The Rising Stars initiative aims to cultivate collaboration, and drive positive change within the agricultural sector. (Image source: ))

Recognising their crucial role, the African Agri Council is proud to announce its 40 Under 40 Rising Stars initiative, a programme dedicated to celebrating the exceptional contributions of these young leaders who are shaping the future of agriculture across the continent

Coming at a time when the contributions of young Africans to the agricultural value chain are more important than ever, this initiative highlights the critical role of youth in driving innovation, sustainability, and economic growth within the agricultural sector. Youth engagement is vital for ensuring food security and creating sustainable livelihoods. By empowering young people in agriculture, we can unlock their potential to drive economic growth, create jobs, and build resilient food systems.

The Rising Stars initiative aims to cultivate collaboration, and drive positive change within the agricultural sector. By showcasing these individuals, the programme seeks to elevate the visibility of innovative practices and encourages investment and support for the next generation of agricultural leaders. Outstanding trailblazers, rainmakers, and innovators will be celebrated during the Market Access Africa conference in Durban, at the prestigious Gala Dinner scheduled to be held on 3 June 2025.

The following are the criteria for the 40 Under 40 Rising Stars initiative:

• Innovation: Highlighting breakthroughs in agricultural technology, sustainability, entrepreneurship, funding, and transformative business models.
• Leadership: Demonstrating commitment to food security, sustainability, and equitable market access through exemplary leadership.
• Impact: Showcasing measurable contributions to productivity, job creation, environmental stewardship, and social empowerment.
• Advocacy: Influencing policies supporting farmers, food security, sustainability, and job creation through active advocacy.
• Education & Mentorship: Fostering agricultural leadership through mentorship, skill development, and capacity-building initiatives.
• Sustainability: Committing to environmentally friendly practices that enhance biodiversity and long-term agricultural productivity.
• Research & Development: Advancing agricultural science with innovative research improving yields and farming techniques.
• Media / Communications / PR: Shaping agricultural narratives through impactful journalism, PR, and advocacy-driven storytelling.

Attendees at the show will get the opportunity to discover how Berry’s expertise in both flexible and rigid plastics enables the development of packaging. (Image source: Berry Global)

Berry Global will be showcasing its latest circular packaging innovations for the food industry at this year’s Foodex exhibition scheduled to take place from 7-9 April at NEC Birmingham

The display will focus on circularity-driven solutions - such as the use of mono-materials for improved recyclability, and recycled content in non-contact sensitive applications such as collation shrink films and stretch wrap for pallet protection - while maintaining essential packaging roles like product protection, preservation, and consumer convenience.

Attendees at the show will get the opportunity to discover how Berry’s expertise in both flexible and rigid plastics enables the development of packaging that supports brand positioning, enhances functionality and meets the evolving requirements of food producers and retailers.

Flexible packaging highlights will include:

- Omni Xtra + Cling Film: A recyclable polyethylene alternative to PVC cling film, delivering high clarity, anti-fog properties, and strong shelf presence.

- Entour Mono-Material Lamination Films: Designed for bags, pouches, and flow wraps, these films offer a recyclable* alternative to hard-to-recycle multi-material structures.

- Mono-Material Pouches: Berry’s mono-material pouches offer a recyclable* solution for dry food applications such as snacks and pet foods, delivering excellent barrier properties, durability, and high-quality print surfaces to support strong branding and shelf impact.

- Films for Frozen Foods and Snacks: Designed for versatility and durability, Berry’s range of single wound sheet (SWS) films provide robust protection for many types of products including frozen food and snacks. Made from recyclable mono-material polyethylene, they can supportsustainability goals without compromising performance.

- Secondary &Tertiary Packaging: Containing high-quality post-consumer recycled content, Berry’s Collation Shrink Film and Bontite Sustane 30% PCR Stretch Film are helping customers meet their targets to include more recycled materials while maintaining packaging integrity.

On the other hand, rigid packaging innovations range from squeezable bottles to high-capacity jars that are designed to meet the practical demands of both consumer-facing brands and busy foodservice environments. Two notable products include their Euro Squeeze and Orion bottles that offer easy, mess-free dispensing for sauces, dressings and condiments, with compatibility across multiple closures and fill types. Two other examples include Sapphire and Bear jars that provide durable, stackable solutions for larger volume applications.

With a focus on functionality, storage efficiency, and labelling flexibility, all formats are also designed for recycling – supporting customers’ sustainability goals without compromising performance or usability.

Visitors at Agritechnica 2025 will have the opportunity to explore the current technical possibilities. (Image source: Agritechnica)

This year's Agritechnica 2025 will take place from 9-15 November in Hanover, Germany and will feature advanced, networked agricultural systems in line with the theme 'Touch Smart Efficiency'

Organised by the DLG (German Agricultural Society), the international trade fair will provide farming professionals with direct access to technologies that drive efficiency, sustainability, and productivity in modern agriculture. Conventional agriculture is set to increasingly focus on integrated crop production and crop protection in the future.

Thanks to modern sensor and control technology, the combination of mechanical and chemical crop protection has potential in integrated crop production, as do purely mechanical methods in which the hoeing tools are precisely controlled by cameras - both   between and within the rows. In the former case, this enables high working speeds and, in both cases, significant savings in crop protection input. There are also already interesting approaches for optimized control of hoeing units using artificial intelligence (AI).

Mineral fertilisation is also becoming increasingly precise. An important goal here is to minimise nutrient inputs into bodies of water, particularly in the case of nitrogen fertilisation. Other goals are to save on mineral fertilisers through greater precision and increased efficiency. The agricultural machinery manufacturers' answers to these requirements are sensor-supported rate control, further developments in border, automatic part-width section control and variable rate adjustment or systems for adjusting the spreading pattern when cornering. Pneumatic fertiliser spreaders ensure high precision fertiliser application at the field boundary.

Visitors at Agritechnica 2025, will have the opportunity to explore the current technical possibilities and learn how to optimise their application at the booths of numerous exhibitors and through expert forum contributions.

Eritrea is preparing to become a member of the African Plant Protection Convention. (Image source: Ministry of Information Eritrea)

Eritrea took part in the 19th annual meeting of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures, held from 17-21 March in Rome

The Commission on Phytosanitary Measures is the governing body of the International Plant Protection Convention, established by member countries to oversee the progress of its subsidiary bodies toward the Convention’s objectives.  

Tekleab Misghina, Director General of Regulatory Service at the Ministry of Agriculture, and Asmerom Kidane, Eritrea’s Deputy Permanent Representative at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, represented the country at the meeting. According to the Public Relations Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Eritrea is preparing to become a member of the African Plant Protection Convention.