ARF

Now that development policy is increasingly looking to the private sector for solutions, the question of how to achieve inclusiveness in business development to enhance the food security of smallholder producers and poor consumers is becoming more important. Inclusive business models are presented as a solution, a way in which companies can include societal objectives in their way of working. However, these models have yet to succeed. This was the central dilemma posed in the session on “Inclusive business development for food security”. »

With malnutrition rampant in many parts of the world, specific interventions are needed to promote healthy diets. This session on “Nutrition and consumption” focused on the preferences of local consumers and made the case for promoting “local foods”, which can be added to diets to diversify consumption patterns. However, promoting local foods to people at risk and the general population comes with both nutritional benefits and risks, which need to be explored. In parallel, the implications of various interventions for local and national value chain development also need to be explored. »

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” With this old Ghanaian saying Worlali Senyo, Director of Growth, Development and Research at Farmerline Ltd in Ghana, opened the session on “Innovation for Food Security”. The saying adequately captured the issue at the heart of the discussions, i.e. that meaningful innovation for food security requires joint efforts and the explicit inclusion of multiple stakeholders and local communities to ensure the widespread uptake of solutions. »

NWO-WOTRO and the F&BKP, in close cooperation with the Dutch Ministries of Foreign and Economic Affairs are organizing a conference”Research & Policy: two peas in a pod? A dialogue for food security impact”, on December 1, 2017 in The Hague, the Netherlands. Concept notes of the thematic session are now available in PDF. »

The ARF project “Designing appropriate agronomic and processing practices for pineapple supply chains in Benin (DAPIS)” fits very well with the Beninese Government Action Plan and aims at improving the access of fresh pineapple and pasteurised pineapple juice produced in Benin to local, regional and international markets. On September 21, the first pineapple experiment has been visited by farmers and consortium members of this ARF project in Benin. »

A detailed report of the Applied Research Fund (ARF) country workshop which was held in Uganda in January 2017, is now published online. Representatives of nine ARF projects – from research, the private sector, civil society and governmental agencies – gathered for this country workshop in Entebbe. »