Crops - Agriculture

Agriculture

Australia and IITA tighten partnership to progress African agriculture

The ACIAR delegates with IITA staff after the partnership deliberation meeting. (Image source: IITA)

The partnership between IITA and Australia holds immense potential for shaping the future of climate-smart agriculture in Africa

In line with the African-Australian partnership that was announced in October 2024, delegates from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) visited the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on 21 January

The delegates toured IITA to observe ongoing research, scaling efforts, partnerships, and the delivery of innovative food solutions to African communities. Their primary objective was to gather insights and experiences to inform the development of a framework for delivering climate-smart and sustainable food systems in North and West Africa.

The delegation was keen to understand how IITA collaborates with national partners and agricultural research institutions to deliver impactful solutions to farmers and end-users. IITA’s deputy director general for Partnerships and Delivery, Kenton Dashiell, highlighted the Australian Government’s contributions to IITA’s work and emphasised the importance of strengthening collaborations to drive research and agricultural development across Africa.

“Our partnership with Australia has been vital in addressing agricultural challenges across the continent. However, there is a need to deepen intellectual, research, and scaling partnerships to achieve greater impact," remarked Dashiell.

During discussions, IITA proposed technical assistance to support youth agenda and agribusiness initiatives. The delegation learned about the Youth in Agribusiness (IYA) initiative, which focuses on engaging young people in agriculture by equipping them with technologies developed by IITA and other CGIAR centers. This initiative aims to empower youth to take an active role in transforming agriculture across Africa.

The delegation also gained insights into the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme. This cross-country, multi-commodity system deploys ready-to-scale technologies to farmers across the continent. TAAT has introduced over 150 technologies across 10 key commodities so far, supported by enabler compacts in policy, youth engagement, and capacity building. Through collaborations with African governments, regional bodies, private sectors, and research institutions, TAAT has created jobs, improved livelihoods, and promoted environmental sustainability.

As part of their visit, the delegation toured IITA’s cutting-edge facilities. These included the Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) facility, where the Rapid Multiplication Technology for cassava seeds revolutionises seed production. They also visited the Germplasm Health Unit and Genetic Resources Centre, where IITA ensures the delivery of clean, healthy, and high-quality seeds to farmers.

At the Cassava Processing Unit, the visitors saw firsthand how value addition to cassava roots enhances income generation and improves food security. These innovations reflect IITA’s commitment to addressing Africa’s food challenges through science and technology.

“The next phase of African-Australian investment will mainly extend ACIAR’s decade-long expertise and work in East and Southern Africa to North and West Africa – particularly Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, and Ghana,” said O’Brien.

Partnership to boost climate resilience in Asia and Africa

Bayer aims to support a total of 100 million smallholder farmers in LMICs by 2030. (Image source: Bayer)

Bayer Foundation and the Pula Foundation announced at World Economic Forum that they are planning to provide insurance coverage for 10 million smallholder farmers by 2030

The collaboration aims to enhance climate resilience among smallholder farmers, protecting them against the growing impacts of droughts and floods, which threaten harvests, livelihoods, and global food security. It will help build private-public collaborations and shape the insurance market for agriculture in Africa and Asia.

The Pula Foundation has developed scalable and data-driven agricultural insurance solutions designed to safeguard smallholder farmers' investments in their farms. By mitigating risks associated with extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, the Pula Foundation ensures that farmers receive financial compensation for yield losses, enabling them to recover, reinvest, and build long-term resilience in the face of climate uncertainty.

By 2030, Bayer Foundation’s grant for insurance premium support in the amount of 10 million euros – supported by a donation from Bayer’s Crop Science Division – will unlock a potential insurance coverage of 127 million US dollars for 10 million farmers working with national governments in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Mali. The grant originates from Bayer Foundation’s Social Innovation Ecosystem Fund which targets mature and high-impact solutions for underserved communities.

Bayer aims to support a total of 100 million smallholder farmers in LMICs by 2030 by improving their access to agricultural products and services. This also includes collaborations with partners. To achieve this, Bayer strives to create market models that generate benefits and reduce business risks for all partners in the value chain, including smallholder farmers.

Collaborative approach to strengthen food security and sustainability in Ghana

To boost local production, the HBP is rolling out pilot programmes to simplify access for market women to buy local crops. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Ghana is taking bold steps to improve food security and sustainability by bringing together agritech, agribusiness, and collaborative partnerships

With digital training and support from the Netherlands Trust Fund V (NTF V) Ghana Tech project, initiatives like the Horticulture Business Platform (HBP) and the Agricultural Innovation for Africa (AIA) Conference are reshaping agriculture.

The HBP gathers farmers, small businesses, input suppliers, and farmer-based groups, all working toward shared goals. By working with key organisations, HBP promotes sustainable growth in horticulture, offering its members opportunities to access local and global markets, benefit from training programmes, and engage in trade fairs.

The NTF V support brings together agribusinesses, technology companies, investors, and government agencies to find sustainable solutions. One example is the Agricultural Innovation for Africa Conference (AIA), co-hosted by KIC. At the 2024 event, over 1,500 farmers, tech innovators, and policymakers explored opportunities to work together. Youth engagement and gender equality are central to Ghana’s agricultural transformation. Agritech startups in the NTF V cohort prioritise empowering women farmers.

Despite substantial achievements, Apom said many farmers still lack access to smartphones and the digital skills needed to use advanced tools. To boost local production, the HBP is rolling out pilot programmes to simplify access for market women to buy local crops. This not only helps reduce post-harvest losses but also strengthens local food systems. Ghana’s commitment to achieving food security and sustainability offers a blueprint for other nations grappling with similar challenges.

FAO provides technical assistance to Zimbabwe to develop NALC action plan

The draft NALC project document will be presented and validated by key stakeholders from both the Government and donor community on 30 January 2025. (Image source: FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is providing technical assistance to the Government of Zimbabwe in developing a National Agricultural and Livestock Census (NALC) Plan of Action

This collaboration is part of FAO’s broader efforts to support Zimbabwe in strengthening its agricultural data systems and ensuring food security for its population. For the next two weeks, senior statisticians and economists from key strategic sectors are gathered in Harare to discuss and document data needs, methodological considerations, overall planning and the required resources for undertaking the agricultural and livestock census in a project document as per the FAO World Programme for the Census of Agriculture (WCA 2020).

At the same time, the Government professionals are updating data on food availability for human consumption in terms calories, fats, minerals, proteins, vitamins and other micro and macro nutrients per capita per day to support food security and nutrition policies.

The draft NALC project document will be presented and validated by key stakeholders from both the Government and donor community on 30 January 2025, as an important tool for resource mobilisation to be used by both the Government and its development partners. The implementation of NALC will follow once the required resources become available.

Meeting held to review 2024/2025 action plan

Participants engaged in extensive discussions on the presentations and adopted various recommendations. (Image source: Ministry of Information Eritrea)

A meeting by the National Agricultural Research Institutions was held on 21 January at the Halhale Agricultural Research Centre to review the activities of 2024 and action plan for 2025

During the meeting, detailed briefings were provided on natural and transformative resources, crop improvement, livestock resources, agricultural engineering, food and biotechnology, ongoing research activities, and the challenges encountered.

Participants engaged in extensive discussions on the presentations and adopted various recommendations. These included publishing and distributing research outcomes, strengthening research on vegetables and fruits, reviving the research centre in Sheib, and reinforcing research on food technology.

Minister of Agriculture, Arefaine Berhe called for intensified research activities and urged a revision of policies to improve and renovate certain crops. He further emphasised the importance of engaging the public and local administrations in efforts to identify and hybridise animal types, recruiting young agricultural researchers, and reviving research activities in the eastern plains.

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