The project will be rolled out in stages. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

A new US$9.2mn investment project has been launched to help 57,000 smallholder farmers and pastoralist households in chronically dry areas make their water supplies last longer and build their resilience to climate change

The Agriculture Sector in Libya (RENEWAL) project will be IFAD’s first-ever investment in Libya. It was recently launched by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in cooperation with the Government of Libya. 

Being one of the world’s driest countries, Libya urgently needs to extend the lifespan of its available water resources. In addition, its outdated infrastructure, climate impacts and political transition have further exacerbated long-standing water scarcity. To address these challenges, an inaugural workshop was held on 28 April in Tripoli. In the presence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives from IFAD, UNOPS and the Libyan government discussed RENEWAL’s goals and how they would be achieved.

Key project activities include the improvement of water and soil management, climate vulnerability assessments, and capacity building for local communities. The project emphasises social inclusion, prioritising the needs of women, smallholder farmers, and pastoralists. Targeting vulnerable areas across Libya, including the northwest, northeast, and southern regions, the project will be rolled out in stages. In addition to improving agricultural practices, the project will capture and disseminate knowledge across the country, ensuring that best practices are replicated in other regions.

The company's anniversary year 2025 brings numerous activities, retrospectives and special anniversary offers. (Image source: Pöttinger)

It has been 50 years since Pöttinger Landtechnik GmbH’s entry into the arable farming technology market

The family-owned company based in Grieskirchen, Upper Austria, has been delivering impressive results based on solid expertise in grassland, digital agriculture, tillage, and seed drill technologies. 

Pöttinger  has launched numerous exciting innovations, such as the new SERVO generation of trend-setting ploughs (1988), the particularly rugged LION power harrows (1991) and the SYNKRO linkage-mounted stubble cultivator. More innovative new products followed in recent years, such as the TERRADISC compact disc harrow (2003) and the new generation of TERRASEM mulch seed drills (2004), which set new standards in tillage and sowing technology. Several new innovations also joined the Pöttinger product range during the 2020-2024 period. 

The company's anniversary year 2025 brings numerous activities, retrospectives and special anniversary offers on arable farming equipment, crop care machines, grassland implements, and digital agricultural technology.

Companies displaying a Biome Makers badge also have the opportunity to share their BeCrop Trials results publicly. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Biome Makers has become the first official ecosystem partner to feature on the AgList platform, after their recent collaboration marked a major milestone for the industry

This integration with AgList, the leading independent discovery platform for agricultural biologicals, enables products listed on AgList to feature a Biome Makers badge when they have been tested using Biome Makers' patented BeCrop Trials solution. 

Companies displaying this badge also have the opportunity to share their BeCrop Trials results publicly, offering unmatched visibility into the real-world performance of their products. For users browsing AgList, the Biome Makers tag is more than a badge is a sign of commitment to independent research, integrity, and industry leadership.

This badge acts as a powerful signal to buyers, agronomists, and retailers alike. Using advanced biological analysis, the product has been independently evaluated under real-world field conditions. By surfacing trusted, third-party data directly on AgList, biological manufacturers now have a new way to differentiate products with scientific validation.

“This partnership is all about increasing transparency and building trust," said co-founder of AgList, Tyler Nuss. "Our goal is to help the industry cut through the noise, and Biome Makers' science-first approach gives credibility to the products that earn their badge." 

Girma Legesse now secures good prices for his forest coffee by selling through the market connections his cooperative has established. (Image source: Farm Africa)

A recent report by NGO Farm Africa outlines how a transformative forest conservation and sustainable agriculture initiative in south-eastern Ethiopia has concluded with striking success

Through sustainable coffee production and alternative income sources, the three-year Farm Africa project in the ecologically vital Ilu Ababor Zone of Ethiopia’s Oromia Regional State has protected natural forests while improving the livelihoods of 4,000 people. This zone plays a critical role regionally in water regulation and globally in carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. 

Implemented in partnership with government agencies and working closely with local Participatory Forest Management Cooperatives (PFMCs), Farm Africa’s project developed economic incentives for 15 forest-dependent communities living in conservation ‘hotspots’ in the area to protect the forests. The traditional practice of harvesting wild forest coffee, which thrives in the shade of forest trees, preserves biodiversity and reduces deforestation by giving coffee farmers an incentive to protect the forest. 

Key outcomes of the project include:

• 43% reduction in the average annual deforestation rate 
• 45% real-value increase in forest coffee income among coffee producers
• 15% real-value increase in average household incomes (including non-coffee producers)  
• Alignment of PFMC bylaws with national forest policy 
• Shift in average household dietary diversity category from ‘medium’ to ‘high’

“The Forest Coffee project shows that protecting nature doesn’t have to mean sacrificing income. With ingenuity we can grow profitable new income streams rooted in production methods that restore and protect our ecosystems,” said Farm Africa project coordinator, Teferra Amare. “This integrated model of conservation and business development offers a powerful blueprint for other forested regions facing economic and ecological challenges.”