The following contents were included in this newsletter (April–June 2014): the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) held a two-day workshop on Engagement of Youth Entrepreneurship for Agricultural Transformation in Africa, from 28-30 May at IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria; cassava processing factory was established at the IITA Kalambo station in DR. Congo; project coordinator visits sites to evaluate project activities in Tanzania; stories on cassava, rice, wheat and maize were detailed.
This summary is a condensed version of the June 2011 Agriculture and Climate Change: A Scoping Report developed by a team of expert authors, in consultation with UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiators and other key stakeholders, and facilitated by Meridian Institute. The aim of that report was to provide independent, objective analysis on many complex issues related to agriculture and climate change. This summary provides key points for policymakers, focusing on the unique aspects of agriculture when considered in the context of climate change.
This paper looks at brokerage functions in a project on building innovation capacity through improved networking. Innovation capacity influences how actors respond to changes in their environments. In such dynamic environments well connected sets of actors are at an advantage in that they can combine skills to address the emerging opportunities and challenges. However, policy and cultural barriers especially in African innovation systems raise the transaction costs of networking leading to weak connectivity among actors thus poor innovation capacity.
The project of “Small ruminant value chains as platforms for reducing poverty and increasing food security in dryland areas of India and Mozambique (imGoats)” aims to pilot sustainable and replicable organizational and technical models to strengthen goat value chains in India and Mozambique that increase incomes, reduce vulnerability and enhance welfare amongst marginalized groups, including women, and to document, communicate and promote appropriate evidence‐based model(s) for sustainable, pro‐poor goat value chains.
The project of Innovation for Agriculture Training and Education (innovATE) seeks to strengthen the full range of institutions that train and educate agricultural professionals in developing and emerging economies. This capacity building will serve to build an equipped agricultural workforce that can lead to increased social and economic growth.
The organization of the Nutrition Innovation Labs represents a novel model for focusing U.S.- supported research on food and nutrition issues in developing countries. Their aims are to discover how policy and program interventions can most effectively achieve large-scale improvements in maternal and child nutrition, particularly by leveraging agriculture and build human and institutional capacity for applied policy analysis, research and program implementation.
The Agriculture Innovation Partnership (AIP) project, a Feed the Future (FTF) project implemented through partnerships between United States (US) land grant and Indian universities, was to improve the livelihoods of rural populations through several education-related activities to create technical innovations, teaching capacity, and develop extension links within Indian higher educational institutions. These innovations were intended to diversify agricultural productivity and strengthen rural development to be more responsive to local market demands
The Africa Leadership Training and Capacity Building Program (Africa Lead), aims to support the capacity building program of the US Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, which aligns US Government assistance with Africa-owned agriculture development plans that are, in turn, aligned with the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program.
The Africa Leadership Training and Capacity Building Program (Africa Lead), aims to support the capacity building program of the US Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, which aligns US Government assistance with Africa-owned agriculture development plans that are, in turn, aligned with the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).
The Agriculture Technology Program for Turkmenistan (AgTech) takes a comprehensive approach to agricultural development in Turkmenistan by implementing high-impact activities in the livestock and greenhouse horticulture sectors to achieve the two objectives: improve genetics, education and organizations for private livestock producers; introduce successful agribusiness practices.