SAFCEI’s Post

Ahead of the African Food Systems Summit in Kigali next month, African faith leaders, backed by civil society and farmer groups, will issue an open letter to the Gates Foundation. They cite much evidence that the foundation's push for industrialized agriculture, particularly through AGRA, is harming Africa's food systems. This evidence shows that despite over a billion dollars in funding, AGRA's initiatives have increased dependency on costly inputs, eroded local seeds, and weakened climate resilience. The letter calls for reparations and a shift toward sustainable, farmer-led agroecology. Join the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa's (AFSA) press conference next week on August 28th to learn more: 📝An open letter demanding that the Gates Foundation provide reparations for the damage caused by its Green Revolution programs. 🌾The devastating effects of the Green Revolution agenda in Zambia, where corn production has fallen by half and food insecurity is severe. 🔎Research results from AFSA on AGRA’s undue policy influence, which is undermining efforts to promote farmer-led ecological agriculture. Read the full letter: https://lnkd.in/ehVZ979d Register: https://lnkd.in/eJKxzQhz

We join the world this World Wetlands Day 2024, whose theme "wetlands and human wellbeing" resonates with our work on #zerohunger, #povertyalleviation, #foodsystems, #watersystems, and #biodiversityloss among others. Indeed, we are called to a higher role of improving human wellbeing and our communities, while at the same time navigating delicate balances for #nature. That is why our programming targets the #mind, #mindset, and #nature as concurrent success factors. Our work is set to navigate scenarios like the one of #rice growing, a leading global food, where about 80% of rice is cultivated on #wetlands, accounting for 93% of the global production. Our current endeavor, therefore include developing the rice sector considering #agroecology, #sustainableagriculture, wetland #protection, #emissionreduction, and #food and #water security and are inviting work partnerships in regard, and more. Photo: Rice farms on the wetlands of the Lake Victoria Basin-Eastern Uganda. 📸 Dr. Juliet Katusiime Zizinga🏞️ Wetlands International FAO CGIAR

We are excited to have our Managing Director Rachel Wanyoike speak in a panel at The Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA) Leadership forum. Rachel will highlight Solidaridad's role in promoting agroecology and how we engage agribusinesses and smallholder farmers. Agroecology is a crucial aspect of the global response to deforestation, biodiversity loss, soil depletion, and greenhouse gas emissions, which deplete and degrade the biodiversity that supports food systems. Natural resources and ecosystems give food production inputs for food systems to function. To advance agroecology and regenerative practices, stakeholders should: challenge the industrial food system's economic and political power structures with alternative social structures and policies. Solidaridad East and Central Africa scale business ecosystems where farmers and cooperatives/industries realize that agrarian and agricultural structural changes are needed to increase organic food production and market access. Our projects incorporate agroecology, which is sustainable commodity farming that works in balance with nature. #ChangeThatMatters

𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲: Can it help achieve food sovereignty? #Senegal is grappling with the negative impacts of globalised industrial #food systems, which have led to land degradation, biodiversity loss, #climatechange impacts and persistent import dependencies. With a new government in power that has made sovereignty a top priority, alternative ways of production are gaining momentum: #Agroecology promotes a holistic food system that respects biodiversity, social equity and economic sustainability. In our latest blog post, Lise Landrin introduces the #ARTSprogramme - a transdisciplinary initiative following the emerging agroecological transition in Senegal. 👉 https://lnkd.in/dTd7uxDb

Africa’s food system is at a critical juncture, facing significant challenges such as food and insecurity, malnutrition, loss of biodiversity, environmental degradation, and the impacts of climate change. My presentation explores the urgent need for a transformation of agricultural practices on the continent, focusing on the potential of agroecology to shape a sustainable future. By examining the current state of Africa's food systems, identifying research and capacity gaps, and outlining necessary investments, I will make the case for agroecology as a critical driver of food system transformation. Additionally, I will address the limitations of agroecological approaches and discusses the curriculum and epistemological and pedagogical reforms needed to shift from industrial to agroecological and regenerative agricultural models. These reforms are essential for equipping future generations with the knowledge and skills to build resilient, equitable, and sustainable food systems in Africa.

🤝 Very happy to announce we have officially partnered with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on our journey towards sustainable food systems in the Democratic Republic of Congo! 🌱 This initiative, funded by the European Union and Belgium, aims to empower small rural producers to improve their agroecological practices through better access to knowledge, advanced technologies and market opportunities. It also intends to strengthen their resilience to climatic, environmental and socio-economic challenges, while reinforcing food security, nutrition and incomes. Enabel will be in charge of implementing those activities, with a focus on the provinces of Kasai Oriental and Lomami. #EnablingChange #ActForImpact #Sustainability #Agroecology #TeamEurope Krista Verstraelen Jean Van Wetter Guggi Laryea Sofie Van Waeyenberge Defrise Laurence Sebastiano Mori 莫天

The Zero Hunger Pledge has collected more than USD 609 Million in 50 countries with the involvement of 53 companies.  Countries have pledged to invest on one or more of the 3 priority categories that Ceres2030 identified as the most effective to end hunger by 2030:  🔵 Empower the excluded  🔵 Stronger farmers and crops   🔵 Food value chain Bayer has pledged to support projects in different continents - Africa, Asia, and Latin America - focusing on research and development to get quality vegetable seeds into the hands of smallholder farmers, to provide even more growers with seeds of Bayer Arize hybrid rice and to invest through partnerships and additional programs. 🌱 The company pledged USD 160 million in all three Ceres2030 categories mentioned above. 🙌 What a great support to #EndHunger! #Africa #LatinAmerica #Asia #SmallholderFarmers #ResearchAndDevelopment #ResilientCrop Rodrigo Santos Gabriela Burian (she/her) 🇧🇷🇫🇷🇨🇿🇺🇸 International Rice Research Institute Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) Sustainable Rice Platform Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Bill Anderson Wolfgang Nickl Stefan Oelrich Heike Prinz Julio Triana Bob Reiter Brian Naber Amanda McClerren Frank Terhorst Gabriele Oehlschlaeger Malu Nachreiner Jens Hartmann Jeremy Williams Oliver Rittgen Maurício Rodrigues Sascha Israel Jessica Christiansen

📢 The annual SFA Mongolia Conference took place today in Ulaanbaatar with discussions focused on ways to support environmentally sustainable traditional livestock practices and explore strategies to overcome environmental challenges. The conference also focused on sharing extensive information on developing sustainable production. 👥 Representatives from the sector included herders, cooperatives, and both international and national organisations who shared their knowledge and experience. 🎯 Key topics of discussion included: ▪️ Strategies for mitigating climate change risks in the livestock sector, risk preparedness, governance, and collaboration. ▪️ Measures to reduce the risks of Dzud (winter disasters), with insights into stakeholder involvement and experiences. ▪️ Policies and actions to combat climate change, desertification, and land degradation in Mongolia. ▪️ Presentations on the Rangeland Stewardship Council's activities. ▪️ Global rangeland standards: needs, requirements, and importance. ▪️ Cashmere standards: requirements, implementation, and market demand. ▪️ The importance of certified cashmere preparation, appropriate packaging methods, and practical experiments. ▪️ Opportunities for improving cashmere quality. The conference, now in its third annual year, was organised by the SFA Mongolia office in collaboration with the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry (MoFALI) and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC). #sfa #sustainablefibre #cashmere #sustainablecashmere #herders #herderlivelihoods #animalwelfare #fibrequality #effectivemanagement #biodiversity #mongolia

In an interview with CNBC Africa, Bram Govaerts, Director General of #CIMMYT, highlighted the African Food Systems Forum as a vital platform for sharing our progress in safeguarding maize and wheat #biodiversity. Through climate-resilient seeds like drought-tolerant maize, CIMMYT has helped millions of farmers increase yields by 40%, even in the face of #ElNiño. 🌍 Looking forward, we are focused on scaling up investments in research and innovation to transform food systems. Our #VACS initiative is accelerating the development of resilient crops, ensuring more sustainable and nutritious food systems. 🌱 #InnovationInAgriculture #AFSH24 #SustainableAgriculture FAO Under Secretary Jose W. Fernandez

🌱 🌍 "There is real momentum in Eastern and Southern Africa to develop National #Agroecology Strategies (NAS) and policies to support agroecological transitions in these regions. These strategies have the potential to bring agroecology to scale at the national level by steering coordinated government and civil society action, through the identification of clear policy interventions. They notably aid countries in achieving climate resilience, food security, biodiversity and water use objectives, to name a few. But what does this mean in practice? This article tells the story of Zambia, where the ongoing consequences of climate change have led to an alliance between agroecology advocates and the national climate movement. They have joined forces to steer government action against climate change and its consequences through the development of a NAS for Zambia." 👉 You can read more about this inspiring story featuring Biovision Foundation and Pelum Zambia on the Agroecology Knowledge Hub by FAO, in their new column, Germinate. #agroecology #climatechange #biodiversity https://lnkd.in/dawj28b6