Forum global sur la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition (Forum FSN)

La FAO et le FIDA viennent de sortir une publication dédiée  au potentiel alimentaire de l'Afrique de l'Ouest afin de soutenir le processus décisionnel dans la région au moment où de nombreux pays de la région sont en train de mettre en œuvre leur stratégie nationale agricole dérivée du processus du CAADP. En effet, à la suite de la crise alimentaire de 2007-2008, les pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest ont pris les mesures nécessaires pour créer un environnement favorable à l’investissement agricole.

Reconstruire le potentiel alimentaire de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, s’appuie sur de nombreuses études de cas pour recommander des aires prioritaires pour l’action. Selon cette publication, renforcer la productivité, promouvoir la compétitivité et s’assurer que les petits agriculteurs aient un meilleur accès au marché sont des facteurs clés pour que l’Afrique de l’Ouest réalise son plein potentiel agricole.

Pour plus d’informations, accédez à l’étude : Reconstruire le potentiel alimentaire de l'Afrique de l'Ouest: politiques et incitations du marché pour la promotion des filières alimentaires intégrant les petits producteurs

'Afrique de l'Ouest dispose d'opportunités sans précédent de croissance agricole, mais pour en tirer le meilleur parti, il apparaît nécessaire de renforcer l'intégration régionale, indique un rapport publié par la Banque africaine de développement (BAD), l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO) et la Communauté Économique des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (CEDEAO).

Pour rester compétitive vis-à-vis des grands pays et acteurs mondiaux, l'agriculture ouest africaine doit parvenir à des économies d'échelle dont jouissent déjà ces autres pays, notamment sur les marchés des engrais et des semences, ainsi que dans la recherche et la technologie agricoles, ajoute le rapport.

Si d'importants progrès vers l'intégration régionale ont été accomplis au cours des vingt dernières années, leur mise en œuvre efficace à l'échelle nationale demeure une gageure, comme en témoignent les barrages routiers et les embargos commerciaux qui entravent encore les échanges intra-régionaux, ainsi que les normes nationales disparates sur les semences et les engrais, en dépit des protocoles adoptés à l'échelle régionale.

Le rapport intitulé Croissance agricole en Afrique de l'Ouest: facteurs déterminants de marché et de politique est publié à point nommé, dans une époque on l'on observe une dynamique rapide d'évolution de la demande en produits alimentaires en Afrique.

Pour en savoir plus:

• voir l'article
• téléchargez le rapport ici

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on reducing poverty have been met by many countries, yet many others lag behind and the post-2015 challenge will be the full eradication of poverty and hunger. Many developing countries increasingly recognize that social protection measures are needed to relieve the immediate deprivation of people living in poverty and to prevent others from falling into poverty when a crisis strikes.

This edition of The State of Food and Agriculture 2015 makes the case that social protection measures will help break the cycle of rural poverty and vulnerability, when combined with broader agricultural and rural development measures.

Click here to read more and to dowload the publication.

More than 500 million family farms manage the majority of the world's agricultural land and produce most of the world's food. We need family farms to ensure global food security, to care for and protect the natural environment and to end poverty, undernourishment and malnutrition. Goals can be thoroughly achieved if public policies support family farms to become more productive and sustainable; in other words policies must support family farms to innovate within a system that recognizes their diversity and the complexity of the challenges faced.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2014: Innovation in family farming analyses family farms and the role of innovation in ensuring global food security, poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. It argues that family farms must be supported to innovate in ways that promote sustainable intensification of production and improvements in rural livelihoods.

• Read the publication
• SOFA 2014 In Brief
• View the entire SOFA collection since 1947

General introduction

Unique opportunity to participate in a course at one of the world's leading universities in its field. Wageningen UR is recognized as a world-leader in research and education in the domains of healthy living environments, safe and secure food, and sustainable value chains. We offer a wide range of courses which will help you to develop the capacities, leadership qualities needed to be creative, adaptive and responsive to the dynamics of a rapidly changing world. In our courses we connect WUR’s technical and scientific expertise with cutting-edge processes of innovation and learning.

Course introduction:

To go beyond just an increase in outputs to feed 9 billion people in 2050, an integral redirection of current farming practices is required. Nowadays there is a compelling need for creative thinkers that lead the way to innovative and more sustainable agricultural production. This two week’s intensive course will give you new tools and perspectives to become one of them. For information about this course please visit the following website:

http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Expertise-Services/Research-institutes/Centre-for-development-innovation/short-courses/short-courses-2014/cdicourse_agriculture_in_transition_2014.htm

Funding

For this course there are NFP Fellowships. A limited number of fellowships is available from Nuffic - the Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) for nationals of certain countries. In order to apply for such a NFP fellowship, you have to register at the following website: http://www.studyinholland.nl/scholarships/scholarships-administered-by-nuffic/netherlands-fellowship-programmes/scholarships-online-sol.

You will be informed by Nuffic whether your application has been accepted. For more information visit: http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Expertise-Services/Research-Institutes/centre-for-development-innovation/short-courses/how-to-apply.htm

The application deadline for the NFP fellowships is 1 October 2013.

Registration deadline: 24th of March 2014

How to apply:

For more information about registration for his course visit:

http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Expertise-Services/Research-institutes/Centre-for-development-innovation/short-courses/short-courses-2014/cdicourse_agriculture_in_transition_2014.htm

Or contact: [email protected]

Location: The Netherlands

Food systems for better nutrition

Malnutrition in all its forms – undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity – imposes unacceptably high economic and social costs on countries at all income levels. Improving nutrition and reducing these costs requires a multisectoral approach that begins with food and agriculture and includes complementary interventions in public health and education. The traditional role of agriculture in producing food and generating income is fundamental, but the entire food system – from inputs and production, through processing, storage, transport and retailing, to consumption – can contribute much more to the eradication of malnutrition.

Agricultural policies and research must continue to support productivity growth for staple foods while paying greater attention to nutrient-dense foods and more sustainable production systems. Traditional and modern supply chains can enhance the availability of a variety of nutritious foods and reduce nutrient waste and losses. Governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society can help consumers choose healthier diets, reduce waste and contribute to more sustainable use of resources by providing clear, accurate information and ensuring access to diverse and nutritious foods.

The 2012 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA 2012) - Investing in Agriculture for a better future was just released.

Investing in agriculture is essential for reducing hunger and promoting sustainable agricultural production. Those parts of the world where investments in agriculture have stagnated are the epicentres of poverty and hunger today. Demand growth over the coming decades will place increasing pressure on the natural resource base. Eradicating hunger sustainably will require a significant increase in agricultural investments, and an improvement in their effectiveness.

Farmers are the largest investors in developing country agriculture and must be central to any strategy for increasing investment in the sector. If they are to invest more in agriculture they need economic incentives and an enabling environment. Governments have a special responsibility to help smallholders overcome the constraints they face. Government investment in agriculture is crucial for providing an enabling environment for private investments in the sector.

Trends and impacts of foreign investment in developing country agriculture - Evidence from case studies

Large-scale international investments in developing country agriculture, especially acquisitions of agricultural land, continue to raise international concern. Certainly, complex and controversial issues – economic, political, institutional, legal and ethical – are raised in relation to food security, poverty reduction, rural development, technology and access to land and water resources. Yet at the same time, some developing countries are making strenuous efforts to attract foreign investment into their agricultural sectors. They see an important role for such investments in filling the gap left by dwindling official development assistance and the limitations of their own domestic budgetary resources, creating employment and incomes and promoting technology transfer. More investment is certainly needed – more than US$80 billion per year according to FAO analysis. But can foreign direct investment be compatible with the needs of local stakeholders as well as those of the international investor? And can these investments yield more general development benefits?