Month: July 2021

Jul 28, 2021 | News, Press Release

AGRF and Heifer International Launch Pitch AgriHack 2021

Competition provides cash grants to innovators, increasing use of technology and creating jobs across Africa’s agricultural sector

Nairobi: The AGRF and Heifer International today announced the launch of Pitch AgriHack 2021, a competition focused on accelerating entrepreneurial growth and job creation in the agriculture sector by leveraging advanced technologies and youth participation in Africa’s
food security agenda. This seventh edition of Pitch AgriHack is a pitching contest aimed exclusively at African businesses bringing technological innovation to the agriculture sector. Generation Africa, a thematic platform of the AGRF will host the competition.

The open competition portion of Pitch AgriHack 2021 will support companies that are driving innovation in agriculture across three categories-Early-stage, Mature/Growth-stage, and Women-led, with prizes totalling US$45,000. A fourth invite-only category known as the AYuTe Africa Challenge, sponsored by Heifer International, will award up to $1.5 million in grants to scalable ventures that are already generating measurable impact for Africa’s smallholder farmers.

“As a continent with a thriving youth population, Africa’s agricultural sector must look to its youth for the innovation that will fuel the future growth of this strategically important sector,” said Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President for Africa Programs at Heifer International. “Integrating youth and technology in the agricultural sector will transform the continent, creating new jobs and income-generating opportunities for young Africans”.

In addition to its sponsorship of Pitch AgriHack 2021, Heifer International is partnering with Generation Africa to run this year’s competition. Both organizations have a shared vision of eradicating hunger and poverty through sustainable, community-led development that begins with agriculture.

“It’s a privilege to have an established and experienced non-profit organization like Heifer International on board,” said Head of Generation Africa, Dickson Naftali. “ At Generation Africa, we believe that food systems can change if we collaboratively support young African agrifood entrepreneurs. Pitch AgriHack 2021 can give access to the tools and expertise they
need to make their businesses successful.”

Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA and Special Envoy to the UN Food Systems Summit, said, “We are excited to welcome Heifer International as it partners with the AGRF and Generation Africa on Pitch AgriHack 2021. By working together, sharing knowledge, and
supporting mutually beneficial projects, we can make a bigger impact and drive agricultural transformation in Africa. We want young people across Africa to hear our message – the future of food and farming depends on them.”

Six winners will be selected from the open-application categories and two winners from the invite-only AYuTe Africa Challenge category, with winners announced at the AGRF Summit which takes place September 7-10 in Nairobi. Top contestants will receive a one-day boot
camp in preparation for their final pitches, with winners receiving continued support as they develop and grow their enterprises.

Business profiles of the finalists will also be published in a Deal Book for circulation at the AGRF and online, while individual profiles will be made public on the genafrica.org platform and reviewed for relevance to their investor community.

Applications are open July 27 to August 16, 2021

 

ABOUT HEIFER INTERNATIONAL
For 77 years, Heifer International has worked with more than 36 million people around the
world to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. Working with rural communities
across Africa for 47 years, Heifer International supports farmers and local food producers to
strengthen local economies and build secure livelihoods that provide a living income. For
information, visit https://www.heifer.org.

ABOUT GENERATION AFRICA
Generation Africa is a thematic platform of the AGRF, whose mandate is to strengthen the
ecosystem for youth entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector across Africa. From its start in
2019, Generation Africa has brought together industry leaders, government institutions,
NGOs, NPOs, and community platforms to collaborate on ecosystem development, curation
and support of agribusinesses, research and advocacy, and the inspiration of young people
to embrace opportunities in the agrifood sector. Find out more at https://genafrica.org

ABOUT THE AGRF
The AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together
stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that
will move African agriculture forward. Under AGRF’s current strategy, the Forum is
particularly focused on driving progress of the Malabo Declaration by 2025 as the priority set
of commitments African Heads of State and Government have made to strengthen
agricultural development at the centre of the continent’s overall development and progress.
The AGRF is organised by the AGRF Partners Group, a coalition of institutions that care
about Africa’s agriculture transformation. For more information visit https://agrf.org

Contact: Jane Machigere
jane@jsmcommunications.com
www.genafrica.org

Jul 17, 2021 | Announcement

Side Events – 6 September

Side events are an enriching, dynamic part of the AGRF. At the upcoming AGRF, which will be held from 7-10 September 2021, the side events will be on the preceding day – 6 September. Last year, 10,000 people participated in AGRF and we hope even more will join us at a special hybrid event this year, hosted by the government of Kenya. The theme of the Forum is Pathways to Recovery and Resilient Food Systems.

All applications will be considered against important criteria:

The side-event application form attached may be completed before the deadline of July 30, 2021. There are often many applications, so events may be combined or adapted, and not all can be accommodated. Once approved, the events are self-organized and briefings will be held to integrate the event into the Forum platform. We look forward to your proposals. Sessions will be held in a mix of 45 minute and 105 minute slots.

  • The relevance to the theme of Pathways to Recovery and Resilient Food Systems
  • Diverse speakers bringing unique voices to the themes
  • AGRF Partnership and New commitments

 

Click here to download the Application form

 

 

Kindly send your completed form to Catherine Ndung’u cndungu@agra.org cc’ing AGRFProgram@agrf.org

Jul 9, 2021 | Blog

AGRF 2021 to focus on partnerships, inclusivity and commitments in food systems resilience

In a critical year for food systems transformation, 140 distinguished delegates from the private sector, governments, civil society, media, and development partners gathered at the Sankara Hotel, Nairobi, for the AGRF 2021 Summit launch. More than 900 people joined virtually.

Rallying cries for accelerated action towards the AGRF’s 2021 themes of Pathways to Recovery and Resilient Food Systems were made by the Chair of AGRA and the AGRF Partners Group, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn; Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda, Hon. Gerardine Mukeshimana; Managing Director of The Rockefeller Foundation William Asiko; Special Envoy on COVID-19 for the World Health Organization (WHO) David Nabarro, and many others.

It was widely agreed that Africa’s food systems are not working for all of its people and that the answers to future resilience lie in collaboration – specifically partnerships with and investment from private sector organizations; leadership commitments; and the elevation of the voices of children and youth.

At the launch, Tom Staal, Deputy Mission Director, USAID, said: “The upcoming AGRF 2021 Summit is a great opportunity for the private sector community to forge partnerships in the agriculture sector.

“The AGRF 2021 themes of Pathways to Recovery and Resilient Food Systems are right on point,” he added.

COVID-19 was also a key point of discussion, with many saying the pandemic was a catalyst for change, not the single cause of the recent rise in moderate and acute food insecurity globally.

“[The pandemic] is causing challenges and revealing weakness – including that food systems are not working as they should and highlighting the need for food systems transformation everywhere,” Special Envoy on COVID-19 for WHO, David Nabarro, said.

In a hard-hitting address, Jai Shroff, CEO of UPL Limited, empathized with Africa’s smallholder farmers, highlighted the serious threat of climate change, and brought to light the opportunities, not just the challenges, that lie ahead.

“UPL started in India; we understand the pain and challenges being faced by the smallholder farmer and food systems. We have this challenge of climate change; we have food prices at all-time high and commodity prices high – these are fantastic opportunities for farmers,” he said.

“Climate change is the single biggest risk the world is facing. Agriculture is one of the most important areas to reduce the impact – it can reduce the carbon from the atmosphere and plough it back into the soil,” he added.

All delegates agreed that with increased working capital – that will come in part from the de-risking of agriculture for private banks – agriculture can drive GDP growth and prove farming can be a business.

The President of AGRA, Dr Agnes Kalibata, stated: “Our continent lives on farming. 70% of our people are involved in agriculture. 60% of women are farming. Yet we are not making enough out of this. We need to make it a viable business.”

In a heartfelt statement, Senior Vice President of Africa Programs at Heifer International, Adesuwa Ifedi, said: “The next generation of farmers are not begging for job opportunities in agriculture. Agriculture in Africa is actually begging for their involvement to unleash its potential.”

Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and AGRF Chair, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn urged African youth to come forward and mobilize towards achieving resilient food systems, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the AGRF’s contributions to the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS).

“I invite all of you to join us in the campaign for agricultural and food systems transformation, and I hope you will all join us at the Summit 6-10 September. It is your participation and thought leadership that makes AGRF the leading Forum for our shared cause,” said H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn.

Register to attend the AGRF 2021 Summit, a hybrid event being hosted in Kenya and online: https://agrf.summit.tc/

Jul 8, 2021 | News, Press Release

AGRF stakeholders calls for strong leadership as Africa defines its vision for the future of food systems in the upcoming AGRF 2021 Summit in September

The AGRF 2021 Summit program will feature new commitments to the Future Food Systems on equitable livelihoods, nutrition & health, resilience, and competitiveness.

Nairobi, Kenya, July 8, 2021— A line up of 500 guests, including governments, private sector, youth, women leaders and farmer organization will convene in Nairobi, Kenya on September 6-10 for the AGRF 2021 Summit under the leadership of H.E Uhuru Kenyatta. They are expected to be joined virtually by over 10,000 delegates from more than 150 countries for the Summit, which will focus on accelerating progress towards the development of resilient food systems on the continent.

Under the theme of Pathways to Recovery and Resilient Food Systems, this year’s AGRF Summit will put a spotlight on new commitments to the future of African food systems and showcase how resilience will be built out of leadership at all levels.

The Summit will have a special focus on the role of women and youth in transforming Africa’s food systems with various issues faced by these groups expected to dominate the discussions at the First Ladies Forum and the Youth Hall respectively.

The former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and AGRF Board Chair, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, said that he was inspired to see Africans leaders make Agriculture as priority but noted that a lot more needed to be done.

“Now more than ever we must prioritise inclusive agricultural transformation. We must work collaboratively
to ensure that policy, technology and finances respond to the needs of our farmers. This is critical to achieve
zero hunger across the continent and around the globe. H.E. Dessalegn added.

Co-organized with the Government of Kenya, with the support of 26 partner institutions, this year’s Summit comes at a pivotal time when global voices convene under the Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) to shift the conversation on how food is produced and consumed and the role it plays to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

As part of its contribution to the UNFSS, the AGRF 2021 Summit aims to elevate the single, coordinated African voice, by identifying immediate actions and steps to be taken to accelerate progress towards the development of resilient food systems.

Representing the host government, Kenya’s Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, the Hon. Peter Munya, said the conversation at the AGRF needs to extend beyond agriculture and consider the food system from farm to fork.

“We must change the way we approach and prioritize food systems on the continent. We can no longer
limit food systems to the farm. Our approach must reflect the complexity and importance of food systems
and value of collaboration, as governments, the private sector, development partners and consumers, to
deliver more inclusive and resilient food systems on the continent,” he said.

COVID-19 highlighted the fragility of the continent’s food systems. Lockdowns, curfews and illnesses revealed threats in supply throughout Africa, and the pandemic was another example of the need to build more resilient food systems on the continent. Since 2014, droughts have cost the region US$372 billion. While the worst locust outbreak in a generation in Ethiopia and Somalia during 2019/20 destroyed over 356,000MT of cereals and almost 1.5 million hectares of crop and pasture in Ethiopia.

The AGRF 2021 Summit will provide a platform for all stakeholders to align on the actions and commitments needed to build resilient food systems which end hunger and support the delivery of the sustainable development goals.

Jennifer Baarn, Acting Managing Director AGRF said, the AGRF 2021 Summit is a defining moment for Africa’s food systems. “This is our time to create our own vision for Africa’s food systems,” she said. It is our time to listen, innovate, plan and invest for Africa. What we invest in African agriculture today will determine the future of food in Africa and the world tomorrow,” she added.

Some of the key highlights at this year’s AGRF 2021 Summit will include the Agribusiness Deal Room, a platform connecting entrepreneurs and governments with investors. This year the deal room is aiming to showcase a pipeline of USD 5 billion of investment opportunities across Africa. The Summit will also feature the Africa Food Prize, a Presidential Summit, and a Ministerial Roundtable.

This year’s launch attracted among other dignitaries, Hon. Gerardine Mukeshimana, Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda, and Hon. Salifou Ouedraogo, Minister of Agriculture, Bukina Faso. It was also graced by David Nabarro, Special Envoy on Covid-19 for the World Health Organisation; Godfrey Bahigwa, Director of Rural Economy and Agriculture at African Union Commission, among other guests.

For Media Inquiries Contact:

Eugene Ng’ang’a
enganga@hudsonsandler.com
Tel +254 703 516 173

About the AGRF

The AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture forward. Under AGRF’s current strategy, the Forum is particularly focused on driving progress of the Malabo Declaration by 2025 as the priority set of commitments African Heads of State and Government have made to strengthen agricultural development at the center of the continent’s overall development and progress.
The AGRF is organised by the AGRF Partners Group, a coalition of institutions that care about Africa’s agriculture transformation.

About the AGRF Partner’s Group
The AGRF Partners Group is made up of 26 leading actors in African agriculture all focused on putting farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economies. Members include: African Development Bank (AfDB), African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), African Union Commission (AUC), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Bayer AG, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CGIAR System Organization, Corteva Agriscience, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Government of Rwanda, Grow Africa (AUDA-NEPAD), Heifer International, IKEA Foundation, International Development Research Center (IDRC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mastercard Foundation, OCP Group, Rockefeller Foundation, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), Syngenta Foundation, The Tony Blair Institute, UPL Limited,
US Agency for International Development (USAID), Yara International ASA.

Jul 5, 2021 | Blog

Kenya to Host the AGRF 2021 Summit

Nairobi, 1 July 2021 – Kenya will host the AGRF 2021 Summit, which this year will focus on the bold
actions needed for agriculture to fuel the continent’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and
continued food systems transformation. The four-day Summit will take place from September 7 until 10
in Nairobi, Kenya.

Speaking during a courtesy call to H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President, Republic of Kenya, H.E.
Hailemariam Dessalegn, the former Ethiopia Prime Minister and AGRF Board Chair, applauded the
Kenyan Government for making agriculture a priority, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s inspiring to see the progress Kenya has made in agriculture, this is the kind of visionary leadership
that the continent needs to end hunger and malnutrition and for our continent’s shared prosperity,” H.E.
Hailemariam Dessalegn said.

The AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the
agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture
forward.

Jennifer Baarn, acting Managing Director, AGRF, said that the 2021 Summit is taking place at a defining
moment for the continent. “This year’s AGRF takes place when the global voices converge around food
systems. It is also the time when the world’s focus turns to the economic and social recovery from the
COVD-19 pandemic. We have learned a lot in the past 18 months, there are a lot of opportunities to
accelerate and catalyse agricultural transformation,” Ms. Baarn said. She added that the 2021 Summit
will provide a platform to highlight and unlock many of the political, policy, and financial commitments
and innovations needed to get back on track to targets outlined in the Malabo Declaration and the
Sustainable Development Goals.

This year the Summit is expected to host over 10,000 delegates virtually with a scaled-down physical
event in Nairobi.

For Media Inquiries Contact:

Simon Crump – +254 791 398 792
Eugene Ng’ang’a +254 703 516 173
agrf@hudsonsandler.com

About AGRF

The AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the
agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture
forward. Under AGRF’s current strategy, the Forum is particularly focused on driving progress of the
Malabo Declaration by 2025 as the priority set of commitments African Heads of State and Government
have made to strengthen agricultural development at the center of the continent’s overall development
and progress. The AGRF is organised by the AGRF Partners Group, a coalition of institutions that care
about Africa’s agriculture transformation.
https://agrf.org/

About the AGRF Partner’s Group

The AGRF Partners Group is made up of 26 leading actors in African agriculture all focused on putting
farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economies. Members include: African Development
Bank (AfDB), African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), African Union Commission
(AUC), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Bayer AG, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), CGIAR System Organization, Corteva
Agriscience, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Foreign, Commonwealth
& Development Office (FCDO), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Government of Rwanda,
Grow Africa (AUDA-NEPAD), Heifer International, IKEA Foundation, International Development
Research Center (IDRC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mastercard
Foundation, OCP Group, Rockefeller Foundation, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural
Unions (SACAU), Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), Syngenta Foundation, The Tony Blair Institute,
UPL Limited, US Agency for International Development (USAID), Yara International ASA