdom. Released on Jan. 25 and produced by about 400 leading experts and stakeholders from about 35 low-, middle and high-income countries across the world, it makes for bleak reading.  The Asia Sentinal has an excellent review of the report.

Sir John Beddington, chief scientific adviser to the British government, in an interview for The Economist talks about this report and why the era of cheap food is over.  "The food system is not working because it is not sustainable."

The "Foresight" report covers all aspects of the global food system: including governance at all scales, food production and processing, the supply chain and also consumer attitudes and demands.  The report is also relevant to policy makers and others with an interest in areas that interact with the food system, for example, climate change mitigation, energy and water competition and land use.  

In Chapter 4, "Challenge A: Balancing Future Demand and Supply Sustainability," the authors state that for perishable higher-value products such as fish and fruit, access to urban and export markets can transform local opportunities, but require adequate facilities for storage and refrigeration, and efficient supply chain management.

In Chapter 6, "Ending Hunger," there is an argument that dietary change can have multiple benefits on both public health and environmental sustainability, with synergies across different areas of policy. Advocating the consumption of foods that use fewer resources (land, water, fertiliser and other inputs) usually increases sustainability and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Guidelines on changing diets to achieve health nutrition and sustainability aims include:

• The UK Sustainable Development Commission has identified guidelines for effecting changes to diets that will contribute the most towards sustainability, while encompassing existing guidance on public health nutrition. Recommendations include a reduction in the consumption of highly-processed energy-dense foods that produce more GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions than fruit and vegetables, the latter having a clear health benefit.
• Oxfam’s ‘4-a-week’ report highlights the need for a change in consumption in the UK to militate against climate change and reduce global hunger. To deliver environmental and social justice Oxfam argues for a change in consumer behaviour to waste less food, reduce the consumption of meat and dairy products, buy fair-trade produce, and buy foods from low-income countries.

"It's time for a Revolution of Greens" says Abdou Tenkouano, Director of AVRDC's Regional Center for Africa

Published on 25^th Jan 2011

Abdou Tenkouano, Director of AVRDC's Regional Center for Africa, says it's time for a “Revolution of Greens.” Abdou contributed a chapter, "The Nutritional and Economic Potential of Vegetables". about the Center's work in the influential State of the World 2011 report, published annually by the Worldwatch Institute.

He presented the Center’s activities in:

• Paticipatory research to involve farmers in the evaluation and selection of vegetable varieties suitable for local climates and market preferences
• Poviding policy, technical, and managerial support to develop and strengthen the vegetable seed supply chain in Africa
• Pomoting indigenous vegetables for their nutritional qualities and market potential “Staples such as rice, maize, wheat, and cassava have been the focus of much research and investment, yet an abundance of these crops will only amount to a ‘Grain Revolution’ if the vegetables required to balance the diet are not equally abundant,” said Tenkouano. “A “Revolution of Greens” is necessary as well.”

The report is written in clear, concise language, with easy-to-read charts and tables, State of the World 2011, produced with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, provides a practical vision of the innovations that will allow billions of people to feed themselves, while restoring rural economies, creating livelihoods, and sustaining the natural resource base on which agriculture depends.

See the Table of Contents for more information.  Click here to purchase the book.

New Book: The Coming Famine by Julian Cribb

Published on 28^th Oct 2010

THE COMING FAMINE

The Global Food Crisis and What We Can Do to Avoid It

By Julian Cribb

248 pages. University of California Press. $24.95.   

 (To order book)

In The Coming Famine, Julian Cribb lays out a vivid picture of impending planetary crisis--a global food shortage that threatens to hit by mid-century--that would dwarf any in our previous experience. Cribb's comprehensive assessment describes a dangerous confluence of shortages--of water, land, energy, technology, and knowledge--combined with the increased demand created by population and economic growth. Writing in brisk, accessible prose, Cribb explains how the food system interacts with the environment and with armed conflict, poverty, and other societal factors. He shows how high food prices and regional shortages are already sending shockwaves into the international community. But, far from outlining a doomsday scenario, The Coming Famine offers a strong and positive call to action, exploring the greatest issue of our age and providing practical suggestions for addressing each of the major challenges it raises.

Reviews: 

NewYork Times Book Review

"Julian Cribb warns with a well synthesized evidence base about a potential famine in the making. The food crisis is already daily reality for one billion people. The book is not just a warning but offers sound guidance for the needed actions; easily understandable but suitably comprehensive, leaving no excuse for inaction."—Joachim von Braun, Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute

"The Coming Famine is an erudite and learned analysis of humanity's greatest challenge. At this very minute we are jeopardizing the rights to food for a billion people, and the effects will be felt by us all through migration, dietary changes and increased health risks, whether we believe it or not. This is a book all thinking people should read."— Lindsay Falvey, University of Cambridge

Now Free for All: FAO’s Statistical Database

Published on 17^th Aug 2010

If you have tried to track down data related to food, agriculture and hunger, chances are you have spent time navigating through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Statistical database (FAOSTAT).  If not, there is no better time to start than now.  FAO recently announced that it is granting unlimited, free access of FAOSTAT to the general public after a simple registration process.  Prior to this, there were limits to the number of records non-fee paying users could retrieve, and a subscription fee of US$1500 per user for full access. Visit Worldwatch Blog for more information.