Achieving food and environmental security – new approaches to close the gap

9.00am – 5.00pm on 03 December 2012 – 04 December 2012 at The Royal Society, London.

Scientific discussion meeting organised by Professor Guy Poppy, Professor Paul Jepson, Professor John Pickett CBE FRS and Dr Michael Birkett.

Event details

A growing population coupled with climate change increases pressure on land and food security. The sustainable production of sufficient food, water and energy is challenging and boundaries between intensive/extensive and high tech/low tech agriculture need to broken down. This meeting reports on innovative science and adoption of novel strategies that open new windows of opportunity for sustainable production intensification.

Biographies of the organisers and speakers will be available below soon and you can also download the draft programme (PDF). Recorded audio of the presentations will be available on this page after the event and papers will be published in a future issue of Philosophical Transactions B.

Attending this event

This event is intended for researchers in relevant fields and is free to attend. There are a limited number of places and registration is essential. An optional lunch is offered and should be booked during registration (all major credit cards accepted). but pre-registration online is essential.

Participants are also encouraged to attend the related satellite meeting Can science help us get back to the countryside? which immediately follows this event.

Standards in South-South Trade and Opportunities for Advancing the Sustainability Agenda

When: Wednesday, November 30th to Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Where: Washington DC in the World Bank Building

The enhanced South-South economic integration leads to growing interest in regional harmonization and equivalence among trade standards. In order to judge the role of standards in South-South trade regarding their potential development benefit, the conference will draw a detailed picture, taking the diversity of products traded and the spatial heterogeneity of trade flow into account, and explore the related impacts, potentials, and limitations of standards. A focus will be put on the drivers of standardization and harmonization, co-regulation in the timber sector, and the specific perspective of small and medium enterprises.

The Trade Standards Practitioners Network (TSPN) is an international network of multilateral agencies, bilateral organizations, research institutes, NGOs, and other practitioners in the field of sustainability standards. Bringing together the know-how of all members, our mission is to better enable developing countries to take advantage of and participate more effectively in standard-based markets.

The conference, together with the member meeting, is the major annual event of the Network. It will not only guarantee for versatile professional discussion on the South-South trade topic; it also provides the opportunity to personally connect with representatives from diverse stakeholders in the standards field from all over the world.

For registration, please use the form at the TSPN 2011 Conference web page http://www.tradestandards.org/en/Article.299.aspx .

Please add your name to the file name and send it to info@tradestandards.org until the end of October.

There is no participation fee.

Download the call for registration: Invitation_TSPN Conference 2011_South-South Trade

Inklusive Geschäftsmodelle

Kleinbauernförderung durch private Unternehmen – ein Widerspruch?

Wann: 07. Oktober 2011, 9.00 – 17.00 Uhr

Wo: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und
Entwicklung (BMZ), Dahlmannstr. 4, 53113 Bonn, Nelson Mandela Saal

Das Thema der Marktintegration von Kleinbauern ist nicht neu in der entwicklungspolitischen Debatte, erlebt aber vor dem Hintergrund sich verändernder globaler Rahmenbedingungen derzeit eine neue Konjunktur. Unter „Inklusiven Geschäftsmodellen“ werden innovative Kooperationen zwischen Kleinbauern und Privatwirtschaft verstanden, die aus der Geschäftsbeziehung einen entwicklungspolitischen Mehrwert entfalten sowie Kleinbauern in ihrer Handlungs- und Verhandlungskapazität stärken.

Die inklusive Ausgestaltung von Lieferbeziehungen zwischen Kleinbauern und Unternehmen ist ein Instrument mit Potential. In der Praxis existiert eine Vielzahl von Modellen, die bereits angewandt werden. Allerdings sind Inklusive Geschäftsmodelle keine Selbstläufer. Sowohl Unternehmen als auch Kleinbauern sehen sich neuen Herausforderungen gegenüber. Und: Neue Beratungsprogramme sowie Agrar- und Sektorpolitiken können Anreize setzen, damit sich die Zusammenarbeit für alle Seiten lohnt.

Können angesichts der oft großen Macht-Ungleichheit zwischen Unternehmen
und Kleinbauern wirklich beide Seiten gewinnen?

Das BMZ lädt Sie daher ein, zusammen mit Vertretern aus Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, Wissenschaft, Privatwirtschaft und Zivilgesellschaft über Konzept und Praxis Inklusiver Geschäftsmodelle zu diskutieren.

Kontakt: Manuela.Vollbrecht@giz.de

Programm Download: BMZ Einladung Inklusive Geschäftsmodelle

Nachhaltige Palmölproduktion

Die FAZ berichtete über das “Forum für nachhaltiges Palmöl”, das von der GIZ mitinitiiert wurde:
Klimawandel: Handel rückt Herstellung von Palmöl in den Fokus. Palmöl gilt als Gefahr für den Regenwald und Treiber des Klimawandels. Deutsche Unternehmen wollen reagieren und ihre Lieferketten umstellen. Henkel, Rewe und Unilever initiieren dafür ein „Forum für nachhaltiges Palmöl“, andere folgen.
http://www.faz.net/artikel/C31151/klimawandel-handel-rueckt-herstellung-von-palmoel-in-den-fokus-30433405.html

3rd European Forum for Rural Development

The forum is an initiative by the European Commission and EU Presidency with the support of France, Germany, Ireland, the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA). Around 500 experts in rural development from all around the world will be attending. Areas in agricultural cooperation which will be discussed include governance, food security and social protection, land issues, ecologically efficient agricultural systems for smallholder farmers, the role of the private sector, rural financing and the civil society in rural development.

• Blog
• Forum homepage

Annual TSPN Conference: Standards for a Sustainable Agriculture and the Mitigation of Climate Change ׀ November 17-18, 2010 ׀ Bern, Switzerland

Global atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) have increased markedly, agriculture-related activities being important contributors. The industrialization of agriculture, intensification of production, significant use of agro-chemicals, expansion of crop and grazing land and related land use changes have been the main driving forces of agricultural GHG emissions.

Overall, agriculture accounts for about 15 percent of global GHG emissions. This figure is confined to direct GHG emissions at production level, not including pro-duction of agricultural inputs and fixed capital equipment or processing and trade of agricultural products. The GHG share of agriculture rises to approximately 30 percent if land use changes and deforestation are included. GHG emissions are predicted to rise in response to population growth and changing diets in develop¬ing countries, in particular towards greater consumption of ruminant meats and dairy products, as well as the further spread of industrial and factory farming in developed and developing countries.

For a large number of developing countries, agriculture remains the single most important sector. Yet, climate change has the potential to damage irreversibly the natural resource base on which agriculture depends, with grave consequences for food security. However, as a major source of GHGs, agriculture has much untapped potential to reduce emissions through reduced deforestation and changes in land use and agricultural practices. There is a general consensus on the urgent need for adaptation and mitigation measures to reduce the adverse effects of climate change, particularly in developing countries, which are expected to be most affected.

Product and production standards offer leverage to enable the agriculture and forestry sectors to participate in a “low carbon economy”. Standard systems pro¬vide a well-proven and cost-effective instrument for the management of sustaina¬ble value creation chains. The implementation of standards and standard systems offer possibilities to achieve comprehensive sustainability effects, and can integrate aspects of climate protection with a view to facilitating the transition to more sus-tainable, resilient and environmentally friendly agricultural production methods.

In this context, the TSPN annual conference aimed at finding answers to the question which criteria must be fulfilled so that standards can contribute to sus-tainable agriculture and the mitigation of climate change while at the same time improving economic conditions in developing countries.

Download the conference report and visit www.tradestandards.org

Contact: Johann F. Moltmann, TSPN Secretariat, johann.moltmann@tradestandards.org

ICT for Rural Economic Development – 18-19. November 2010, Berlin

Background

In rural areas of developing countries, promoting economic development implies enhancing income generation and livelihood opportunities by improving the access of small-scale producers and small businesses to markets for goods, services and commodities, to basic services (i.e. education, vocational training, finance) and to information on market conditions. Improving the business environment around the rural producers in a way that they can benefit from local, national and international markets is hence a key enabler for rural economic development.

Improving access to markets however requires overcoming a number of challenges that hamper the competitiveness of rural producers; including: a) insufficient market orientation of their production and dependence on a small number of economic activities, b) remoteness and sparse population density, lack of transport infrastructure, c) insecurity and lack of effective rule of law, d) inadequate physical infrastructure and basic services, lack of support infrastructure, e) dysfunctional land and property ownership structures.

The positive impact of Information and Communication Technologies

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have a positive and significant impact on economic growth. A recent study from the World Bank1 shows for instance that, in low and middle-income economies, for each 10 percent increase in Internet broadband penetration, the economic growth rate increases by about 1.38 percentage points. Business initiatives but also policies and regulations that enable or promote investment in ICT infrastructures and services in rural areas may thus boost economic growth in these regions.

ICT can also play a significant role to foster economic development by improving the business environment in rural areas. They can provide rural businesses with access to information (e.g. price, trends, market size, contacts, “know how”) as well as financial and non-financial services (e.g. business development services). At the same time ICT generate new business opportunities and improve the business enabling environment by reducing transaction costs and improving the investment climate. ICT facilitate networking and partnering, and can therefore contribute to value chain promotion. By connecting rural areas more closely to national and global information, knowledge, or social networks, ICT can motivate young entrepreneurs to stay in these regions. ICT can thus play a significant role in fostering efficiency, productivity and innovations in rural areas.

The Conference

Against this background and on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GTZ will be organizing an international conference on the potential of ICT for contributing to economic development in rural areas.

The conference aims at highlighting the role ICT can play for economic development in rural areas. By bringing together experts and practitioners working in the area of ICT4D, economic development and rural development, it will enable an exchange of ideas, international good practices and trends in this field of development cooperation. The presentation of effective ICT solutions, business models as well as policies will illustrate the impact and potential of ICT for economic development in rural areas. The conference ultimately aims to outline future fields of action for Development Cooperation and to promote cooperation between public and private actors in interventions of development cooperation in rural economic development.

The conference will be held in English and will be part of a series of conferences on ICT4D (together with the 2008 e-Government conference or the 2009 e-Health conference).

Further information:

Venue: GTZ-House Berlin
Date: 18-19. November 2010
Participants: Invited Guests


• Preliminary Agenda
• Twitter: #ictgtz
• Conference blog: http://ict.ez-blogs.de/ict4d-berlin-conference (will go live 12. November 2010)
• The following organisations will be represented: FAO, ITU, UNCTAD, InfoDev, CTO, BMZ, BMELV, BMWi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, DFID, GTZ, DED, KfW, InWent, Tufts University, Hasso-Plattner-Institute, Fraunhofer, University of Siegen, Royal Holloway, IICD, Kabissa, LinkNet Zambia, Kiwanja.net, GSMA, BITKOM, SAP, NSN, Manobi, MicroBanker, Detecon, Intelecon, BIID, etc.

GTZ: Discussion “Green Sahel”

copyright: Seyllou / AFP

When we think of the Sahel zone, we generally think of drylands, drought and hunger. But there seem to be some positive developments taking place in the Sahel, too. In fact, according to some experts, a re-greening process is happening in the Sahel. The reasons for this have been the subject of controversial debate. Certain experts link this phenomenon to an increase in rainfall. Others argue it is due to changes in land and tree use legislation which have incentivised farmers to plant and maintain tree stocks. But just how far-reaching an impact do grass-roots initiatives of this kind actually have – and will they really make the Sahel green again?

When: Thursday, 28 October 2010, from 10.30 am to 4.00 pm

Where: Gustav-Stresemann Institut (GSI), Bonn, Langer Grabenweg 68

Several speakers will present their take on the situation in the Sahel.

The two keynote speakers at this event are:

• Dr Hannelore Kußerow (Institute of Geographical Sciences, Berlin University)
• Dr Chris Reij (Center for International Cooperation, VU University Amsterdam)

After the presentations, we would like to engage in a debate about possible fields of action for development cooperation. We are looking forward to some interesting presentations and a lively discussion. If you would like to be a part of the event, please confirm your attendance at the following email address: adelheid.humer-gruber@gtz.de
Please note that the discussion will be held in English.

Programm Green Sahel – Invitation_Green_Sahel

Future of Agriculture – the documents

Plenum:

Prof. Dr. Joachim von Braun: The Future of Agriculture
Dr. Shenggen Fan: Investing in Agriculture and Social Protection for Halving Hunger and Poverty
Dr. Sebastien Treyer: Scenarios and challenges for feeding the world in 2050
Prof. Erik Millstone: A view from the UK: predictions, foresight or policy choices – and the Global Food and Farming Futures Project
Dr. Juan Gonzalez-Valero: Working towards a vision for a sustainable production system
Dr. Monika Zurek: Views from the Agricultural Development Program of the B&M Gates Foundation

Windows to the regions: Brasil, Laos, Vietnam, Kenya, Chad

Theme 1: Partnership farming – linking smallholders to commodity markets

Idsert Jelsma: The NESP Ophir Project:A smallholder success story from West Sumatra, Indonesia
Martina Fleckenstein: Linking Smallholders to Commodity Markets – Role of Certification & Standard
Yotsawin Kukeawkasem: Partnership Farming: Towards Sustainability of Oil Palm Smallholders in Thailand
Ron Pal: Partnership Farming – Linking smallholders to booming commodity markets
Thomas Breuer: Partnership farming – linking smallholders to commodity markets

Theme 2: New Technologies for Agriculture in 2050: Vertical Farming
Agrotechnological Innovations and Smart Foods

Evi Gruber/Andreas Blüthner: SAFO Strategic Alliance for the Fortification of Oils and other Staple Foods
Prof. Joachim Sauerborn: Skyfarming: Multi-story crop production to improve food-security?
Prof. Dr. – Ing.Till Meinel: New technologies in Agricultural Engineering

Theme 3: Efficiency – coping with scarcity of natural resources in agriculture

Dr. Joachim Lammel: New technologies in Agricultural Engineering
Dr. Felix Prinz zu Löwenstein: Efficiency coping with scarcity of natural resources in Agriculture
Dr. Ferdinand Schmitt: Efficiency of Livestock

Theme 4: The commons and their governance as paradigm for the 21st century

Jutta Schmitz: Governing CPRs
Silke Helfrich: The Commons –  a framework for agricultural practices & policies?

Photographs of the event can be found on flickr.

The Future of Agriculture – Scenarios, Concepts, Visions

A world in balance: a sustainably intensified agriculture to provide enough food for all and preserve natural resources

This symposium in August 2010 will present current initiatives to describe potential scenarios and concepts of tomorrow’s agriculture. It will bring together international experts, private-sector representatives, decision-makers, opinion leaders with GTZ staff from a broad range of countries to reflect on the shape of the agricultural sector by 2050.

Key issues under discussion will be, among others:

• Multifunctionality: What services should be provided by the agricultural sector to society, e.g. production of food, feed and fuel, environmental services, preserving cultural heritage and who is paying for it
• Income generation: Under which conditions can the agricultural sector be an engine of economic growth and provide jobs especially for poor people to future generations?
• Finding the right scale: Will the world’s food supply be produced on small-scale farms with low input use such as fertilizer, pesticides and agricultural machinery, or will the farmers of the future be highly qualified professionals applying large-scale production systems with an array of high-tech instruments and capital input?
• Rural vs. urban: What will be the dominant migration patterns? Will ever fewer people in rural areas produce the bulk of food staple crops while at the same time peri-urban agriculture is supplying the fresh produce market?
• The functional divide: Will arid areas of the globe be used to power solar plants and agricultural production will be concentrated in fertile regions of the planet?
• Technology: New themes such as vertical agriculture, in-vitro meat production, functional food or cloning are coming more and more into the debate. New ways of communication impact the way agricultural products are produced and marketed.

We look forward to sharing and discussing the future of agriculture with you. Your participation is most welcome and we hope to see you in Königstein, Germany, in August 2010.

25. – 26. August 2010
Communication  and Training Center Königstein near Frankurt
Oliver Hanschke
Email: future-of-agriculture@gtz.de
Tel: +49 6196 793293