In other news…

Dorine Odongo, Communications Manager at African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), outlines the importance of ensuring the representation of women in science to strengthen research and innovation in our food systems. Science has been at the forefront of public consciousness for the past 12 months, as a result of the global Covid-19 crisis and the race to develop an effective vaccine. Although we cannot immunise against the food insecurity and malnutrition that the pandemic has exacerbated around the The post Equitable Food Systems Need Equitable Science appeared first on Farming First.

Mathieu Denis and Lizzie Sayer, Science Director and Senior Communications Officer at the International Science Council, outline the importance of ensuring inclusive resilience in our food systems as the world sets out to build back better. Around seven million children in West Africa currently benefit from school feeding programmes, and for many of them, this food makes up an important part of their diet. When schools across the region closed for lockdown, family food supplies in the most vulnerable households The post Efficiency Must Go Hand-in-Hand with Equity to Build Resilient Food Systems appeared first on Farming First.

Didier Coulomb, Director General of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), investigates the potential of an extended cold chain in the Global South to help strengthen food security, health and livelihoods, while protecting the planet. Refrigeration extends the shelf life of food products, and thus prevents losses throughout the supply chain – from the producer to the consumer via its use in transport, storage and marketing. It is a key element of global food security which also has an impact The post Harnessing an Expanded Cold Chain to Safeguard Food Security and Strengthen Livelihoods appeared first on Farming First.

John Corbett and David Bergvinson, CEO and Chief Science Officer of aWhere Inc, explore the potential of digital climate advisory services to help smallholder farmers ensure nutrition and food security in the face of increasing climate change. Agriculture is a weather-driven industry: For Africa, more than 95 per cent of the production is rainfed. Small-scale producers (SSPs) dominate the farming landscape in Africa, Asia, and Central America – and they face an increasingly challenging production environment. One of the most The post Digital Climate Advisory Services Are Key to a Sustainable Food Future appeared first on Farming First.

James Wong, ethnobotanist and presenter of BBC’s ‘Follow the Food’ series, examines how urban farming could offer sustainable ways for city populations to access high-value, nutritious yet perishable foods like fruits, vegetables and protein. In the future, there will be more of us than ever, but we won’t all be living in the countryside next to where our food is grown – most of us will be in cities. By 2050, it is estimated that more than 60 per cent The post Can Urban Agriculture Help Cities Access More Diverse Diets? appeared first on Farming First.

Steve Godfrey, Director of Policy and External Relations at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), outlines why putting farmers at the centre of rebuilding our food systems is crucial to sustainably feeding a growing global population.   In September, the UN Secretary General will convene a global Food Systems Summit to look into changes needed to make our food economy more sustainable and able to feed a growing population. A grand title, it also adds weight to a growing clamour The post Four Keys to Feeding ­– and Nourishing – the Planet appeared first on Farming First.

24 World Food Prize Laureates came together to send President Biden an open letter asking for continued U.S. leadership in ending world hunger. Read the full letter below.   World Food Prize Laureates Open Letter: U.S. Leadership Needed to Help End World Hunger   Dear Mr. President, As World Food Prize Laureates from across the globe, we have dedicated decades to driving change in food systems, continuing the legacy of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Norman Borlaug. Some of us The post World Food Prize Laureates Send Open Letter to President Biden appeared first on Farming First.

Nominations are now open for the 2022 World Food Prize – the prestigious $250,000 award that recognises outstanding contributions towards ending world hunger. The Prize, which has been called the “Nobel Prize of food and agriculture”, is awarded annually to an individual whose achievements have helped increase the quantity, quality, availability of, or access to food – especially in relation to the Global South. This year, the deadline for nominating candidates is May 1, with the World Food Prize Foundation The post Nominations Now Open for the 2022 World Food Prize appeared first on Farming First.

Benjamin Okia, Gender Specialist at Farm Africa, examines how more inclusive farming practices are helping female Ugandan coffee growers to increase their autonomy. “Traditionally, the coffee was for a man and women were not benefitting anything from it.”  23-year-old Hildah Turyamusiima is a mother and coffee farmer from Kanungu, a major coffee growing region in western Uganda. The high altitude, tropical climate and fertile soil provide ideal conditions for coffee production. Yet despite its profit-making potential, Hildah – like many The post Empowering Women in Uganda’s Coffee Sector appeared first on Farming First.

Andrew Natsios, former Administrator of USAID and current Advisory Committee Chair of HarvestPlus, examines the many ways in which biofortified crops are empowering smallholder farmers to improve nutritional outcomes and how their use can be scaled up in the future. The Nutrition for Growth Year of Action got off to an auspicious start at a virtual launch event last month, where prominent stakeholders announced investment commitments of more than $3 billion toward the upcoming Nutrition for Growth Summit‘s goal of The post Biofortified Staple Crops: Empowering Smallholder Farmers to be Food System Change Agents   appeared first on Farming First.