G8 Wrap-Up with Farming First’s Lindiwe Sibanda on BBC World Service

After the G8 summit at the end of June, Farming First’s Dr. Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, spoke with BBC World Service’s Network Africa radio show to discuss the outcomes of Muskoka 2010. Dr. Sibanda, CEO of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), said,
We are quite happy with the outcome although more could

New Fund and Network to Promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Africa

A new fund to facilitate the transformation of scientific research into viable commercial products has been established in Africa. The African Science, Technology and Innovation Endowment Fund (ASTIF) was launched at the Second Science with Africa conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on June 23-25.
The conference also established the first-ever African Technology Development and Transfer Network,

Syngenta and CIMMYT Partner to Help Farmers Combat Crop Losses

As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Marco Ferroni – Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable

Challenge Fund to Accelerate Pro-Poor Growth in Africa

As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world.
Gavin Onley
The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)

State of the World 2011 Report : Agricultural Innovation for Food Security and Poverty Reduction in the 21st Century

Dozens of farmers, activists, academics and journalists are clubbing together to produce the Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World 2011 report on “Innovations that Nourish the Planet”. The contributors to the report are collectively challenging the global food community to identify the technical and institutional innovations that are most effective to helping feed sub-Saharan Africa.

The

Climate Change Mitigation Strategies in Gabon Help to Preserve National Crop

Gabon is known for its forest that covers 85% of the country, or 22 million hectares. Only 5% of the land is used for agriculture, and subsistence farming dominates the sector.  The principle crop grown by the farmers is manioc, or cassava root, which is an essential source of iron and vitamins for the population.