Dear AgriFoSe2030 friends,
This is the final
newsletter for AgriFoSe phase 2—it's hard to believe how quickly four years
have passed! When I look back at what has been accomplished during these four
years, I feel an immense sense of pride. Most of all, I am proud to work in a
programme alongside so many dedicated and passionate researchers, farmers, and
other stakeholders who are contributing to making our planet a little better. I
was just watching the film from Burkina Faso included in this newsletter, which
shows women making soap to generate household income. It’s a great example of a
tangible activity that strengthens the role of women and improves the living
conditions of poor farming families.
We also see that projects
within the programme have influenced policy processes at both national and local
levels, which is incredibly powerful. Several project teams are also working on
finalizing scientific articles to share their findings and insights with the
academic community, and two of these are presented in this newsletter.
For those of us who are working
on finalizing phase 2, the last months have been intense. We have just
completed four so-called impact briefs, which consist of overarching
reflections from each of the four programme areas. You can find them in this
newsletter, and they contain concrete tips and reflections on how science can
be translated into improved practices and contribute to policy processes. We
have also initiated an external outcome evaluation to investigate whether the
programme as a whole will meet its goals and create impact. The results of this
evaluation will be presented during the first half of 2025.
If you have a few minutes
to spare, I recommend you take a look at the short film included in this
newsletter that gives a short re-cap of phase 2. Bring some popcorn!
Even though this is the
final newsletter for phase 2, we are working to present a possible extension of the programme for an additionally two years. More information about that will come.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Sofia Boqvist Programme Director | | | | | The AgriFoSe2030 programme challenge briefs
provide a comprehensive overview of the projects' approaches, highlighting their
ways of working, key success factors, challenges encountered, and overall
learnings. Each brief offers valuable insights into the diverse approaches used
to address food security and agricultural sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa
and South and Southeast Asia, with a strong focus on fostering local knowledge
and stakeholder engagement.
By documenting strategies that have proven
effective, as well as challenges faced along the way, these briefs serve as
learning tools for future interventions. They emphasize the importance of designing iterative cause-effect pathways,
collaboration, adaptive approaches, and innovation in achieving impactful
outcomes, showcasing AgriFoSe2030's commitment to sustainable agricultural
development. Through these briefs,
AgriFoSe2030 underscores the value of stepwise approaches to policy and
practice engagements and non-technical leverage points that create broad
impact.
| Improving access to safe and nutritous foodChallenge 1 has focused on how poor households can have better access to safe and nutritious food. This included food loss in the various stages of production, aspects of food safety and how to connect smallholder farmers to markets.
| | | | Agricultural productivity and ecosystem functions
An increased agricultural productivity to meet a growing food demand and for improving income for smallholders is desired in the agricultural sector. This has to happen while securing the well-needed functions and services from ecosystems. Navigating between these two requirements has been the essence of Challenge 2, that targeted practitioners and policy stakeholder by supporting dialogue with scientists.
| | | | Science-based innovation and extension
A well-developed science and knowledge-based extension service is crucial for improving smallholder productivity and profitability in a sustainable way. Challenge 3 has been approaching these challenges and worked to improve conditions for smallholder farmers. | | | | Promoting smallholder farmers’ autonomy and
participation within transforming food systems
Rapid urbanisation and expanding urban food markets provide opportunities for smallholder farmers to engage more with markets. To support an inclusive participation of smallholders, agricultural policies and interventions need to recognise and lower existing barriers to participation. Translating science to inform policy in this development has been the overall objective of Challenge 4.
| | | | | |
Barriers and enablers of digital extension services’ adoption among smallholder farmers: the case of Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam
One of the project teams in Challenge 3 recently published a scientific article on barriers and enablers of digital extension services´adoption among smallholder farmers. You find the full article below.
| | |
Gender-based approaches for improving milk safety, value addition, and marketing among smallholder livestock farmers
Welcome to read this recently published article on gender-based approaches for improving milk safety, value addition, and marketing among smallholder livestock farmers. The article is based on results from Challenge 1 in AgriFoSe2030.
| | | | |
Stakeholder engagement drives agricultural progress in Kenya
A decade ago Kenya embarked on the path of devolution, a transformative move to enhance service delivery and foster self-governance by shifting governmental functions to the county level. This decentralization presented both challenges and opportunities, especially in the agricultural sector. Formerly managed by the National Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural responsibilities now rest with devolved ministries, allowing for tailored, local interventions aimed at boosting productivity.
| | | | | Soap-making film from Burkina Faso | Inspiring discussion at Gothenburg Book FairSustainable food production is a pressing issue today
and will become even more crucial in the future. On September 26, 2024,
AgriFoSe2030 participated in a seminar on Future Food at the Gothenburg Book
Fair, organized in collaboration with Sida, SIANI, and Universeum. The seminar
emphasized the potential of edible insects as a sustainable food option,
supporting future food security. AgriFoSe2030 also showcased its edible insect cookbooks,
developed as part of Challenge 1, and encouraged attendees to sample mealworms
and crickets.
| AgriFoSe2030 at the DevRes conference | AgriFoSe2030 participated at the conference DevRes2024 at Lund University in the end of October. Heather Mackay from challenge 4 presented ‘How AgriFoSe2030 Achieved Research Impact Benefiting Smallholders’ at the impact story session, where she showcased how and in what way our research has contributed to societal impact linked to sustainable development in a least developed or middle–income country. The session was meant to both exemplify the diversity that Swedish affiliated researchers and their international collaborators engage in as well as inspire constructive hope about the critical importance of this research field to contribute to reaching the SDGs.
| | | Edible
insect cookbooks featured in new digital book
| The edible
insect cookbooks from Challenge 1 were featured in the new Swedish digital book “Matskiftet – 12 idéer” (The Food Shift – 12
ideas) celebrating World Food Day, 16 October.
| | | |
