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  • FAO-China-Uganda South-South Project Creates New Farming Opportunities

    FAO-China-Uganda South-South Project Creates New Farming Opportunities

    Kathmandu Aprill 11, Nestled in the lush hills above the northern shores of Lake Victoria, a new industry is emerging from its cocoon. Waiswa Aggrey Mubeerwa, its young manager, is waiting for it to mature so that he can start sending its products to distant markets.
    Waiswa was hired by the Seres Textile Company Limited to oversee its silk farming facility in Mukono, a district in Uganda about an hour’s drive east of the capital, Kampala. Built in 2019, the company’s huge warehouse stores a growing number of silkworms and cocoons. Waiswa is waiting for an extracting machine so that Uganda’s silk-exporting business can begin.
    Sericulture is just one of the many initiatives of a South-South Cooperation (SSC) project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Government of Uganda and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China.
    Uganda offers the ideal temperature and humidity for growing mulberry trees, whose leaves are the only food silkworms will eat. In addition to a few acres of land to plant the trees, a farmer starting a silkworm business will need wooden rearing beds for the silkworms and a warehouse capable of maintaining the indoor temperature at around 27 degrees Celsius.
    Once the mulberry trees have grown and the silkworm larvae have been acquired, a lucrative business can begin: A kilogram of silk can easily fetch USD 50 in China. In fact, local farmers can earn up to 10 times what they would earn growing traditional crops such as maize.
    By the end of 2024, the project had distributed approximately 200 000 mulberry cuttings to 35 farmers and had trained 44 farmers in the art of producing the cocoons from which silk is spun. This training involved guiding farmers through the larvae’s growth stages, providing feeding advice and giving information on the importance of maintaining a clean and well-ventilated environment.
    Uganda offers ideal conditions for growing mulberry trees, whose leaves are the only food silkworms eat.
    One of the first Ugandans to take advantage of this new opportunity was Wambedde Simon Waluba, a 24-year-old graduate from Makerere University in Kampala, whose family owns 14 acres of prime mulberry land.
    The land had been unproductive for years, but he spotted an opportunity when he heard about mulberry trees and silkworms.
    The eldest child in a family of four brothers and four sisters, Simon studied Social Sciences because he dreamt of becoming a manager or working for a non-governmental organization. But when his family hit on hard times, he decided he would do anything he could to help.
    “They told me I can make good money out of this business. I needed to find ways to help my family financially; that’s why I got interested in this business,” he says.
    Simon was then trained by Waiswa Aggrey, the Seres Textile Company’s young manager, who in turn was trained by the silkworm experts sent from China as part of the SSC project in Uganda.
    Through the project, Simon received mulberry seeds and two boxes of silkworm eggs and was shown how and when to grow the trees and feed the silkworms the mulberry leaves. He has now been supplying silk cocoons to the company since 2020.
    Like Simon’s, dozens of silkworm farms are sprouting across Uganda, with the FAO-China-Uganda SSC project providing assistance in procuring the worms and the necessary technical knowledge required to nurture the silkworm cocoons from which the silk will be made.
    With silkworms, local farmers can earn up to 10 times what they would earn growing traditional crops such as maize from the same plot of land.
    South-South Cooperation :
    The FAO-China-Uganda South-South Cooperation (SSC) project is designed to increase the productivity of Ugandan farms by providing farmers with training, technology and technical assistance in a wide range of areas, from aquaculture to sericulture, crop production to animal husbandry.
    With more than 70 percent of the population dependent on agriculture, either directly or indirectly, transforming the sector – from subsistence to commercial – is crucial for uplifting many out of poverty, says Peter Muyimbo, Assistant National Project Coordinator at Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fishery.
    The SSC project has also boosted Ugandan productivity in other agricultural areas, including poultry, animal husbandry, rice, foxtail millet and fisheries production, with remarkable success. It originally planned to reach 9 600 beneficiaries. However, 70 000 farmers across Uganda have already benefitted from the project, either directly or indirectly.
    By bringing together FAO, China and Uganda, the SSC project “contributes to food and nutrition security, creating decent jobs and improving the livelihoods, especially of the marginalized, women and youth,” Peter says.
    This SSC project is now the longest-running under the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme, with China loaning a total of 56 agricultural experts to Uganda since 2012.

    Organic

  • Rural Liberians are Transforming Agriculture and Changing Lives

    Rural Liberians are Transforming Agriculture and Changing Lives

    Kathmandu Aprill 8, Rural Liberians are transforming agriculture and changing lives
    Liberia West and Central Africa Rural businesses Nutrition Livelihoods
    Although two thirds of Liberians are involved in agriculture, much of their food is still imported from abroad. Two decades after a devastating civil war, Liberia has progressed considerably, but remains heavily dependant on international assistance.
    IFAD is working closely with the Government of Liberia, rural Liberians and international partners to transform the sector that lies at the heart of economic transformation: agriculture.
    STAR-P is central to this collaboration. This programme is co-financed by IFAD and the World Bank through US$51.71 million in grants and highly concessional loans, along with in-cash and in-kind contributions by project participants and the private sector. STAR-P works with rural producers to introduce modern business and agricultural practices, create connections to markets and develop vibrant agribusinesses that transform the agricultural landscape.
    Through greater agricultural production and prosperity, small-scale farmers and rural entrepreneurs can build the incomes and food security they need to withstand economic shocks.
    For 35-year-old Hawa in the Lofa county of northern Liberia, this collaboration has been life-changing. “I felt lost and alone before the STAR-P project,” she says. A visual disability forced her to drop out of school and she struggled to earn a living by selling drinking water at a local market.
    Hawa has set up a small business with her new income from rice production.
    This changed when Hawa became one of 55 visually impaired people who united to improve their farming and marketing practices through the Lofa United Blind Association. The association members adopted improved agricultural technology with support from STAR-P, including training, inputs and quality seedlings to grow rice.
    As a result, these members tripled the area they cultivate. They now produce enough to feed their families with a surplus to sell in the market. Hawa earned enough to reinvest her funds in a small shop, which gave her an added income stream.
    Thanks to her facility with numbers, Hawa is now the chair and financial secretary of the farmers’ association. She has not only managed to send her three children to school, but also earns enough that she has returned to university herself. “I want to be a big accountant in the world,” she says.
    Hawa works with other visually impaired small-scale farmers through the Lofa United Blind Association.
    Making a healthier future
    While Hawa is just starting her entrepreneurial journey, 29-year-old Mariam has a business that received an invaluable leg up from STAR-P. Back in 2021, she sold fruit salad and hand-squeezed juice to commuters from a small kiosk in Monrovia, the Liberian capital.
    Mariam saw how expensive healthy eating was for many Liberians and dreamt of reaching more people. She finally had the chance to pursue her ambitions when, while browsing the internet, she learned about a grant competition administered by STAR-P to revitalize businesses in agricultural value chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. She applied and was awarded funds to purchase a blender and juicer.
    Mariam has gone from selling her juice in one small kiosk to opening five new locations.
    “Previously, I had to squeeze juices manually, which was time-consuming and inefficient,” she says. “Buying this equipment sped up my work and improved my customer service.”
    Now able to serve more customers, Mariam’s business grew. She moved her stall to a new location near a prestigious hotel, where she marketed her healthy juice made from locally sourced ingredients. In 2023, Mariam received another grant from STAR-P that enabled her to expand to five locations with a team of 14 staff members, most of them women.
    Mariam’s business has not only brought prosperity to her and her team. It has also created a reliable market for 20 farmer groups in three counties, from which she sources pineapples, cucumbers and watermelons. She’s now looking to expand further and market her juices to students in rural counContinue page 28
    Rural liberians …….
    ties. By investing in Mariam’s vision, STAR-P has strengthened an entire value chain.
    Mariam has hired 14 staff members, most of them women, to support her growing juice business.
    Mariam and Hawa are just two of over 40,000 small-scale farmers and rural entrepreneurs who have benefited directly from STAR-P, which built their capacity through agricultural assets and services, post-harvest processing facilities and improved agricultural technology. By growing their agribusinesses, these producers are not only increasing their own incomes and building resilience, but also ensuring that all Liberians have access to locally produced and nutritious food.

  • Soil is Getting Saltier – but African Farmers are Standing Strong

    Soil is Getting Saltier – but African Farmers are Standing Strong

    Kathmandu April 4, Soil is getting saltier – but African farmers are standing strong
    Few plants thrive in soil with high levels of salt. Most crops start to wilt, even if they are watered well. Their growth is weak, their leaves drop and their yield is low. Alarmingly, an estimated 10 per cent of cropland worldwide is salt-affected, and this figure is rising.
    While irrigation is a gamechanger for agriculture, its reckless use can lead to the overexploitation of aquifers, which can in turn make the groundwater salty. When small-scale farmers use this groundwater for further irrigation, the salts may be deposited in the soil. Improperly drained soils can also accumulate salts.
    To make matters worse, rising sea levels carry salt to soils and aquifers, worsening droughts prevent it from being washed away and increased heat leads to more groundwater being extracted for irrigation and other uses.
    In the countries most affected by cropland salinity, FAO has estimated up to 72 per cent losses for rice, 68 per cent for beans and 37 per cent for maize. This has severe implications for food security, especially in communities already experiencing fragility.
    That’s why RESADE, a recently completed project funded by IFAD and implemented by the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, aimed to build resilience to salinity among small-scale farmers in western and southern Africa. Working with agricultural research institutes in seven countries, the project introduced innovative approaches to increase agricultural productivity, build food security and boost economic returns to enable farmers to leave poverty behind.
    Agricultural productivity: Conditioning soils in The Gambia
    Through RESADE-supported farmer field schools across western and southern Africa, farmers have learned to use low-cost, locally produced units that heat farm waste in a low-oxygen environment for up to a day. This creates biochar, a stable form of carbon that is then applied to the soil to condition it and protect it from degradation.
    Enriching soil with biochar not only sequesters carbon, but also helps the soil retain water and nutrients and makes crops more tolerant to irrigation with saline water. In The Gambia, biochar increased the germination rate of sorghum irrigated with slightly saline water by 25 per cent and pearl millet by 62.5 per cent.
    Food security: New crops for couscous in Togo
    Couscous is part of the daily diet for many Togolese, but the rising cost of wheat imports is putting this beloved staple out of reach for many households. That’s why, with support from RESADE, farmers have learned to make couscous from sorghum, building their food security and reducing their exposure to market fluctuations.
    Emefa and Adjo serve sorghum couscous they prepared in Togo.
    Sorghum is a new crop for farmers in Atti-Apédokoè in southwestern Togo, but they can already see the benefits. Longer periods of drought and higher temperatures have dramatically reduced maize and wheat yields.
    By contrast, sorghum is a tough cereal that needs little water and can withstand heat. It’s also more salt-tolerant than maize. It can be used for fodder, fermented to make beer or ground into flour. As an ingredient to make couscous, it fits easily into local diets.
    Sorghum is one of several nutritious, drought-tolerant crops that RESADE introduced across the project countries. The project has established six community-based seed banks so that farmers can access these new varieties and learn how to use them.
    Emefa, a farmer who attended the session on making sorghum couscous, is looking forward to planting the crop in her field. “After making couscous from it, we see that it can be a good alternative to wheat and can help us increase our family income,” she says.
    Economic returns: Juicing jackpot in Botswana
    RESADE also worked with com
    munities to explore new ways of processing the foods they grow, adding value to them, marketing them effectively and increasing income.
    One of these foods is lerotse, a native watermelon of Botswana, which drinks up water when it rains, then fruits and flowers when the weather is dry. But as droughts become more frequent, many Soil is getting saltierfarmers have a surplus of lerotse and often let them rot in the fields.
    Thanks to RESADE, lerotse is now providing a valuable income stream for farmers like Masego in salt-affected areas. During a RESADE training, she discovered that lerotse is more than just a cooking melon – it can also be used to make a tasty juice. She learned how to obtain food production licences and nutritional analyses, then registered her company, Makaba Lerotse Juice Product.
    Masego’s small business now sells juice to event organizers, earning up to 10,250 pula (US$750) a month. She has hired two assistants to keep up with demand, and she is optimistic about the future of her business. “I believe that Botswana will plant more melons now that a new market is available,” she says.

  • Organic Europe Press Release

    Organic Europe Press Release

    Kathmandu march 25, Brussells, IFOAM Organics Europe calls for concrete action in the Water Resilience Strategy to reduce agricultural pollution and associated costs
    BRUSSELS, 25 MARCH 2025 – IFOAM Organics Europe welcomes the European Commission’s intention, outlined in the Vision on Agriculture and Food, to publish a Water Resilience Strategy. Addressing Europe’s growing water crisis is crucial, as 63% of surface water bodies are still not in “good ecological condition”, despite existing legislation. The European Environment Agency recently identified agriculture as one of the main pressures on EU water resources and highlighted that the development of organic agriculture should be further supported to improve water resilience.
    Jan Plagge, President of IFOAM Organics Europe, stated: “Organic farming can offer a systemic, effective solution to improve water quality, enhance water availability, and strengthen resilience to extreme weather events. Organic farming contributes to water resilience by reducing pollution, improving soil health, and supporting climate adaptation. By prohibiting synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, organic farming significantly reduces nitrate leaching and contamination of groundwater by chemicals, easing the financial burden of water treatments.” For instance, a study found that the cost on ground water pollution for a hectare of conventional potatoes amounts to 1298 €, while the same cost for a hectare of organic potatoes amounts to 0.4 €.”
    Eduardo Cuoco, Director of IFOAM Organics Europe, emphasised that “the upcoming Water Resilience Strategy and relevant pieces of legislation should explicitly recognise organic farming as a key solution for water resilience, especially in areas affected by extreme weather events and water scarce areas”. He added: “Banning synthetic pesticides in water catchment areas is essential to safeguard drinking water and reduce the costs of groundwater depollution.”
    IFOAM Organics Europe urges the European Commission to explicitly integrate organic farming into the Water Resilience Strategy as a core measure for protecting water quality, biodiversity, and climate resilience, as well as a means to considerably reduce costs related to ground water pollution.

  • Untitled post 46

    Agoecology TPP 2025, Members
    Held then Forum Meeting
    Agoecology TPP 2025 Members Forum Meeting and the Regional Multistakeholder workshop on ASEAN Policy Gudidelinces for Agroecology Transitions
    It has been an extraordinary week of insightful discussions and collaboration!
    Under the theme “Doing Science Differently”, the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), Agroecology TPP, the Agroecology, and Safe Food Systems Transitions (ASSET) in partnership with the Agroecology Learning alliance in South East Asia (ALiSEA), Agroecology in Southeast Asia (ASEA), Market and Agricultural Linking Chains (MALICA), and Thai Nguyen University, co- organized the Agroecology TPP 2025 Members Forum Meeting and the Regional Multistakeholder Workshop on ASEAN Policy Guidelines for Agroecology Transitions from March 31 to April 4, 2025, in Hanoi, Vietnam.
    “Family farmers are not just food producers but knowledge producers and solution providers. Our organizations and cooperatives are our platforms for collective actions, enabling us to contribute to sustainable rural development. Our organizations serve as our means of engaging in decision-making processes and contributing to transforming food systems through agroecology and sustainable resource management.” This is one of the key messages the farmers’ organizations articulated during the event.
    This year’s TPP Members’ Forum gave farmers’ organizations a more prominent voice. Representatives from three regional organizations (AFA, Pan African Farmers’ Organization, and Regional Rural Dialogue Program) and four national organizations (PAKISAMA, KAFLU, LFA) engaged in various plenary and breakout sessions. Esther Penunia, AFA Secretary General, delivered a keynote speech on the first day, emphasizing the role of farmers’ agency in agroecology research and innovation and the importance of farmers’ organizations in facilitating the co-creation process.
    Collaborating with farmers and other key actors was a central topic of discussion. The workshops and presentations covered the following themes:
    “Participatory research and innovation: what works and what does not; explored how farmers and their organizations can meaningfully contribute to agroecological research and innovation, key challenges that need to be addressed to mainstream collaborations with scientists and other stakeholders
    “Climate resilience: the co-creation process began by identifying the key topics for a forthcoming paper to be developed in the coming months
    “Policy engagement and M&E: the sessions discussed policies implemented in Southeast Asia to promote agroecology, remaining policy gaps, and what can be done to improve policy engagement and advocacy, including agroecological transition metrics and policy monitoring
    “Finance: the sessions included sharing from farmers and farmers’ organizations on their experiences in accessing finance to advance their work in agroecology, financing status in various regions, and ways to overcome finance access barriers; strategies for leveraging major finance pools to support agroecology and improve access for smallholder farmers
    Participants also visited a group of farmers engaged in organic agriculture and agroforestry, as well as those involved in value addition and processing activities.
    The Agroecology TPP (AE-TPP) brings together international, national, and local partners to address research gaps and promote innovation in agroecology. The platform implements various projects across eight domains, facilitating shifts toward sustainable agricultural and food systems. Find out more about AE-TPP https://www.agroecologytpp.org/

  • How policy can transform communities and ecosystems

    How policy can transform communities and ecosystems

    11 December : Policy is essential to fostering innovations that address pressing global challenges, from food insecurity to environmental sustainability. On Innovation Day at UNCCD COP16, Cargele Masso, CGIAR Environmental Health and Biodiversity Platform Director, joined international leaders to explore how policy can enable sustainable innovations that meet the needs of diverse communities.
    As the climate crisis intensifies, technical and social innovations must revolutionize food, land, and water systems. However, these transformations demand policies that not only promote access to innovations but also facilitate the transition to sustainable practices.
    Masso, speaking on the Main Stage at the UNCCD COP16 Green Zone, highlighted the importance of the event’s central themes: Policy as a catalyst for sustainability innovation; overcoming barriers in policy implementation; and shaping future policies for sustainable innovation.
    “Sustainable innovation must go beyond boosting yields,” said Masso. “It needs to address interconnected challenges-ecosystem health, economic stability, and societal well-being.” This perspective reflects a shift from traditional agricultural research focused solely on productivity to solutions that consider biodiversity, resource conservation, and social equity.
    Joost de Laat, Managing Director of Wageningen University’s Social Sciences Group, emphasized that innovation is more than just technology: “We must consider the human dimensions of adopting technologies and integrate them into broader, co-created solutions.”
    Policy as a catalyst for collaboration
    One way to do this is through funding and incentivizing co-created innovations among farmers, researchers, and stakeholders. While co-creating innovations, establish inclusive platforms for collaboration, ensuring marginalized groups have a voice. Another way is to support capacity sharing and technical assistance to empower all actors in sustainability innovation. Lastly, provide financial mechanisms to scale up successful collaborative solutions in agriculture.
    The CGIAR is implementing these suggestions through our co-developing and co-designing research with farmers. One example, Climate-smart villages, empowers communities to lead experiments that combine a range of measures such as agroforestry, climate-smart seeds and solar irrigation. In West Africa, this approach has led to a 94% increase in rice yields and boosted farmers’ net incomes by $267 per hectare.
    Cargele Masso speaking on a Policy panel in the UNCCD COP16 Green Zone Main Stage. Photo credit: CGIAR/Kristen Tam
    Overcoming barriers to policy implementation
    Smallholder farmers often face significant barriers in implementing soil health practices due to limited resources, knowledge gaps, and systemic challenges. To overcome these barriers and support them in adopting sustainable innovations, two policy interventions are essential:
    1.Financial support and market access: Incentivize sustainable practices through improved value chains and public-private partnerships.
    2.Capacity building and innovation access: Enhance technical assistance and training, such as CGIAR’s Kaznet project, which uses digital crowdsourcing to bolster pastoralist resilience to climate change.
    Shaping the future of sustainability innovation To align innovation with systemic change, public-private partnerships are crucial. However, misaligned financing models often impede progress. Mariana Mazzucato, Founding Director at UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose, underscored the need for governments and private entities to collaborate directly on transformative solutions.
    Masso called for a bold commitment: “Governments must allocate at least 10% of national budgets to sustainable agriculture, agroecology, and restoration.” Coherent policies that align productivity with sustainability and foster accountability can drive the systemic shifts needed to transform food systems.
    The insights shared at COP16 emphasize that policy is not just a framework-it is a catalyst. By investing in collaborative, inclusive, and forward-thinking policies, governments and stakeholders can unlock the full potential of sustainable innovation to create resilient communities and ecosystems.

  • Advancing land degradation neutrality through local action and global integration

    Advancing land degradation neutrality through local action and global integration

    Feed, care, and protect are the three pillars for anchoring sustainable land management to achieve land degradation neutrality, ensure food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. Applying a sustainable land use systems approach will support the achievement of land degradation neutrality and several other SDGs.
    These were the key messages emerging from a high-level panel discussion at a side event on land degradation neutrality on 5 December 2024 at UNCCD COP 16, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
    Annette Cowie, a senior principal researcher and scientist at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and an adjunct professor at the University of New England, shared insights from the most recent report from Objective 1 of the Science Policy Interface (SPI) of the UNCCD. The report, “Sustainable Land Use Systems: The Path Forward to Collectively Achieve Land Degradation Neutrality.”
    “Our aim was to provide scientific evidence on sustainable land use systems and their potential to achieve land degradation neutrality while supporting other sustainable development goals (SDGs). This task was assigned to us by the COP at its previous session,” said Cowie, who co-led the study.
    Cowie noted that the concept of sustainable land use systems is relatively new to the UNCCD but builds on previous SPI work. Over the years, the SPI has produced several significant reports, including the Land Degradation Neutrality Conceptual Framework, studies on sustainable land management practices, guidance on building soil organic carbon, and recommendations on implementing integrated land use planning. Sustainable land use systems apply these concepts with a fresh emphasis on viewing land within its broader landscape context.
    Sustainable land use systems are defined as a dynamic mosaic of integrated land uses within a landscape, designed to balance competing demands while promoting environmental sustainability, economic viability, and social justice, particularly for those relying on the land for their livelihoods.
    “The novelty lies in adopting a systems-level approach, focusing on social-ecological systems, and emphasizing local context and participatory governance,” said Cowie, adding that their approach is rooted in three key objectives: Economic viability that involves fostering market development and enhancing productivity; environmental sustainability whose key elements include improving soil health and nutrient cycling; and social justice where the emphasis is on community involvement and participatory governance across all levels. By integrating these elements, sustainable land use systems can deliver critical outcomes, including food security and resilience in agricultural systems.
    However, success requires an enabling environment. “We recommend embedding this approach within existing land use planning and management processes. Furthermore, it must be tailored to the specific ecological context and participatory governance,” she said.
    Reflecting on science-policy interfaces and collective intelligence, Patrick Caron, Vice Chair of the CGIAR Integrated Partnership Board, and chair of the High-Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) on the Committee of World Food Security (CFS) emphasized the role of science in shaping agendas. He gave the example of IPCC that has been pivotal in bringing climate change to global attention. Similarly, scientific evidence is essential for addressing desertification and other crises.
    He lamented that while decision-makers increasingly recognize the need for convergence, especially as food systems intersect with economic, environmental, and social justice concerns, knowledge landscapes remain fragmented. “Today’s crises-be it climate change, desertification, or biodiversity loss-are interconnected, often described as a ‘perfect storm.’ Each expert panel operates within its own constituency, governance, and reporting structures. This fragmentation makes it challenging to integrate insights across sectors.”
    Caron reiterated the importance of local-level initiatives that offer fertile ground for learning and integration. Organizing dialogue at the local level helps identify obstacles, trade-offs, and costs, fostering collective plans that integrate environmental, economic, and social dimensions. He cited the Montpellier Process as a model for collective intelligence. “The Montpellier Process exemplifies efforts to stimulate dialogue and reinforce the role of scientific communities in cross-sectoral collaboration. By fostering convergence across stakeholders, sectors, and scales, this process seeks to co-design knowledgeable actions to address complex crises.”
    (From left): Cargele Masso, Director of the CGIAR Impact Area Platform on Environmental Health and Biodiversity; Manon Albagnac, a desertification project officer at CARI and coordinator, RESAD; Jean-Luc Schott, a soil scientist and senior researcher at the French Research Institute for Sustainable Development; Annette Cowie, a senior principal researcher and scientist at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and an adjunct professor at the University of New England. Photo credit: CGIAR/Wandera Ojanji
    Stefano Fautou, Director of the Office of Sustainable Development Goals at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the Director of the UN Food System Coordination Hub elaborated on three opportunities for local action in food systems areas that can create opportunities for actionable dialogue between scientists, policymakers, and communities at the local scale.
    One action is using local action as a catalyst for systemic change. Fautou argued that sectoral and linear approaches have proven ineffective in transforming food systems. “What we need is systemic change, which must start at the local level. This is because systemic change thrives on field-proven solutions and scalable models. Like biological evolution, systemic change requires a diversity of ideas. These ideas undergo variation, selection, and application processes, leading to the establishment of institutional rules, policies, and business models. By fostering diverse ideas at the local level, we can identify what works and what doesn’t, laying the foundation for systemic transformation.”
    The second action area is multiple co-benefits from local efforts. Local initiatives offer significant opportunities to achieve multiple co-benefits. For instance, local actions addressing land degradation often simultaneously enhance biodiversity, improve nutrition, and increase climate efficiency. These efforts highlight that investments in sustainable food systems should not be evaluated solely based on monetary costs. Instead, we must consider their broader benefits.
    On the third action, integrating local needs with a global perspective, Stefano noted that addressing local needs requires a global perspective that brings together scientists, policymakers, and society. “Creating these opportunities necessitates a global lens to align local actions with broader scientific and policy frameworks. This is a crucial aspect of the work being done by your institution and others involved in fostering actionable dialogues within the science-policy-society interface.”
    Cargele Masso, Director of the CGIAR Impact Area Platform on Environmental Health and Biodiversity shared key messages from CBD COP16 on addressing challenges at the local scale biodiversity and sustainable food systems. One critical issue raised during COP16 is the need for benefit and cost-sharing mechanisms regarding the digital sequencing of genetic information. This is especially important for smallholder farmers in developing countries, who often face financial constraints. Incentives can motivate biodiversity conservation efforts, extending beyond genetic resources to include the ecosystems in which they evolve. The discussions in Cali achieved a consensus on providing greater visibility to indigenous peoples and local communities for their contributions to the global biodiversity framework.
    Another key point emphasized the connection between biodiversity and climate resilience. Sustaining genetic diversity ensures resilience against climate challenges, such as droughts or pests, by maintaining crops with different resistance traits. However, gaps remain in monitoring and evaluation systems. While national-level strategies may look robust, implementation at the local level often falls short. Practical, user-friendly monitoring systems must be co-developed with local communities to ensure effective biodiversity conservation and restoration.
    He further expounded on the role of biodiversity in resilience. “Biodiversity acts as a proxy for resilience against land degradation and climate change. When biodiversity declines, it often correlates with increased land degradation and climate impacts. Inclusive land-use planning and governance are essential for maintaining local biodiversity. Unfortunately, these practices often fail to achieve their full potential. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework offers a new opportunity for countries to update their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). Advocating for indigenous peoples, marginalized groups, and local communities to actively participate in these updates is crucial.”
    The session – the Agropolis International/French Scientific Committee on Desertification – a focus on local scales – was moderated by Jean-Luc Schott, a soil scientist and senior researcher at the French Research Institute for Sustainable Development, a former UNCCD SBI member and chair of the French Scientific Committee on Desertification.

  • Weather, rise in international agricultural commodity prices pose upside risks to food inflation, warns RBI in MPC Minutes

    Weather, rise in international agricultural commodity prices pose upside risks to food inflation, warns RBI in MPC Minutes

    Synopsis

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) maintained its repo rate at 6.50% while acknowledging softening food inflation. However, the MPC minutes cautioned about upside risks from weather and global commodity prices. The RBI emphasized its commitment to controlling inflation amidst global economic stability but with persistent geopolitical uncertainties.

    Despite expecting relief, the Reserve Bank of India on Friday through its MPC minutes warned that adverse weather events and rise in international agricultural commodity prices pose upside risks to food inflation.
    “Going forward, food inflation is likely to soften in Q4 with seasonal easing of vegetables prices and kharif harvest arrivals; and good soil moisture conditions along with comfortable reservoir levels auguring well for rabi production. Adverse weather events and rise in international agricultural commodity prices, however, pose upside risks to food inflation,” said the MPC Minutes.
    The RBI in its outlook further said that the global economy remains stable with growth holding up amidst waning inflation, albeit at a slow pace. Geopolitical risks and policy uncertainty, especially with respect to trade policies, have imparted heightened volatility to global financial markets.
    Earlier, the central bank on December 6 announced its latest monetary policy decisions with repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.50 per cent. This followed a three-day meeting that began on December 4. The rate setting panel also decided to continue with the neutral monetary policy stance and to remain unambiguously focused on a durable alignment of inflation with the target, while supporting growth.
    The recent spike in inflation highlights the continuing risks of multiple and overlapping shocks to the inflation outlook and expectations. Heightened geo-political uncertainties and financial market volatility add further upside risks to inflation, added the RBI in its MPC minutes.

    Further, RBI warned that high inflation reduces the purchasing power of both rural and urban consumers and may adversely impact private consumption. Saugata Bhattacharya, Dr. Rajiv Ranjan, Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra and former governor Shaktikanta Das voted to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.50 per cent. Dr. Nagesh Kumar and Professor Ram Singh voted to reduce the policy repo rate by 25 basis points.
    “The policy priority at this critical juncture has to be on restoring the inflation growth balance. The fundamental requirement now is to bring down inflation and align it with the target,” Das said as per the minutes of the December 4-6 MPC meeting released by the RBI on Friday.

    It was the last meeting of the MPC under Das, who demitted office earlier this month after completing an extended six-year tenure.

  • WFP calls for The Tafe Passage of Life-Saving Aid, as Opening of Critical Adre Border is Extended

    WFP calls for The Tafe Passage of Life-Saving Aid, as Opening of Critical Adre Border is Extended

    PORT SUDAN/NAIROBI – Three UN World Food Programme convoys carrying essential food and nutrition assistance are on their way to Sudan’s Zamzam camp in North Darfur and Kadugli in South Kordofan for the first time in months. WFP is calling for the safe passage of these vital humanitarian aid convoys to areas that have been largely cut off from aid since the start of the conflict – especially to Zamzam where famine was confirmed in August.

    “All of these convoys must reach their destinations quickly and safely. They are carrying assistance for hungry families who are struggling to survive and should never be a target,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP Representative and Country Director in Sudan.

    “The safe delivery of this vital assistance will be a critical first step to expanding access, ramping up assistance, and preventing famine from spreading,” he said.

    WFP aid trucks will travel up to 1,500 kilometres across conflict frontlines, dozens of checkpoints, and rough terrain before reaching their final destinations.

    The first convoy crossed the critical Adre border from Chad into Darfur on Saturday 9 November headed for Zamzam IDP Camp, carrying assistance for 12,500 people. The Government of Sudan announced on Wednesday 13 November that the critical Adre corridor would remain open for another three months for the transport of humanitarian assistance.

    “We welcome the decision to keep the Adre corridor open. It is a vital lifeline to get urgent assistance to desperate families in the Darfur region and allows us to scale up assistance to millions at risk of famine,” said Rowe.

    Another two WFP convoys left Port Sudan early Tuesday, one en route to Zamzam Camp in North Darfur carrying assistance for 27,400 people including nutrition supplements for malnourished children. Nutrition supplies in Zamzam camp – where child deaths from malnutrition are being recorded – ran out last month. The other convoy is traveling to Kadugli in South Kordofan carrying assistance for 10,000 people.

    “We are working around the clock to get a constant flow of aid to reach communities across Sudan in the face of one of the most dangerous and restrictive operating environments in the world today. All parties and armed groups must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and guarantee the safe delivery of this assistance,” said Rowe.

    Sudan’s war could trigger a hunger catastrophe of historic magnitude if the fighting continues to escalate and humanitarian access remains so restricted. So far this year, WFP has provided urgent support to seven million people, but much more is needed to address record levels of need in one of the largest hunger crises worldwide.

    The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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