ONE WORLD no hunger - Meet the people driving rural transformation

 

The future is rural.

Meet leaders and visionaries from Africa and South Asia who will enter into dialogue with european key actors.

 

Our goal: One world without hunger

With ten years to go, over two billion people are still suffering from malnutrition; almost 690 million of them affected by hunger. As the Covid19 pandemic and climate change have shown, food and nutrition security is affected and exacerbated by global crises. With the world focused on the Coronavirus pandemic, a hunger pandemic is threatening to follow.

 

As one of the largest donors in the field of food and nutrition security and rural development, Germany has invested over 1.5 billion Euros per annum over the past six years through its special initiative ONE WORLD no hunger. In its broad approach to combating hunger, the initiative has worked with change agents, game changers, leaders and visionaries from the fields of politics, science, private sector and civil society in 16 African and Asian countries. The result: A broad alliance of people and organisations committed to SDG2 and a mobilization of minds and ideas to tackle the challenges that matter most to rural communities – and the rural world. 

About the programm

To support this approach effectively, in Germany stakeholders from the fields of politics, science, civil society and private sector are working hand in hand. But more has to be done. The members of this group of stakeholders initiated this feature to discuss their approach to eradicating hunger on a European level. The transformation of rural areas needs people who make a difference – and support from the EU.

 

As Germany presides over the European Union Council, the time is now to promote SDG2 and step up the momentum throughout Europe and the world. Meet the people driving rural transformation and set the stage for the makers and minds transforming rural regions around the world to enter the dialogue with their political, civil society and private sector counterparts in the European Union. For coordinated action on prioritizing food and nutrition security and to ensure the right partnerships for achieving SDG2.

 

 

 

 

We are very interested in your opinion about our program. Please feel free to contact us.

Agenda

The event is divided into four thematic blocks, each dedicated to a central element of rural change: agroecological farming, female leadership, rural governance and cooperatives and innovations in agriculture. For each of these focal points, experts from the global South will enter into discourse with stakeholders of the international SDG 2 community on the implementation of liveable rural areas.

 

 

Host & Key Note

Join host and moderator Christine Mhundwa from Deutsche Welle as she guides us through the ideas and people driving rural transformation. The stakeholders of the government's ONE WORLD No Hunger initiative are also honoured to welcome German Parliamentary State Secretary Dr Maria Flachsbarth for the opening keynote and a call to share responsibility for reaching SDG2.

 

Christine Mhundwa

Host & Moderator

Deutsche Welle

Maria Flachsbarth

Parliamentary State Secretary

BMZ

Agroecological farming

Agroecology is one of the most important answers to curbing the effects of climate change. The elementary building blocks for farming in the process of transformation are healthy, fertile land and healthy seedlings. And, by including planetary health, there is the additional possibility of counteracting future pandemic outbreaks in addition to conserving nature. However, by 2050, the population on the Sub-Saharan Africa is set to double. Arable land is disappearing. Can agroecology absorb the consequences of climate change and at the same time provide sufficient food for people? What coordinated action is now needed together with players in European Union?

 

Azola Devi

Agripreneur

India

Million Belay

Alliance for Food Sovereignty

for Africa I Ethiopia

Carola van Rijnsoever

Director BZ

Netherlands

Female leadership

Without women there is no real development. However, more is needed. When more women take on leadership roles in rural areas, this leads to higher agricultural productivity and a fairer distribution of work, yields and income. The question is whether the right conditions prevail in rural areas to enable empowerment and leadership. As the story shows, women are changing the game in their communities and serving others as inspiration in doing so. The ensuing panel will look at whether the EU is promoting the right structures and institutions to support the transformation of rural areas by outstanding women.

 

Juliette Kouassi

Aboucao cocoa cooperative

Côte d’Ivoire

Nana Adjoa Sifa Amponsah

Yo!Gate Foods I Guzakuza

Ghana

Rural governance and cooperatives

Farmers know best what they need to influence development in their communities and regions. But they must be heard and have the opportunity to organise themselves. The Covid 19 crisis has put progress in rural governance under extreme pressure. Like in many countries around the world, the agricultural sector in Germany’s ONE WORLD no hunger partner regions are facing massive challenges that demand solutions. Our feature outlines approaches that keep things going and the people fighting to keep change on track to truly build back better. Join the conversation as our panel discusses the path EU policy-making has to take to help shape the transformation of rural areas - to benefit everyone.

 

Joseph Ngaah

Kakamega County Farmers

Association I Kenya

Elizabeth Nsimadala

Pan Africa Farmers Organization

Uganda

Mathias Mogge

Welthungerhilfe

Germany

Innovating agriculture

Innovation is the key to transforming agricultural economies. In Africa. In South Asia. In Europe. From drones providing findings for precision farming to state-of-the-art agricultural mechanization technology, the applications being developed are pushing the envelope and propelling rural areas into the future. As our feature shows, Africa’s young agritech scene is spawning ideas that have the potential for significant shifts in the way farmers cultivate crops. Our final panel of the day will bring together minds from India, Kenya and Germany to discuss how they can benefit from greater cooperation, promote cross-border innovation and scale apps and solutions so they reach every smallholder farmer with a mobile phone.

 

 

Moses Kimani

Lentera Africa

Kenya

Devi Murthy

Kamal Kisan

India

Clas Neumann

SAP-Labs

China

Meet the people

The programm One World no hunger: Meet the people attempts to reflect the diversity of ideas and needs of people in rural areas. In order to expand on this claim of the program, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to other creators, visionaries and experts from SEWOH partner countries and projects.

 

“Despite only using a quarter of the farmland I used to have, I produce enough with sustainable agriculture to feed my family and sell on the market. As a community, we are also doing more to help protect our local wildlife.”

Namikuta Evans Tiyeho, Zambia

In the past five years, Namikuta Evans has made his way from smallholder farmer to mentor for his community of Kaanja in Zambia, after adopting sustainable agriculture practices. Because of his own experience that he has passed on to 420 other farmers in his region, the villages now apply conservation agriculture technologies and have departed from farming in wildlife corridors – a strategy that both helps secure natural habitats for the region’s wild animals and also brings in greater yields and food security.

“With all that I do, what I am, and what I have, I feel empowered. I have knowledge I share with others, I can sustain the demands of my family and I help my community with their animal health issues.”

Aliomani Geoffrey, Uganda

Aliomani Geoffrey, 47, from Eden village in the district of Arua has come a long way from his days as a subsistence farmer. Since 2016, when Geoffrey enlisted in a Farmer Field School group, he has applied his upscaled knowledge of crop and livestock management to improve his livelihood and support his community. When he lists his current occupation these days, it ranges from animal health worker to trainer of trainers in conflict resolution or savings and finances to community trainer in good agronomic practices, life skills and nutrition.

“By selecting crop resistant to drought, disease and pests, we establish species that help fight climate change and ensure biodiversity.”

Tchanti W. Markos, Benin

85% of all farms are small family farms according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Born in 1978, Tchanti may be one of millions of similar farmers. However, with his 10 hectares of family farmland, he is striving to make a break with tradition of monoculture many of his peers follow. Corn, sorghum, yam, mung beans, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and cassava are all produced on his plots. He also processes some of his crop to keep an even greater share of income. Where? In the family, of course.

“Safe food is a fundamental human right! If more small-scale farmers grow their own food, this will ensure our children are fed nutritious food and that farmers have extra income.”

Sylvia Miloyo Kuria, Kenya

For Sylvia, the decision to grow safe food in her kitchen garden for her young family came about after she learnt how unsafe chemical inputs were to their health. That was over ten years, and now she is a certified organic farmer. As her garden grew more than enough for her family, Sylvia’s Basket was born in 2016, her first business. In November 2019, she opened her Organic Farm Shop in Nairobi to make organic food accessible and affordable, and to provide other small-scale farmers with a reliable market for their produce. Her wares can now also be bought online and she is always glad to welcome visitors to her garden.

“To renew pastures, Malagasy farmers use fire, leading to soil erosion. Our practices accommodate for limited responses available to farmers.”

Andrianirinarimanana Miray, Madagascar

Madagascar‘s flora and fauna may be rich in diversity but is under threat from human intervention. Where large parts of this natural paradise were once covered by rain forest, only a fraction remains. For Andrianirinarimanana Miray, sustainable land management, forest and landscape restoration and the fight against land degradation are vital to retaining the island’s ecological balance and helping farmers escape the cycle of poverty. In her case, she is devoted to educating smallholders about the destructive effect of slash and burn tactics on their land.

“For the world to achieve sustainable agriculture, we need mentors to pilot methods and European countries to enlighten rural youth on efficient agricultural technologies.“

Andrew A Makatiani, Kenya

And the winner is? Andrew Makatiani! In 2018, this young Kenyan and founder of Lianfam took home the award for best invention and innovation at the Kakamega Agricultural Show. His idea? He came up with the design and construction of a high-capacity brooding machine. With this apparatus, he wanted to put a stop to high mortality rates among chicks. He also wanted to put a stop to the trend of smallholders losing interest in poultry farming, due to loss of investment. To this former Prime Minister for Youth Champions for Change, the key to successful agricultural enterprises lies in multiple value chains and in using the right technology to scale efficiency.

“With proper maps of regions, we can plan strategies for soil rehabilitation and protection for more food security.”

Maya Disraëli Ratsimandresiarivo, Madagascar

More than three quarters of Madagascar’s population live in extreme poverty, many of them in rural areas. One third of the island’s people are malnourished. Nonetheless, the population is expected to double over the next 30 years, putting intense pressure on food security and biodiversity. For Maya Disraëli, agronomist, forester and researcher at the Land, Landscape and Development Research Lab, sustainable land management is at the heart of transforming the island’s subsistence farming system. Working in the field of landscape management for communities she contributes to Medium online magazine where she writes from the field on the issues facing Madagascar and what solutions the island can come up with.

“My vision is to make the 'Lassahou' agropastoral farm in Benin a reference agricultural centre by 2025. Dynamic. Attractive. Environmentally friendly.”

Hamidou Noanti, Benin

For Hamidou, rural development is a holistic approach. Born in 1986 in Gouandé, he terms himself a modern farmer and has been working on his agropastoral centre since 2012. His motto: “You recognize an artisan by their work.” Hamidou takes his vision seriously. Holder of a professional certificate in environmental management, he works in the fields of soil restoration, sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, aquaculture and integrated livestock and on promoting innovative techniques. Making agriculture more sustainable and resilient to climatic hazards, he believes, will not only benefit people and farmers in terms of income. He also sees advantages in the social sphere when the local population, especially under 5-year olds, can get the right nutrition for healthy growth.

“Introducing digital solutions helps farmers grow more quality food by enabling them to adopt modern cultivation practices.”

Inji Zaki, Egypt

In Egypt, a country where almost 80% of the country's arable land is cultivated by small farmers, a great challenge is how to reach many of the smallholders who live in virtual isolation. Like their peers elsewhere around the world, they face numerous challenges, including a lack of knowledge of cultivation practices, control of plant diseases and pests, and inadequate equipment. That is why In 2017, BASF launched its mobile agricultural clinics in Egypt. Housed in containers, the clinics can easily move from location to location and bring farmers and BASF experts to face-to-face. This is where you will see Inji Zaki, working with farmers who need advice and helping them find out what diseases their plants are suffering from. 3,500 farmers have made use of the clinic, but the demand shows the need for more.