Lucas Simons

BIODIVERSITY: AFRICAN GERANIUM MANAGEMENT PLAN OUT FOR COMMENT https://lnkd.in/eujy7xBf #environmentallaw #southafrica #conservation #medicinal #plants #biodiversity #management #plan #comments

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Organic farming with a passion in Kenya In English: https://lnkd.in/dpfWN6rX In Dutch: https://lnkd.in/d9f3yPgj

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New Episode 🌿 I had the privilege to sit down with Thekla Teunis, co-founder of the company Grounded. They are empowering farmers in Africa to transition to regenerative agriculture and the results are nothing short of inspiring! · (much!) higher income for farmers · (much!) higher quality products · (much!) healthier ecosystems I see absolutely no reason not to scale this vision and model worldwide! And that's an exciting and uplifting prospect 😍 🎧 Listen to the full conversation: · Search for ‘Deep Seed’ on your streaming platform. · (or) Click the link in the comments below. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Key Topics: 🌾 Empowering Small holder Farmers They manage 24% of the world’s land, and are closer to regenerative practices than large-scale farms. Transitioning these farmers to regenerative agriculture can drastically lower costs, boost crop quality, and enhance biodiversity. 🌱 Economic and Environmental Synergies We explore how regenerative farming not only reduces input costs but also revitalises ecosystems. This method is a win-win: healthier soils, higher-quality crops, and better incomes for farmers, all while combating climate change. 👌 Quality is key Products are not getting sold at a premium (yet) because they are 'regenerative'. However, these farming practices drastically improve the quality of products, giving them much more value on the market. 🌶️ Grounded’s Journey Thekla shares insights on their journey with Grounded (with co-founder Gijs Boers), establishing processing companies that support farmers in transitioning to regenerative practices. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ This podcast was produced in partnership with Soil Capital | B Corp™, supporting regenerative agriculture by financially rewarding farmers who enhance soil health. 🌍✨

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Experts exchange knowledge on agroforestry: Local experts recently met to share knowledge to make way for climate-resilient food systems through agroforestry. This comes as Namibia held its first agroforestry conference last week. The conference, hosted by the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) in collaboration with the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) and financially supported by the Capricorn Foundation, saw 120 experts coming together. The conference explored the transformative potential of agroforestry systems in addressing climate change challenges facing southern Africa, and Namibia in particular. It served as a critical platform for knowledge exchange among experts from Namibia and the African region. Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry senior policy adviser and International Union of Agroforestry president Patrick Worms shared insights on how policy and governance can promote agroforestry. He highlighted eye-opening positive and negative examples from different African countries on the correlation of governance and restoration of landscapes through agroforestry. The conference is a key activity of the HSF Global Project for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change (GMACC) aiming to support and connect actors for dialogue, knowledge transfer and co-creation of innovative solutions. Topics such as agroforestry as a climate-resilient response, improved livelihoods through sustainable agroforestry, food forests agroforestry systems, as well as case studies from different African countries, including Namibia, Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, were covered. NNF programmes director Frances Chase said such platforms are an opportunity to collaborate and share actionable strategies that can transform landscapes and livelihoods. “Together we are committed to exploring and promoting agroforestry as a sustainable and climate-resilient practice in Namibia,” Chase said. Capricorn Foundation coordinator Veripura Muukua said by integrating agroforestry into Namibia’s farming methods, one can enhance the nation’s capacity to withstand the impacts of climate change. “But we cannot do it alone. We need the private sector, the government, and civil society to collaborate and support innovative, climate resilient solutions,” Muukua added. In addition to the discussions, an exhibition showcased the work of various GMACC partners from sub-Saharan Africa, northern Africa, and Latin America, along with contributions from HSF, NNF, the Namibia Organic Association and the Capricorn Foundation. This allowed organisations to share their objectives and achievements, fostering collaboration and networking among stakeholders. “Our sessions have underscored the need for collaborative efforts among all stakeholders – the government, private sector, NGOs and local communities,” said HSF Namibia GMACC head Lara Beer. The post Experts…

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Who cares and who’s going to pay? That’s the question keynote speaker Deloitte Ben van Delden put to the Digital Agrifood Summit in looking at sustainability in agrifood. He used the example of Denmark’s bold sustainability goals, 70 percent GHG emission reduction by 2030 – and introduction of a carbon tax on farming. He spoke about how big agrifood companies are looking to reduce the cost of carbon in their businesses and supply chains, and how consumers are demanding ESG information. So what does that mean for Australia? “If you export to Denmark, be ready for someone to put a label on the product saying what its carbon intensity is,” he said. Ben said Australia needs to accelerate climate smart farming practice, provide support for farmers to do the heavy lifting and focus on data exchange support to build trust. Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt - AgriPark #sustainability #traceability #agriculture #farming

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Nice article about Wageningen University & Research's Prof. Ken Giller. It is evident that continued knowledge support for #africa's agricultural sector is necessary to improve #nutritionsecurity and strenghten #smallholderfarmers' #livelihood! Glad to see Netherlands Food Partnership and its partners support that vision. Africa can feed itself. Africa must feed itself. And Europe must give support! East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation trains 100,000 small farmers annually on better farming skills, bringing them higher yields! https://lnkd.in/eAKNP7dM

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No conversation about this topic is complete without the recognition of the population explosion in the semi arid lands of Africa. Vaccines have dramatically reduced childhood mortality, but birth rates have barely fallen. Rural fertility rates remain in excess of 5. More people competing for limited resources in a grazing culture means deforestation, soil degradation and even armed conflict between tribes. The average age continues drop. 19 in Kenya. 16 in Uganda. 14 in Mali. No education, no livelihoods, no future is a recipe for radicalization. The solution is simple. INVEST IN WOMEN. Give women control over their bodies. Educate girls. Delay first pregnancy until a girl is educated. Teach women to run non grazing businesses. That is the basis of poverty graduation programs like BOMA.ngo and others. They are growing, but remain grossly underfunded relative to other aid programs. Until this becomes a fundamental approach, the problem will not be solved with fertilizer. People first. If you take care of the people then they will take care of the land and the climate. #poverty #africa #genderequity

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From Plant to Plate: Kenya-Netherlands Cooperation in the Potato Sector Kenya and the Netherlands have enjoyed a decade-long partnership aimed at advancing the potato sector in Kenya. This collaboration has seen significant investment from both Kenyan and Dutch companies, not just in seed potatoes, but across the entire potato value chain. This includes storage solutions, mechanization, processing, and capacity building. https://lnkd.in/dsBaUQ56

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“Food systems leadership is something that we can actually build deliberately.” – Joost Guijt, African Food Fellowship Director. A big challenge that faces our food systems currently is inadequate investment by public and private sector actors in making our food systems meet our continent’s needs. The transformation of our food systems relies on critical elements such as evidence-building, availability of seed capital for small-scale farmers, adaptability to changes in our climate and digital eco-systems. This is only possible with deliberate and intentional investment in food systems leadership. Joost Guijt calls on intentional and scaled-up investments by financiers and duty-bearers to support initiatives aimed at building the leadership capacity of food systems leaders in Africa.

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In case you missed it! Here's the latest podcast episode. "Many farmers believe that quality crops start with quality seeds. But what exactly makes a seed “quality”?" Explore the impact of quality seeds on farming success, in the latest Food For Mzansi podcast episode, where Kobus van Huyssteen explains how the right seed varieties can help farmers manage environmental stresses, improve yields, and ensure genetic purity https://shorturl.at/LyW3U South African National Seed Organization (SANSOR) Food For Mzansi

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This week, Alexander Valeton joined the panel discussion on the newly released report by 60 Decibels and Busara about #digitalpenetration in agriculture in #Kenya. The insights of this report are fresh and remarkable. In the panel discussion, we underlined the importance of #digitalservices to join forces and operate together to make it easier for farmers, harvest better and clean data and create a bigger impact at a lower cost and avoid annoyance at the farmer level for another survey, again another registration process and sharing data without knowing what happens and without clear incentives for them. Kuza One (Kuza Biashara), Dalberg Research SEZ Limited GIZ KenyaAGRAResearch Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBLfarmbetter CGIAR Mercy Corps AgriFin https://lnkd.in/gkXkNEWn

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🌱 Ardo Joins Forces with Unilever, Jumbo and Agrifirm for Sustainable Agriculture project! 🌱 Unilever, Jumbo, Agrifirm, and Ardo have teamed up to launch 'Het Wortel Collectief' (the carrot collective) in the Netherlands, focusing on implementing regenerative practices in carrot farming. This initiative is a significant step towards ensuring a sustainable future for our agriculture. 🌿 Why It Matters: Soil Health: By adopting non-tillage methods, planting cover crops, and using organic fertilizers, we aim to improve soil health and reduce erosion. Sustainability: Our goal is to reduce CO2 emissions, optimize water usage, and promote biodiversity, creating a resilient food system for future generations. Collaboration: This project brings together farmers, suppliers, and partners to restore and protect our precious farmland. 🚜 First Steps: 30 Hectares: We are implementing regenerative practices on 30 hectares of farmland dedicated to carrot crops. Harvest: The first regenerative carrots are available in Jumbo stores from mid-June, with more to be included in Unilever products later this year. 🔍 Looking Ahead: Through this collaboration, we are sharing valuable knowledge and innovative practices to benefit the entire agricultural community. At Ardo, we believe that regenerative agriculture, focusing on soil health, is key to sustainable food production. By working together within 'Het Wortel Collectief,' we can implement these practices on a larger scale and make healthy, sustainable food accessible to everyone. Join us in supporting regenerative agriculture for a healthier planet! 🌎🌱 #RegenerativeAgriculture #Sustainability #FarmToTable #FutureOfFarming #Ardo #Unilever #Jumbo #Agrifirm Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/eVDdef3y

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Strong support today from Gerald G. Mweli, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Tanzania for upscaling agroecology in Tanzania’s strategy for food security, climate resilience, biodiversity and farmer incomes. “Agroecology is taking high speed in global conversations” “In Tanzania we will upscale ecological organic agriculture, through our NEOAS strategy to achieve our goals of food security, climate resilience, biodiversity, job creation and farm incomes. As noted from the scientific community, agroecology contributes to these goals.” “We have increased our agricultural budget by 5 times compared to three years ago. We must ensuring that whatever we are doing is enhancing sustatinability. “In our transformation agenda represented by our Agriculture Master Plan, we will increase our productivity, improve irrigation and water management, food exports including organic products, increase domestic seed production and reduce mismanagement of agrichemicals. One contributing strategy for these goals will be to increasing the land area with agroecology and climate smart agriculture by 2 million hectares by 2030. “ “We are the fifth largest producer of organic cotton in the world as documented by FiBL. We will be a leader in organic cotton” The messages came today at the opening of the "Cultivating Change Gathering" bringing together leaders in philanthropy, bi-lateral and multilateral donors, governments and civil society organisations working for food systems change through agroecology. The gathering in Arusha Tanzania is organized by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, the Agroecology Coalition and Biovision Foundation. The Permanent Secretary detailed and supported the 6 core strategy interventions in Tanzania's National Ecological Organic Agriculture Strategy: ✅ Equipping farmers with latest knowledge on agroecology ✅ Increase availability of inputs—strengthening smallholders en access to seed, seedlings and fertilisers as alternatives to conventional fertilisers ✅ Expand market access for smallholder farmer, Participatory Guarantee Systems for local markets and organic grower groups to gain access to global markets, to improve incomes and drive transition to agroecology in farming. ✅ Mainstream village land use planning,  Protecting land for agriculture, and sensitizing local leaders to how agroecology helps them reach their local goals for food securlity, incomes and natural ressources. ✅ Improve access to finance products for smallholder farmers and supply chain actors ✅ Support for coordination and capacity building in civil society organization to drive implementation on the ground.

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My observation is that the whole world is trying very hard to include the #landrights of #IndigenousPeoples in conservation and land access solutions. In South Africa we trying very hard to avoid these issues as part of our conservation solutions. Enough willing- buyer-willing-seller land is available for Indigenous Peoples to participate in conservation, but we need solutions for the current excessive over-pricing of land. #BiodiversityPlan #PartOfThePlan

An article on our recent research on #competitiveness and #gender #equality in #Zambia:

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The REVIVER project bridges knowledge gaps in sustainable farming across Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. https://lnkd.in/edHnBRma #reviver #erasmusplus #RegenerativeAgriculture #RegenAgriAfrica #ErasmusPlusReviver #SustainableFarmingAfrica

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Unlocking the Power of CEA: A Case Study As we prepare to launch our cutting-edge controlled environment agriculture (CEA) operations in Kenya, we're inspired by success stories demonstrating the transformative potential of this farming method. One standout case study comes from the greenhouse capital of the Netherlands - where CEA technology is revolutionizing agricultural productivity. Certhon, an industry leader in greenhouse solutions, helped establish a state-of-the-art semi-closed greenhouse facility for Lans Tomaten, a premier tomato grower. By leveraging CEA, they overcame common farming challenges: 🌡 Climate Control: Precise regulation of factors like temperature, humidity and CO2 levels created optimal growing conditions year-round. 💧 Water Efficiency: Their recycled water system reduced freshwater consumption by a staggering 35%. 🌱 Higher Yields: Data-driven growth recipes and sustainable crop management increased tomato yields by over 20%.  🍅 Superior Quality: Removing external factors like pests enabled production of premium, residue-free tomatoes for export. Through CEA, Lans Tomaten could grow more food using fewer resources in a climate-resilient manner. This model is a harbinger for the future of food production worldwide. At Green Planet Agritech, we're inspired to replicate such sustainable successes here in Kenya. Our advanced hydroponic facilities will similarly leverage CEA principles and technology to cultivate nutrient-rich "green gold" crops like microgreens and basil efficiently. The time is ripe for an African-led agritech revolution! We're excited to pioneer this game-changing approach and contribute to domestic food security and economic growth sustainably. Follow our journey at: https://lnkd.in/eaHQMNX8 as we strive to feed future generations sustainably. #CEAKenya #CEAFarming #GreenhouseAgriculture #FoodSecurity #SustainableAg #Microgreens #Basil #FarmingForTheFuture #GlobalImpact #GreenPlanetAgritech

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Good Innovations 1. Sustainable farming 2. Water conservation 3. Eco-friendly materials * vs * Bad Practices 1. Water wastage 2. Unsustainable agriculture 3. Harmful materials Explore Our Case Studies to learn more! Share or comment if you found this insightful! 🌱💧 #Sustainability #Innovation #breathablesand #DakeRechsand

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