Agriculture? Hasn't been too sexy a topic in Africa but these 9 facts could change your mind. A FEW days ago, long-serving Angola president Jose Eduardo dos Santos raised a few eyebrows when he asked the country to start “studying” how to build a transition.
In power since 1979, and Africa’s second longest-ruling leader after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema, he did however quickly set the record right by confirming that he was not going anywhere just yet, or at least not until 2017, when his current mandate runs out. “…It’s ’s evident that it’s not wise to consider that option under the current circumstances,” he said in a speech published on the website of Angolan state-run news agency Angop.
Those “circumstances” are economic; the continent’s second largest oil producer is buckling under the steep fall in world crude prices. The government in February cut its 2015 budget by 26%, while predicting the fiscal gap will reach 7% of gross domestic product. Infographic: Landscapes in Climate & Development Policy. Ict4dlk.crowdmap. Blending agriculture and mobile phones. Top Stories Tuesday, 19 November 2013 21:22 Written by Joseph Kimbowa A farmer showcases her products at the conference Agricultural apps are in vogue, but more work is needed to achieve an ICT-based service For 28 years, Bazilio Mugema has been a poultry farmer in Nakaseke.
For all that time, Mugema had never experienced the need for services of an agricultural extension worker. “I supplied my buyers every two weeks. Face Behind the App – Freedom Fone. G8 Open Data for Agriculture. Delicious. Ghi12poster. Nawsheen's world. Building ICM strategy development skills of agriculture and rural development organisations in ACP countries. The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) has published the “Information and Communication Management (ICM) - Strategy Development: (i) Faciltators’ Manual and (ii) User's Guide”.
The Guide and Manual have been developed to meet a need expressed by agriculture and rural development organisations in African, Pacific and Caribbean (ACP) countries highlighted in the needs assessment studies conducted from 2003-2012 by CTA. The Guide & Manual primarily aim to meet the need for building ICM strategy development skills of agriculture and rural development organisations in ACP countries. These organisations range from small NGOs to medium-sized organisations, to large government departments or research institutes. The suggestions the publications contains can be adapted to local conditions. Download the Facilitator’s Guide: the User’s Manual:
Launch of the CGIAR Agrifood chain toolkit. The CGIAR programme on Policies, institutions and markets launched its Agrifood Chain Toolkit yesterday.
There are too few links existing between value chain researchers and value chain practitioners. The AgriFood chain toolkit is designed to help researchers and practitioners overcome this challenge. The Internet is a gateway to numerous websites, resources and tools to help us understand agrifood value chains or build the capacities of value chain actors and analysts. Home. E-Consultation on Hunger, Food and Nutrition Security. What role for ICT after 2015?
We encourage the e-Agriculture Community of Practice to participate in this e-Consultation. Sharing your thoughts and experience will insure that good practices in the use of ICTs for food and nutrition security are recognized, and taken into account for the elaboration of a post 2015 global development agenda. As the target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaches, a number of processes have been put in place to seek inputs from country, regional and global levels, to the “Post-2015 Development Agenda and Framework”.
Consultations are being held across the globe, both within and outside of the United Nations system. Webinar: Mobile Finance in Agricultural Value Chains on Monday, November 26th. This event already happened.
To watch a recording, visit Overview USAID's FACET project is hosting a webinar that will look at how mobile finance (mobile money, mobile banking and mobile phone based applications) is changing the understanding of value chain finance and the benefits it can bring to all stakeholders along the value chain, specifically agribusinesses and unbanked smallholder farmers. An Agricultural Tech Cluster in Monterrey Bay, California. Question 4 (opens 20 Nov.) Loans that change lives. Question 1 (opens 12 Nov.) Andrea Jimenez- New intern in the e-Agriculture team. My name is Andrea Jimenez, and I am currently an Intern with the e-Agriculture team, based at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.
A few months ago I supported the e-Agriculture Community as a volunteer, working remotely from London, (here are my first thoughts) and now I will be assisting with the facilitation of the English and Spanish interfaces of the e-Agriculture Community. I have recently completed a Master's degree in Sustainable Development with a focus in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) at Royal Holloway University of London.
This program allowed me to understand the theory behind initiatives which support the use of ICTs for development. The first and most important lesson that I am taking with me from my studies, is that ICTs are effective tools, if used in a way that meets the people's needs and are implemented with knowledge of the users. My recent studies provided me with the motivation to begin a career in this field. Second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD2) Skip to main content You are here Home.
Decent rural employment: Key for poverty reduction and food security 2010-13: Enhancing FAO's work through decent rural employment. ¡Da una voz a la juventud a GCARD2 a través de los medios sociales! Involucra a los jóvenes en la GCARD2!
¿Has oído hablar de la Segunda Conferencia Mundial sobre Investigación Agrícola para el Desarrollo (GCARD 2) que se celebrará en Punta del Este, Uruguay, entre el 29 de octubre y el 1 de noviembre 2012? La GCARD 2 se centrará en las formas de implementar las tareas identificadas en una hoja de ruta de la GCARD que busca mejorar la investigación agrícola para el desarrollo, con atención especial a la prospección, las alianzas y la creación de capacidades para la innovación y su impacto en los medios de vida de los pequeños propietarios. El propósito de la conferencia es construir una sólida cooperación en torno a agendas clave de futuro, basadas en los avances y lecciones aprendidas de la experiencia, y planificar acciones conjuntas entre todas las partes interesadas. Descubre más sobre GCARD2.
¡Participa al proyecto de medios de comunicación social a distancia! Emerging voices in ICT and agriculture in the ACP (New publication) Technologies and practices for small agricultural producers. Growing greener cities in Africa - First status report on urban and peri-urban horticulture in Africa. Give a Youth voice at GCARD2 through Social Media! Getting Youth involved at the GCARD2!
Have you ever heard about the Second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD 2) to be held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, 29 October – 1 November 2012? The GCARD 2 will focus on the ways to implement the tasks identified in the GCARD RoadMap for enhancing agricultural research for development, with special attention to foresight, partnership and capacity building for innovation and impact on small-holder livelihoods. The purpose of the conference is to build strong cooperation around key forward-looking agendas, based on progress and lessons learned from experience, and plan joint actions among all stakeholders.
Learn more about GCARD2. Foodsecurity_e. Youth perceptions on agriculture and ICT - Express your views on Twitter this week. The FANRPAN Annual High Level Regional Food Security Policy Dialogue will be held this September in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania with the theme "From Policy to Practice: Advocating for the Active Engagement of Youth in Agriculture Value Chains". As part of this event, six Country Case Studies conducted by youth representatives will be synthesised into a Regional Report, that will give an overview of the current situation, identifying gaps and better target interventions. The role of ICT should be highlighted as an important element for youth and agriculture during the event. World poverty map - Rural Poverty Portal. In Bulgaria, remote farming service helps support sustainable agriculture.
Gain instant and exclusive access to over 5,000 of the most creative ideas, innovations and startups on our database and use our smart filters to take you direct to those that are most relevant to your industry and your needs. Not interested? M-Kilimo: A Helpline for Kenyan Farmers. Mobile phone based services have transformed the agricultural extension process globally. M-Kilimo, a unique service launched by KenCall in Kenya, bridges farmers and agriculture experts streamlining the farming related information delivery. M-Kilimo aims on becoming the channel that connects farmers to the landscape of agricultural information, services and products available and empowering them on good agricultural practices through affordable and appropriate technology.
With an integrated system of information collection, handling and dissemination, it provides information on improved agricultural planning, production, processing, value addition, climate and marketing. For the usage of this service, farmer calls the helpline with farming specific query which in turn is addressed by agricultural experts and subject matter specialists. News brief - Africa to speed up adoption of 'Conservation Agriculture With Trees'
ACT and ICRAF are now combining forces to accelerate the adoption of CAWT© Wendy Stone/ICRAF Task forces that bring together ministry of agriculture officials, research and development organisations as well as private sector institutions have been formed in four African countries to look into ways of expanding the adoption of what has come to be known as Conservation of Agriculture With Trees (CAWT). The term refers to a platform of agricultural technologies that seek to combine the best elements of agroforestry and conservation agriculture. Action for Ag. The third Earth Summit, also known as Rio+20, takes place in Rio de Janerio from June 20-22, 2012. It marks 20 years since the first Rio summit in 1992 introduced and established the idea of sustainable development. At RIO+20, world leaders, governments, NGOs and the private sector will come together to shape how our planet can reduce poverty while protecting the environment in the coming decades.
Gender: Gender portals. Repository of policies, strategies and action plans on gender mainstreaming within the UN system This online repository stores a collection of UN policies, strategies and action plans for gender mainstreaming within the UN system. Closing the gap between men and women in agriculture. Agricultural Innovation Systems and Family Farming - An E-mail Conference. Why curbing agriculture's climate impacts is a growing challenge. Thousands of companies have developed greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories in recent years as a crucial first step towards measuring and ultimately reducing their emissions. Agricultural emissions are a large part of many of those inventories: Farming is currently responsible for between 10 and 12 percent of global GHG emissions.
Globally, agricultural emissions are expected to increase by more than 50 percent by 2030, according to the U.N. Call for Articles from GFAR and New Agriculturist: Water and Agriculture. The Grower's Nation App challenge: Growing crops in a sustainable way. GFAR e-news: Tell others about the value of your work through GFAR and New Agriculturist 04/2012. Free & Open Software and Knowledge Initiatives in Agricultural Research for Development. Agriculture is the principal occupation to larger population of many countries and the timely communication of the information related to agriculture assumes a greater priority.
Technology: Empowering the Agricultural Industry. Technological advancement in the agricultural industry have brought drastic gains in both developed and developing nations connecting local farmers with each other and with consumers. “At the core of these brands’ ideologies are lofty but realistic dreams – most notably, the alleviation of poverty. As smaller farms encroach upon market share, consumers will be provided access to higher quality products, while those who provide those products will have access to previously out-of-reach capital. Africa Rural Connect. "Second Chance Ideas Contest" Through the Second Chance Ideas Contest, the African diaspora and volunteers alike are invited to share their ideas on new ways to engage sub-Saharan Africans through educational projects, community-building initiatives, and social programs, all centered around agriculture and farming. We want to hear what you have to say.
At Africa Rural Connect, we believe that collaboration is the key to developing the best ideas for Africa. Add your experience and expertise to the insights of thousands of professionals, experts, and like-minded individuals and organizations the world. How do ICTs play a role in supporting young female professionals in agriculture? International Girls in ICT Day: 26 April 2012. The 4th Thursday of every April has been designated as the International Day of Girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), with the purpose of raising awareness of the importance of involving girls in ICT fields, and to promote the benefits that ICT careers may offer.
Attracting Africa youths to agriculture: the growing importance of ICTs. Data Collected via FrontlineSMS is used by Ministry of Agriculture in Cambodia. Connected Kenya Summit: "ICT key to growth and development" Is sustainable agriculture possible in the Sahel? EDULINK II Call for Proposals launched. Convergencia para el desarrollo: Radiodifusión comunitaria como estrategia para la inclusión digital.
RUNetwork: A business model for integrating ICTs and agriculture value chains for smallholder farmers - Uganda. ICTs improving farmer's income. Vacancy - Programme Coordinator ICT for development (ICT4D) / Announcements / About us / Home - Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) Rio+20: Feed the world, protect the planet. Policy Brief: Strengthening Agriculture Marketing with ICT (ICT in Agriculture Sourcebook forum #1) Men and women in agriculture: closing the gap: Home.
Gender Evaluation Methodology for Internet and ICTs. The e-Agriculture Community. AMIS-Cameroon: Bridging the information gap for rural farmers. Latest news from e-agriculture. Sustainable smallholder agriculture: Feeding the world, protecting the planet.