Fairtrade, a global organisation co-owned by more than 1.8 million farmers and workers, unveiled a Non-Fungible Banana, as a warning to consumers and global leaders during COP27 held in Egypt. It warned that smallholder farmers and agricultural workers need support to mitigate and adapt to climate change or the future of one of the world’s most beloved foods could very likely be a digital one. COP27 hosted the first ever Food Systems Pavilion and first ever Agriculture Day hosted by the COP Presidency, with food and agriculture featuring in the final cover text but with a narrow focus on agriculture rather than a food systems approach.
Edition 11: Cover story
16. Climate risk on the table
12. Cold chains, a hot issue for food
security
The lack of an effective cold chain to maintain the quality,
nutritional value and safety of food is one of the major
contributors of food loss.
27. Insurance for Agriculture
ACRE Africa is linking smallholder farmers to risk mitigation and climate adaptation solutions so as to comfortably invest in their farms through its picture-based insurance (PBI) project – an innovative insurance scheme supported by the International Development Centre (IDRC) in partnership with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
27. Q&A
Dr David Gikungu, the director of the Kenya Meteorological Department, explains what the Horn of Africa’s worst drought in 40 years and changing weather patterns say about climate change.
41. Floods in S. Sudan leave farmers in despair
A widespread flooding has driven South Sudan into its worst hunger crisis since independence in 2011. The situation has deteriorated in recent months with more than 600,000 people impacted by an unprecedented fourth consecutive year of large-scale flooding, destroying homes, crops, and leading to a spike in malaria and snakebites, particularly among women and children
43. Eat more beans rich in iron and zinc
Kenyans have been urged to eat more beans rich in iron and zinc, do value addition to make them more attractive to children, and address malnutrition
45. GMO maize approved and ready for farming
The National Biosafety Authority (NBA) has authorized the release of genetically modified organism (GMO) seeds to the farmers ahead of the long rains season in 2023 for cultivation. The approval of the release of seeds through a letter to the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), which has been undertaking biotechnology (BT) trials in Kenya could see farmers start growing GM maize after all the necessary modalities are in place.