Urban Food Security: A new Agrilinks blog series

We’re living in an urbanized world. In 2007 the UN announced that the world passed the urbanization tipping point, and for the first time in history the majority of the worldwide population now resides in cities. They also estimated that 93 percent of all future urban growth will occur in developing countries as the rural poor and subsistence farmers migrate in to cities to seek out new opportunities. Given the dual reality of a shrinking farmer base and an expanding urban stomach, this new blog series highlights the opportunities and challenges of feeding cities through innovative agricultural development interventions.

USAID has recently delved into the issue of urban food security in a draft of their new policy on sustainable urban services. Food security is the first of the seven core principles (also including health, climate change, economic growth, governance, humanitarian assistance, and crisis prevention and response). USAID is addressing food security through the lens of sustainable urban services because “approximately 28 percent of urban under-five children in developing countries are chronically malnourished,” and “the extreme poor are particularly vulnerable to malnourishment during food spikes given the high share of their household budgets—ranging from 50 to 75 percent—devoted to food.” The food security policy addresses the entirety of the urban food system, and highlights the importance of agricultural development to cities and vice-versa: “The linkages between cities and villages are critical for inclusive agricultural growth, providing new markets and better prices for produce and expanded employment and income opportunities for all….Thus, as urban residents and businesses depend on rural-based resources, such as agriculture and energy, and farmers rely on urban-based facilities, such as markets, financing, and ports, the Agency’s commitment to agricultural and urban development are mutually reinforcing and inextricably linked.”

Communicating Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa: What Role for Radio?

Communicating Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa: What Role for Radio?

G20 Mexico 2012 launched an innovative Fund to Boost Food Security and Farmer Livelihoods

FARA Secretariat: AgResults addresses global challenges in food security and agriculture by generating market-oriented solutions. The initiative aims to achieve significant improvements in the wellbeing of the poor and vulnerable in developing countries with a fund of up to $100 million, to be administered by the World Bank. The governments of Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are supporting this effort.

WTO to lower entry bar for poorest countries

tralac: The World Trade Organization has agreed new membership standards for the weakest economies, lowering the bar for countries such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Sudan to join the global trading club, according to a document seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

De Graaf worried by farmers' take-up of insurance

Mmegi: "De Graaf said his ministry would continue to educate farmers about the importance of insurance and get them to understand that farmers who took out insurance for their livestock were considered commercial. He said the ministry was encouraging all farmers to consider agricultural businesses as commercial and to improve their productivity and ensure its sustainability. The scheme, which is run by Botswana Insurance Company, currently covers cattle, goats and sheep and is on course to cover crops. A farmer can select the animals he wishes to insure if he or she does not want to insure his entire herd.
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'via Blog this'

Fish Farming: profitability and potentials in Botswana

Mmegi Online

Weather, Water and Agriculture Continue to Be Viable Investments

Seeking Alpha

BOTSWANA: LEA, BCA team up to boost ‘agro’ industry

BOTSWANA: LEA, BCA team up to boost ‘agro’ industry