Category: Agriculture & Agribusiness

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Ardent Mills partners Nutrien Ag to advance regenerative agricultural practices

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US – Ardent Mills, one of the leading flour-milling and ingredient companies in the United States, has partnered with Nutrien Ag Solutions, the retail division of the world’s largest crop inputs company, to advance regenerative agriculture practices.  According to a statement by Ardent Mills, the program is aimed at strengthening the soil ecosystem and helping producers improve their farms’ productivity and profitability.   The program uses key outcomes and provides side by side quality comparisons to comprehensively understand how regenerative agriculture affects the quality of wheat.  Through the program, the leading flour miller hopes to…

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FAO adopts new strategic framework to drive transformation of agri-food systems

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GLOBAL – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has adopted a new Strategic Framework aimed at driving the Organization’s efforts to transform agri-food systems and address hunger, poverty, and inequality over the next decade.  FAO will now embark on implementing the strategic framework after FAO Conference, the supreme decision-making body that brings together all FAO Members – 194 countries plus the European Union endorsed it on the last day of the 42nd Session.  According to the FAO, the Strategic Framework 2022-2031 seeks to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by…

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FAO launches Green Cities Action Programme for Africa to promote sustainable food systems

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AFRICA – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has launched the Green Cities Regional Action Programme for Africa, aimed to apply innovative solutions and turn urbanization into an opportunity for cities to become more sustainable, more resilient, provide access to healthy foods and ensure a better life for everyone. The initiative will focus to scale-up fast-action measures for large, medium and small cities to be more resilient, food and nutrition secure, with pleasant natural environments, more integrated nutritious food production-and-distribution systems benefiting residents and farmers alike.…

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Cargill, WFP partner to promote sustainable corn growing practices in China

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CHINA — Agricultural commodities trading giant Cargill and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) have partnered to promote sustainable corn growing practices in China.   To achieve their goal, Cargill and the WFP have launched a Holistic Agriculture Risk Management Project which will train farmers on how to reduce and alleviate the risks associated with corn farming.  Farmers will be taught on how to implement the application of innovative financial risk transfer approach of “insurance + futures”.  They will also be exposed to sustainable corn growing practices in an effort to increase their productivity…

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Nigeria still relies on agricultural imports surging by 140.5% in Q1 2021

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NIGERIA – Nigeria’s agricultural export stood at N127.2 billion (US$309m) in the first three months (January – March) of 2021, representing a 128% increase compared to N55.8 billion (US$135m) recorded in the previous quarter (Q4 2020). This is according to the foreign trade report for Q1 2021, released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In contrast to the N127.1 billion (US$309m) recorded in the corresponding period of 2020, this represents a 0.07% increase, reports Nairametrics. Sesame seeds, fermented cocoa beans, and cashew nuts led the list of top agro-food…

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Smart irrigation company SupPlant raises US$10m to grow presence in South Africa

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SOUTH AFRICA – Precision agriculture company SupPlant has raised US$10 million to widen the reach of its smart irrigation technology in the South African market. The company partnered with private equity firm Boresight Capital, social impact fund Menomadin Foundation, Israel-listed Smart-Agro Fund and Israel-headquartered investment company Mivtah Shamir, on the company’s latest fundraising round, bringing its total funding to US$19 million. SupPlant considers the South African market to have great potential, since farmers are dealing increasingly with unpredictable weather patterns, as a result of climate change. The SupPlant technology saves…

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AfDB promotes food security, COVID-19 recovery in Zambia with US$1.4m grant

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ZAMBIA – Zambia has received a US$1.4 million grant from African Development Bank’s Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, to fund the Mitigating Impacts of Covid-19 on Household Food Security Project in the country. The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program was established as a response to the 2008/09 world food price crisis, following a commitment by the Group of 8 nations (G8) in September 2009 to mobilize up to US$20 billion for agricultural development and food security. The World Bank supervises about half of the project portfolio of the…

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AppHarvest secures US$75m investment from Rabobank as AAK signs US$476m sustainability linked credit facility

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US – AppHarvest, a leading AgTech specializing in the development of high-tech indoor farms, has secured US$75 million from Rabo AgriFinance, a subsidiary of Rabobank.  According to a statement from the Kentucky based company, the funds will be used to fuel expansion of its rapidly growing network of high-tech controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facilities in Central Appalachia.   AppHarvest  builds some of the world’s largest high-tech indoor farms that grow non-GMO, chemical pesticide-free produce.  The company says its farms use up to 90% less water than open-field agriculture and only recycled rainwater while producing yields up to 30 times that…

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AfDB taps expertise of Dr Beth Dunford to be Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development

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AFRICA – The African Development Bank Group (AfDB.org) has announced the appointment of Dr. Beth Dunford as Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development, effective 1st July 2021. Dr. Dunford, a national of the United States of America, brings extensive experience to this role having held senior level leadership positions in the US government. She is feted for having managed large and complex programs, working with the private sector, civil society, and multilateral and bilateral institutions, as well as with African governments, to deliver agricultural, social and human development impact…

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IFC, German partner to strengthen supply chains for smallholder farmers in Africa with launch od US$25m program

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AFRICA – IFC and BMZ, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, have launched a new program that will leverage greater private sector investments to support the food production value chain across Africa and increase access to finance for rural farmers and businesses.  The Euro 21 million (US$25.45 million) Food Systems Development Program, focuses on giving food producers, ranging from smallholder farmers to small and medium-sized agri-businesses in Africa, greater opportunities to improve their incomes. IFC’s technical assistance will strengthen agricultural value chains from farm to market. “The battle…

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