FAO

The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, May 17, 2012

Fact Sheet: G-8 Action on Food Security and Nutrition

At the Camp David Summit, G-8 and African leaders will commit to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, the next phase of our shared commitment to achieving global food security. In partnership with Africa’s people and leaders, our goals are to increase responsible domestic and foreign private investments in African agriculture, take innovations that can enhance agricultural productivity to scale, and reduce the risk borne by vulnerable economies and communities. We recognize and will act upon the critical role played by smallholder farmers, especially women, in transforming agriculture and building thriving economies.

The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is a shared commitment to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth and raise 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years by aligning the commitments of Africa’s leadership to drive effective country plans and policies for food security; the commitments of private sector partners to increase investments where the conditions are right; and the commitments of the G-8 to expand Africa’s potential for rapid and sustainable agricultural growth.

We welcome the support of the World Bank and African Development Bank, and of the United Nations’ World Food Program, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and Food and Agriculture Organization for the New Alliance. We also welcome the successful conclusion of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the context of National Food Security and support the broad-based consultation process and pilot use of the Principles of Responsible Agricultural Investment.

The New Alliance Will Build on and Help Realize the Promise of L’Aquila

Since the L’Aquila Summit, where we committed to “act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global food security,” we have increased our bilateral and multilateral investments in food security and changed the way we do business, consistent with core principles of aid effectiveness. Based on the findings of the 2012 G-8 Accountability Report and consistent with the Rome Principles on Sustainable Global Food Security, the G-8 will agree to:

• Promptly fulfill outstanding L’Aquila financial pledges and seek to maintain strong support to address current and future global food security challenges, including through bilateral and multilateral assistance;

• Ensure that our assistance is directly aligned behind country plans;

• Strengthen the coordination of G-8 strategies, assistance and programs in-country and with partner countries to increase efficiencies, reduce transaction burdens, and eliminate redundancies and gaps.

The New Alliance will be rooted in partnership

To accelerate national progress in African partner countries, the G-8 will launch New Alliance Cooperation Frameworks that align with priority activities within each partner’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) national investment plan and include predictable funding commitments, specific policy actions, and statements of intent from the private sector.

The G-8 will partner with the African Union, New Partnership for Africa’s Development and CAADP to implement the New Alliance, and leverage in particular the Grow Africa Partnership, in order to ensure our efforts build on African ownership, yield significant outcomes, and can be replicated across Africa. The G-8 will work together to advance the objectives of the New Alliance and G-8 members will support its individual elements on a complementary basis.

To mobilize private capital for food security, the New Alliance will:

• Support the preparation and financing of bankable agricultural infrastructure projects, through multilateral initiatives including the development of a new Fast Track Facility for Agriculture Infrastructure.

• Support the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), with the goal of securing commitments of $1.2 billion over three years from existing and new donors, scaling up and strengthening the operations of its public and private sector windows and support other mechanisms that improve country ownership and align behind CAADP national investment plans.

• Report on the progress of G-8 development finance institutions in catalyzing additional private investment in African agriculture and increasing the range of financing options and innovative risk mitigation tools available to smallholder farmers and medium-sized agribusinesses.

• Call on the World Bank, in collaboration with other relevant partners, to develop options for generating a Doing Business in Agriculture Index.

• Announce the signing of Letters of Intent from over 45 local and multinational companies to invest over $3 billion across the agricultural value chain in Grow Africa countries, and the signing by over 60 companies of the Private Sector Declaration of Support for African Agricultural Development outlining their commitment to support African agriculture and public-private partnerships in a responsible manner.

To take innovation to scale, the New Alliance will:

• Determine 10-year targets in partner countries for sustainable agricultural yield improvements, adoption of improved production technologies, including improved seed varieties, as well as post-harvest management practices as part of a value-chain approach, and measures to ensure ecological sustainability and safeguard agro-biodiversity.

• Launch a Technology Platform with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa and other partners in consultation with the Tropical Agriculture Platform and the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) initiative that will assess the availability of improved technologies for food commodities critical to achieve sustainable yield, resilience, and nutrition impacts, identify current constraints to adoption, and create a roadmap to accelerate adoption of technologies.

• Launch the Scaling Seeds and Other Technologies Partnership, housed at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa to strengthen the seed sector and promote the commercialization, distribution and adoption of key technologies improved seed varieties, and other technologies prioritized by the Technology Platform to meet established goals in partner countries.

• Share relevant agricultural data available from G-8 countries with African partners and convene an international conference on Open Data for Agriculture, to develop options for the establishment of a global platform to make reliable agricultural and related information available to African farmers, researchers and policymakers, taking into account existing agricultural data systems.

• Launch an information and communications technology innovation challenge on extension services at the African Union Summit in July 2012.

• Explore opportunities for applying the non-profit model licensing approach that could expand African access to food and nutritional technologies developed by national research institutions.

To reduce and manage risk, the New Alliance will:

• Support the Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) to complete national agricultural risk assessment strategies, to be conducted by the World Bank and other international institutions in close partnership with New Alliance countries, with the mandate of identifying key risks to food and nutrition security and agricultural development and recommending options for managing these risks.

• Create a global action network to accelerate the availability and adoption of agricultural index insurance, in order to mitigate risks to farmers, especially smallholder and women farmers, and increase income and nutritional security. This network will pool data and findings; identify constraints; support regional training and capacity-building; and accelerate the development of instruments appropriate for smallholders and pastoralists.

• Recognize the need for Africa-based sovereign risk management instruments, recognizing the progress by the African Union and its member governments toward creating the African Risk Capacity, a regional risk-pooling facility for drought management.

To improve nutritional outcomes and reduce child stunting, the G-8 will:

• Actively support the Scaling Up Nutrition movement and welcome the commitment of African partners to improve the nutritional well-being of their populations, especially during the critical 1,000 days window from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday. We pledge that the G-8 members will maintain robust programs to further reduce child stunting.

• Commit to improve tracking and disbursements for nutrition across sectors and ensure coordination of nutrition activities across sectors.

• Support the accelerated release, adoption and consumption of bio-fortified crop varieties, crop diversification, and related technologies to improve the nutritional quality of food in Africa.

• Develop a nutrition policy research agenda and support the efforts of African institutions, civil society and private sector partners to establish regional nutritional learning centers.

To ensure accountability for results, the New Alliance will:

• Convene a Leadership Council to drive and track implementation, which will report to the G-8 and African Union on progress towards achieving the commitments under the New Alliance, including commitments made by the private sector.

• Report to the 2013 G-8 Summit on the implementation of the New Alliance, including the actions of the private sector, in collaboration with the African Union.

Article source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201205181269.html

General News of Friday, 18 May 2012

Source: citifmonline.com

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President John Evans Atta Mills on Friday said he will not be complacent over the gains made in the agriculture sector, but will continue to provide the necessary infrastructure to encourage more private sector participation in the sector.

That, he said, is vital in revamping the agriculture sector towards achieving sustainable food security and improved welfare of Ghanaians.

President Mills, speaking at an international symposium on “Advancing food and nutrition security,” in Washington, USA, in line with the G8 summit, said the government recognised the need for improved food production, and has taken a number of measures in that regard.

Briefing the symposium, attended by more than 500 leaders from governments, businesses, international organisations and civil society, about Ghana’s plan for food security, President Mills indicated that the government was partnering more with the private sector for increased investment in the sector.

“We need the private sector on board,” he said, assuring that the right infrastructure facilities would be provided by the government. President Mills, who described the symposium as very important to the progress of Africa, said the Northern part of Ghana was being developed to serve as the bread basket of the nation and the West Africa region.

In addition, he expressed government’s commitment towards promoting agric-business, indicating that the right facilities were being provided for farmers to derive maximum gains from their operations.

He agreed with a co-discussant, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, who noted that agriculture was considered first in his country’s economy, saying sustainable agriculture production was critical for national economic growth.

“You can have all the infrastructure facilities, but if you cannot feed yourself then you are not making progress,” he said.

The symposium, which had contributions from other African leaders including Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and President Thomas Yayi Boni of Benin, came after President Barrack Obama’s keynote address, in which announced the creation of a new initiative- Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition- in which the US would partner developing countries to explore opportunities for sustainable food security.

The partnership for the alliance, which is starting with Ghana, Tanzania and Ethiopia, President Obama said, would help to would create the right platform to increased investment in and promotion of the agriculture sector in Africa.

“There is no reason Africa should not be able to feed itself and the world,” he said, adding that it is possible for Africa to reclaim its status as the net exporter of food. For a start, he announced that some 45 firms have pledged to support the Alliance with some 3billion dollars to kick-start work.

The Alliance, he was not in to replace any aid program being offered to developing nation, saying the US would continue to deliver on its commitments. He also gave the assurance that the G8 would keep to its promises towards ensuring food security, adding that “we must do what we say.”**

Article source: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=239363

NORWALK, Conn., May 18, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ – Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks company, announced today that it has signed letters of intent to foster partnerships and projects that will aid in the agricultural development of Ethiopia and Tanzania. Diageo will work to develop and implement a scalable barley farming project in Sebeta, Ethiopia and a scalable sorghum value chain project in Mogoro, Tanzania.  The projects when fully realized will represent an overall investment of $1.5M in Ethiopia and $2M in Tanzania  and will begin to be implemented in 2012.  They build on Diageo’s commitment to support the development of agricultural economies in Africa, a business imperative in line with the Company’s growth ambitions across the continent.

This new investment was announced at the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security hosted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. On the eve of this weekend’s G8 Summit, this high-level symposium brings together President Barack Obama, with G8 and African leaders, businesses, international organizations and civil society to discuss new activities to advance global agricultural development, and food and nutrition security in Africa. 

Paul Walsh, CEO Diageo and signatory of a pledge in support of the G8′s food security agenda commented, “The complex global challenges we face – from climate change to resource scarcity – will require even greater cooperation and collaboration of the public sector, private sector and civil society. At Diageo we know that to achieve our business aims we have to engage our stakeholders across the whole value chain to create strong socio-economic development programs.  It is my firm belief that the most genuinely strategic and forward looking businesses treat sustainability as a core component of business delivery.”

Diageo is committed to local, sustainable sourcing of agricultural raw materials. In Africa, Diageo currently sources about 50% of its raw materials locally, and aims to increase the sourcing of local raw materials to 70%, which is an increase of more than 30% from a 2007 baseline.  The new projects in Ethiopia and Tanzania will provide Diageo with a long-term, secure and sustainable source of raw materials, which reduces exposure to increasingly unpredictable changes in availability of material, and potentially volatile global commodity markets.

In Ethiopia, Diageo will build a public-private partnership through which the Company will work with the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) to design and implement a barley contract farming project strategy.   In support of the G8 Member’s pledge and in line with Diageo’s own commitment to development in Africa over the next 12 months, Diageo will design and test a pilot barley contract farming project with the aim to source 1000 metric tons (MT) barley from a substantial number of local smallholders in the first year. In the years that follow, the project could increase in scale, extending its work with both local smallholders and larger farmers, with a potential capacity to source up to 20,000 MT of barley within Ethiopia for local use and/or export.

In Tanzania, Diageo will collaborate with the Government of Tanzania to develop and implement a scalable sorghum value chain project in Morogoro that will scale-up sorghum cultivation and sourcing in Tanzania up to a potential 20,000 MT/year by 2016, for local use and/or export.  They will also work to build genuine appetite and capacity (e.g. training, financial and physical infrastructure) to build a sustainable sorghum value chain which consists of local smallholder ‘satellite’ farming communities commercially connected with larger ‘nucleus’ farms, and will promote the development and sharing of sustainable sorghum cultivation and post-harvest practices.

Nick Blazquez, President, Diageo Africa, commented: “Diageo is proud to take part in this leadership initiative between African governments, the private sector and development organizations to accelerate the growth of agriculture in Africa. As a business that has operated across the continent for many decades, we see firsthand the importance of this agenda to local economic growth and the social empowerment of farming communities, and are fully committed  to Grow Africa and supportive of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.  In the spirit of partnership, we are excited to work closely with the Governments of Ethiopia and Tanzania to create innovative solutions that are commercially and environmentally sustainable, scalable and socially inclusive.”

These new initiatives build on Diageo’s current projects that are in place to assist African communities. These include supporting local enterprise development, investing in and stimulating a competitive beverage industry, building local skills and capabilities, and researching options to increase inter-regional trade and product exports. Additionally, as part of its commitment to the UN Millennium Development Goals, Diageo launched the Water of Life program in 2000 with an aim to provide access to clean drinking water and sanitation to a million people every year. To date, Diageo has funded over 170 different water and sanitation projects, impacting nearly 5 million people in 16 different countries across the continent.

Blazquez continued: “As our largest emerging market region, Diageo has invested over $1.5 billion in capex and acquisitions in Africa over the last 5 years. Supporting local agricultural development is not only a good thing for local economies, but is a crucial component of Diageo’s growth strategy in Africa. We look forward to growing our relationships to make a bigger contribution in the future.”

About Diageo Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world’s leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JB, Windsor, Buchanan’s and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere. 

SOURCE Diageo

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/18/4499236/diageo-furthers-commitment-to.html

        Dole Food Company, Inc.
        Marty Ordman
        818-874-4834

Article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dole-highlights-challenges-opportunities-for-more-sustainable-agricultural-practices-2012-05-18

BHUBANESWAR: In a major boost to sustainable agriculture technology for soil management, the Agriculture Department has proposed to establish 20 new soil testing laboratories in the State. There are 11 such labs at present.

Separately, the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) has also decided to set up another 20 soil testing laboratories in its Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) under the 12th plan.

Speaking at extension education council meeting of OUAT here on Thursday, Ranglal Jamuda, Secretary of Agriculture Department, said since soil of 70 per cent of the agriculture land of the State being acidic, soil management assumed paramount importance so far as higher productivity was concerned.

A massive training programme for the farmers on soil and nutrient management has been planned, he said adding, farmers will be encouraged to go for soil testing on regular basis for enhanced productivity.

The department already has micro-nutrient testing laboratories at Bhubaneswar, Bhawanipatna and Sundargarh. Likewise, there are fertiliser quality control laboratories in Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur and Rayagada.

The Agriculture Department earlier had introduced ‘soil health card’ and about a lakh farmers already have these cards. The objective of the soil health card is to provide information to the farmers on the soil condition of their land and the necessary nutrient management required.

OUAT Vice-Chancellor D P Ray said to meet the soil testing demands of the farmers, the university has planned to set up 20 soil testing labs separately in 20 of its 31 KVKs in the next two years.

This apart, against the existing six agriculture scientists in every KVK, OUAT would increase the number to 10.

“At present, we have just six scientists in every KVK and they are not able to meet all requirements of farmers. Hence, we decided to appoint 10 scientists per KVK from this fiscal. This has been approved by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research at the recent vice-chancellors’ committee meeting,” said Ray.

The VC further said that this year the Centre had provided ` 1,000 crore for the second green revolution in paddy, pulses and oilseeds cultivation. OUAT would lay stress on cultivation of oilseeds and mushrooms this year.

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Article source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/20-new-soil-testing-labs-to-come-up/258931-60-117.html

How a famine in Bengal turned noted agriculturist professor MS Swaminathan away from studying medicine is little known. But, it’s a fact that he decided to shift to studying food genetics while pursuing medicine at Maharaja’s College in Trivandrum.
Dr Swaminathan shared this during

his address to scientists and doctors at Christian Medical College and Hospital here on Thursday.

Talking to Hindustan Times, Dr Swaminathan, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, said: “My aim is to steer India to sustainable development, using environmentally-sustainable agriculture, sustainable food security and preservation of biodiversity which can rightly be termed as an evergreen revolution.”

Referring to the National Food Security Bill, which is likely to become an Act by the end of this year, the scientist said: “Right to food will no more be purely patronage, but a legal right which will hold the government accountable.”

Post Harvest Management Board at the national level should frame policies and programmes dealing with the predicaments faced by the farmers, but it should not become another defunct body controlled by bureaucracy, suggested professor Swaminathan.

Diversification, according to the scientist, is an issue to be taken seriously as the farmers are unable to get MSP for pulses, maize, fruits and vegetables.

Accredited for being the first World Food Prize winner, conferred by United Nations in 1987, this Padamshree and Padam Vubhushan awardee emphasized on the importance of soil health and water conservation.

Later, addressing the doctors present at the lecture, professor Swaminathan said time has come for India to adopt an approach of agricultural remedy for every health malady.

“The broader perspectives of this approach will be discussed at the biodiversity summit scheduled to be held in Hyderabad in the last quarter of this year, which would be attended by 15,000 experts from across the world,” professor Swaminathan said.

In another interesting observation, the scientist referred to the need for plantation of mangroves along the shoreline, which he said act as a “bio-shield” against natural calamities like tsunami. “The impact of 2004 tsunami was less in the mangrove areas of Tamil Nadu and Orissa,” he pointed out.

Professor Swaminathan also presented his latest book “Remember Your Humanity: Pathway to Sustainable Food Security”, to former vice-chancellor of PAU Dr MS Kang. The book is yet to be released.

Article source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Ludhiana/Sustainable-food-security-is-my-aim-Swaminathan/SP-Article1-857705.aspx

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

May 18, 2012

At the Camp David Summit, G-8 and African leaders will commit to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, the next phase of our shared commitment to achieving global food security. In partnership with Africa’s people and leaders, our goals are to increase responsible domestic and foreign private investments in African agriculture, take innovations that can enhance agricultural productivity to scale, and reduce the risk borne by vulnerable economies and communities. We recognize and will act upon the critical role played by smallholder farmers, especially women, in transforming agriculture and building thriving economies.

The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is a shared commitment to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth and raise 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years by aligning the commitments of Africa’s leadership to drive effective country plans and policies for food security; the commitments of private sector partners to increase investments where the conditions are right; and the commitments of the G-8 to expand Africa’s potential for rapid and sustainable agricultural growth.

We welcome the support of the World Bank and African Development Bank, and of the United Nations’ World Food Program, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and Food and Agriculture Organization for the New Alliance. We also welcome the successful conclusion of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the context of National Food Security and support the broad-based consultation process and pilot use of the Principles of Responsible Agricultural Investment.

The New Alliance Will Build on and Help Realize the Promise of L’Aquila

Since the L’Aquila Summit, where we committed to “act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global food security,” we have increased our bilateral and multilateral investments in food security and changed the way we do business, consistent with core principles of aid effectiveness. Based on the findings of the 2012 G-8 Accountability Report and consistent with the Rome Principles on Sustainable Global Food Security, the G-8 will agree to:

• Promptly fulfill outstanding L’Aquila financial pledges and seek to maintain strong support to address current and future global food security challenges, including through bilateral and multilateral assistance;
• Ensure that our assistance is directly aligned behind country plans;
• Strengthen the coordination of G-8 strategies, assistance and programs in-country and with partner countries to increase efficiencies, reduce transaction burdens, and eliminate redundancies and gaps.

The New Alliance will be rooted in partnership

To accelerate national progress in African partner countries, the G-8 will launch New Alliance Cooperation Frameworks that align with priority activities within each partner’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) national investment plan and include predictable funding commitments, specific policy actions, and statements of intent from the private sector.

The G-8 will partner with the African Union, New Partnership for Africa’s Development and CAADP to implement the New Alliance, and leverage in particular the Grow Africa Partnership, in order to ensure our efforts build on African ownership, yield significant outcomes, and can be replicated across Africa. The G-8 will work together to advance the objectives of the New Alliance and G-8 members will support its individual elements on a complementary basis.

To mobilize private capital for food security, the New Alliance will:

Support the preparation and financing of bankable agricultural infrastructure projects, through multilateral initiatives including the development of a new Fast Track Facility for Agriculture Infrastructure.

Support the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), with the goal of securing commitments of $1.2 billion over three years from existing and new donors, scaling up and strengthening the operations of its public and private sector windows and support other mechanisms that improve country ownership and align behind CAADP national investment plans.

Report on the progress of G-8 development finance institutions in catalyzing additional private investment in African agriculture and increasing the range of financing options and innovative risk mitigation tools available to smallholder farmers and medium-sized agribusinesses.

Call on the World Bank, in collaboration with other relevant partners, to develop options for generating a Doing Business in Agriculture Index.

Announce the signing of Letters of Intent from over 45 local and multinational companies to invest over $3 billion across the agricultural value chain in Grow Africa countries, and the signing by over 60 companies of the Private Sector Declaration of Support for African Agricultural Development outlining their commitment to support African agriculture and public-private partnerships in a responsible manner.

To take innovation to scale, the New Alliance will:

Determine 10-year targets in partner countries for sustainable agricultural yield improvements, adoption of improved production technologies, including improved seed varieties, as well as post-harvest management practices as part of a value-chain approach, and measures to ensure ecological sustainability and safeguard agro-biodiversity.

Launch a Technology Platform with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa and other partners in consultation with the Tropical Agriculture Platform and the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) initiative that will assess the availability of improved technologies for food commodities critical to achieve sustainable yield, resilience, and nutrition impacts, identify current constraints to adoption, and create a roadmap to accelerate adoption of technologies.

Launch the Scaling Seeds and Other Technologies Partnership, housed at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa to strengthen the seed sector and promote the commercialization, distribution and adoption of key technologies improved seed varieties, and other technologies prioritized by the Technology Platform to meet established goals in partner countries.

Share relevant agricultural data available from G-8 countries with African partners and convene an international conference on Open Data for Agriculture, to develop options for the establishment of a global platform to make reliable agricultural and related information available to African farmers, researchers and policymakers, taking into account existing agricultural data systems.

Launch an information and communications technology innovation challenge on extension services at the African Union Summit in July 2012.

Explore opportunities for applying the non-profit model licensing approach that could expand African access to food and nutritional technologies developed by national research institutions.

To reduce and manage risk, the New Alliance will:

Support the Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) to complete national agricultural risk assessment strategies, to be conducted by the World Bank and other international institutions in close partnership with New Alliance countries, with the mandate of identifying key risks to food and nutrition security and agricultural development and recommending options for managing these risks.

Create a global action network to accelerate the availability and adoption of agricultural index insurance, in order to mitigate risks to farmers, especially smallholder and women farmers, and increase income and nutritional security. This network will pool data and findings; identify constraints; support regional training and capacity-building; and accelerate the development of instruments appropriate for smallholders and pastoralists.

Recognize the need for Africa-based sovereign risk management instruments, recognizing the progress by the African Union and its member governments toward creating the African Risk Capacity, a regional risk-pooling facility for drought management.

To improve nutritional outcomes and reduce child stunting, the G-8 will:

Actively support the Scaling Up Nutrition movement and welcome the commitment of African partners to improve the nutritional well-being of their populations, especially during the critical 1,000 days window from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday. We pledge that the G-8 members will maintain robust programs to further reduce child stunting.

Commit to improve tracking and disbursements for nutrition across sectors and ensure coordination of nutrition activities across sectors.

Support the accelerated release, adoption and consumption of bio-fortified crop varieties, crop diversification, and related technologies to improve the nutritional quality of food in Africa.

Develop a nutrition policy research agenda and support the efforts of African institutions, civil society and private sector partners to establish regional nutritional learning centers.

To ensure accountability for results, the New Alliance will:

Convene a Leadership Council to drive and track implementation, which will report to the G-8 and African Union on progress towards achieving the commitments under the New Alliance, including commitments made by the private sector.

Report to the 2013 G-8 Summit on the implementation of the New Alliance, including the actions of the private sector, in collaboration with the African Union.

Article source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201205181097.html

Welcome to Brown’s Ranch! We are a diversified family operation spanning over 5,400 acres located on the northern Great Plains near Bismarck, North Dakota. For over 15 years, we have said NO to unsustainable ranching and farming practices by implementing non-conventional approaches that allow us to farm in nature’s image, and farm more successfully than we ever have. We use a very diverse mix of crops, called polycultures, along with animal impact to improve soil health, which directly improves the quality of the food we eat.

Let’s start by taking a look at the root of the problem. Production agriculture today is one of man imposing his will on nature. Corn, soybeans, wheat and a myriad of other crops are all grown as monocultures lacking agronomic diversity with the heavy use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. In most cases the soil is “prepared” for planting by mechanically altering it, also known as tillage. Cattle, hogs and poultry are raised in unnatural environments and consume feed that often contains non-therapeutic uses of antibiotics. All of these practices not only deplete the health of and the life in the soil but they also make the soil unsustainable. This has led to a sharp decrease in the nutrient density of the food we consume.

Prior to Shelly and I purchasing the ranch in 1991, the native rangeland on our ranch was in poor health. It had minimal plant diversity due to many years of season long grazing, which allows the livestock the opportunity to bite the plants they prefer as soon as they regrow, thus weakening the plant and eventually killing it. For decades, the cropland had been conventionally farmed with tillage and the use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides. Tillage had lowered organic matter levels to less than 2 percent which decreases the water holding capacity of the soil making it more susceptible to drought. These common and unsustainable farming practices not only limit crop diversity but have a detrimental effect on soil quality. And it is soil quality that sustains life. We found we had to increase the use of fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides just to maintain production on the cropland.

In 1993 we purchased a no-till drill and converted 100 percent of our cropland to no-till. Although this helped to conserve moisture and fuel, our inputs continued to rise. We came to the conclusion that what we were really seeing was symptoms of a greater problem and that problem was poor soil health. Our soils had become nothing more than a median to hold the plants upright, and not only lacked structure and organic matter, it lacked LIFE!

So, we had to ask ourselves, how do we improve soil health? We found the answer in native rangeland. Healthy native range is not only sustainable, it is regenerative. That is what we needed to do to our soils; regenerate them. Well managed native range has a tremendous amount of diversity, warm and cool season, broadleaves and grasses. Healthy native range is also developed with and is maintained by grazing species. This meant we needed to integrate our cropping and livestock enterprises and manage synergistically so that no part of our ranch works in isolation. Strategic animal impact became an important tool in developing healthy soil.

We started by cross fencing our pastures so we could rotate our cattle and give the rangeland time to recover. Next, we began to diversify the cropping enterprise. We did this by adding peas and alfalfa to the crop rotation. In 1995 we started growing corn. The night before we were to begin harvesting our spring wheat, a hailstorm came and we lost 100 percent of our crop. With no crop insurance the losses were devastating. In 1996 we diversified even more by adding winter triticale and hairy vetch, along with barley and red clover. We started growing these crops in combination with each other so the legume would fix the nitrogen needed by the grass and the grass would help supply the legume with phosphorus thus allowing us to reduce our fertilizer needs. This strategy was working. However, another hailstorm destroyed our crops once again. Financially we were struggling so we had to look at further ways to reduce input costs. After the hailstorm, we seeded a cover crop of sudan grass and millet as forage to feed our cattle. This kept us from purchasing extra feed and it got the cattle out of the corrals and onto the cropland thus benefiting both.

Extreme weather hit yet again and a 1997 drought prevented us from harvesting any of our crops. Yet, something was happening through the regenerative nurturing of the soil. Residue now protected the soil surface, and visible improvements of soil structure and organic matter levels were increasing, thus allowing our soils to hold more water. Even in a drought our land produced enough feed for our livestock. However, the following year was not much better as we lost 80 percent of our crop to hail. We had nothing to lose and everything to gain at that point. Simply enough, the answer was the soil beneath us. Although those four years were extremely difficult financially, Shelly and I say they were the best thing that could have happened to us because they proved to us that we had to focus on regenerating the resource — the richness of the earth.

Since those four years of hardship we have continued to grow our strategies to regenerate and diversify our landscapes, by practicing Holistic Management and focusing on solving problems, not treating symptoms. Cover crops have become an integral tool in this regeneration. Cover crops are plants that are grown for the purpose of feeding soil life. There are more organisms in a teaspoon full of healthy soil than there are people on earth. These organisms live off of secretions from plant roots known as root exudates. In turn, these organisms make nutrients available to the plant. They cannot live without each other. We now plant cover crops throughout the growing season. Some are planted before a cash crop, some after, and others are grown in companion with a cash crop. All of the cover crops are grown as poly cultures, never as a monoculture. You do not find monocultures in nature with the exception of where man put them. Growing species together is the way they have naturally evolved.

In 2011 we grew over 25 different crops. This plant diversity improves soil health in a number of ways. The first is by sequestering carbon. There is no better way to sequester carbon than a healthy, diverse ecosystem. Secondly, root exudates are the building blocks for soil particles and structure. Third, root exudates feed soil biology and it is this biology that provides all living things (plants, animals, and people) the nutrients they need. Finally, species diversity increases organic matter which allows more water holding capacity in the soil and feeds macro-organisms.

We have continued to integrate the livestock and cropping enterprises. We now graze livestock on the cover crops at various times of the year. For example, some of our spring seeded cover crops are grazed with high stock densities for a short period of time. This is vastly beneficial to soil health because the act of grazing stimulates the plants to release root exudates thus feeding soil biology. We have worked with microbiologist Dr. Jill Clapperton to document large increases in soil biology following this scenario. The grazing animals also return nutrients to the soil, increasing the lands fertility. We also graze summer and fall seeded cover crops during the late fall and winter. This is not only beneficial to the soil but it also works to keep livestock healthy and out of confinement.

The prairies of the northern plains were developed by large herds of bison and other ruminants, grazing an area for a brief time and then moving on. This allowed the rangeland to fully recover before the animals returned. Grazing our rangeland is an integral component to the health of our ecosystem. We are mimicking nature on our grazing lands, only we use cattle and poultry. We allow our cattle to mob graze a pasture for a brief time, usually less than two days, and then we move them to another pasture. This is usually the only time that pasture will be grazed the entire year. This allows all of the plants time to fully recover. It has also greatly enriched species diversity (not to mention the huge amount of carbon that is being sequestered during this timeframe). It is important to note that if we did not graze our rangeland the health of this ecosystem would actually deteriorate as grazing ruminants are an integral component of it.

The ecosystem transformation has brought about an exponential increase in the wildlife that now abounds in these rangelands. Large populations of white-tailed deer, coyotes, fox, weasels, mink, raccoons, sharptail grouse, hungarian partridge, many species of raptors, duck geese and too many songbirds to count. Even the population of insects has substantially increased as well. The recovered pastures provide cover and protection. The growth following grazing provides a high quality food source. Native species have proliferated and they all play an important role in the ecosystem.

So, what has been our results of focusing on regenerating our resources and managing for the whole? We have increased our organic matter levels from less than 2 percent to over 5 percent on some fields. This has been a tremendous benefit. It means that on one acre we now have over 100,000# of organic carbon in the top foot alone! That same foot of soil is now capable of holding over 108,000 gallons of water per acre! If all agricultural land could hold this abundance of water, just imagine the range of implications for the health of our water quality and supplies, from alleviating potential flooding impacts to keeping harmful fertilizers and pesticides out of our rivers, lakes and oceans.

The living biology in our soil has increased to the point that we no longer use synthetic fertilizer. This soil biology provides the plants with the nutrients they need. We do not use any fungicides or pesticides. A healthy ecosystem thrives on its own. Skeptics say we cannot feed the world with this return to natural based farming and ranching on large scales. That is simply not true. Our average corn yield is over 20 percent higher than the county average and we’ve seen strong net profits consistently for many years.

Too often people tend to categorize things as good or bad without understanding how they function for the health of the entire system. For instance, some people presume meat is unhealthy and that cattle destroy the environment. But if cattle are integrated into the productive work of the farm, raised on healthy soil and sustainably without antibiotics, we can achieve incredible environmental and food outcomes. Our cattle play an integral role in regenerating our resources by grazing. Our grass finished beef is nutrient dense and healthy with proteins, CLA, Omega 3′s, Vitamin E, Iron and many other essential nutrients. Our pastured poultry and eggs are just as healthy. We believe that the grains we grow are also more nutrient dense because of our healthy soils. When these functions work in harmony with one another, it’s a win-win.

It is our family’s passion to show others just how vital, practical and possible it is to regenerate our landscapes through innovative farming and ranching practices. We have an open door policy on our ranch. If anyone wants to visit our operation we are going to try and take the time to show it to them. We host thousands of visitors each year and I am proud to say that we have had visitors from all 50 states and 15 foreign countries tour our ranch.

Winning a Growing Green Award from the Natural Resources Defense Council is instrumental in helping us elevate the importance of regenerating our landscapes to make our food systems stronger and more resilient. We need to holistically manage our resources and move towards a balance of biodiversity in our food producing systems. And we need to do it now. As Charles Kome once said, “We need to understand that the quality of our lives depends on the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. All of those things depend on the quality of our SOIL!”

Article source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabe-brown/sustainable-farming_b_1522538.html

I am sure you have heard the word “Sustainable” agriculture/farming.  On our farm, we use sustainable farming practices, meaning our concerns and methods allow for the production of crops and livestock in such a way that it does not damage the land or its natural resources, preserving it for future generations.

We conserve irrigation water by the use of a drip system on our vegetables and have installed a timer to keep the watering consistent.  Another sustainable practice is the rotation of crops which helps to keep the soil full of nutrients.  In our winter months, we plant Fava beans which not only are wonderful to eat, but are high in nitrogen.  In the spring, we mulch the plants and plow them back into the soil enriching nitrogen naturally.  We plant potatoes for our CSA customers which when finished, leaves the soil higher in nitrogen.  This year, where I had previously grown the potatoes, we planted green beans, which just LOVE nitrogen.  It is suggested for small vegetable gardeners that there should be 3 sections of planting; each year to completely rotate around each section i.e. When Section 1 is finished, it goes to Section 2; 2 goes to section 3; 3 goes back to section 1 on the 3^rd year.  Of course, it is always recommended to compost in your yard and to put your mulch back into your soil when needed or during the winter months.(photo is example of gardening sections)

Around our property lines, we have left the blackberries and trees and brush to help wildlife alive and a natural setting. I am not saying it is wrong, but so many farmers cut down every tree, spray

or burn every bush, weed, plant on their irrigation ditches and property lines to maximize planting of crops.   We try and encourage birds to help eat insects so we have put up bluebird boxes; bird feeders and have owl boxes to help with the gopher problems.  I saw recently an idea where people put out yarns in a basket for the birds to use for nesting.  I am a knitter so I have lots of bits and pieces of yarn, I will be doing that next year to encourage nesting in the nearby trees.I feel that our sustainable practices must be working because our small 5 acre farm has a den of foxes in the back; we have blue birds nesting in our boxes; the trees are filled with every imaginable bird; I have frogs everyplace; so far this year I have seen 4 snakes (good ones); we have owls in our boxes; we have a big family of quail that live in the blackberries and roam around our place; we have our resident pheasant; and loads and loads of bees on anything that is blooming.  All living in harmony with Frank and I as we weed our vegetables, disk our fields; water the orchard.  Now I must say one negative about this friendly relationship. 

Those darn birds are getting into my cherry trees before I have had a chance to pick them!!!  I am going to get out my netting today to try and save my cherry crops!!  They are going to have to stay with worms.

Some gardening tips and suggestions for this week:  Don’t forget to water now that the weather is warming up. Check those drip systems and sprinklers so they are working properly.  Trees are best deep soaked well a couple times a week rather than quick sprinkling, it encourages roots to go deeper.  May is traditionally a time to fertilize trees, shrubs, flowers to give them a good start for the summer.

Gardening is fun and so rewarding for yourself and your family.  If you don’t have much area to put in a garden, then put them in a few pots. Plant a tomato, maybe some herbs or a cucumber plant.  Put some sticks in the pots and have the cukes grow up instead of down.  I saw these mason jars used as hanging lights, thought they would be so cute for summer dinners. Get your hands dirty and get out there and garden!

From Windmill Farm-

Article source: http://www.gridleyherald.com/community/blogs/life_on_windmill_farms_blog/x103573573/What-Does-Sustainable-Farming-Mean

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) has announced its 2012 Ohio Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series, featuring free public tours of sustainable and organic farms.

Consumers interested in local foods, farmers and market gardeners wanting to learn more and network with other farmers, aspiring and beginning farmers, and anyone interested in learning more about the production and marketing techniques of sustainable farmers, are encouraged to attend.

“Farmers are opening their gates this summer to show consumers how sustainably produced food is grown and marketed,” said Michelle Gregg, OEFFA’s Sustainable Agriculture Educator.

Thirteen tours and workshops are being sponsored by OEFFA and will be held between June and September.

These tours feature: organic berry production; high tunnels and hoop houses; commercial composting; permaculture; natural goat health; raw milk cheesemaking; specialty grain production; produce auctions; institutional sourcing; Ohio farm history; fiber production; specialty crop production, and farmers using a wide range of direct-to-consumer marketing strategies, including farmers’ markets, restaurants, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.

OEFFA’s events:

— June 10: Berry trellis systems and high tunnels tour and potluck— Brickel Creek Organic Farm; Jamestown, Ohio; (Greene Co.)

— June 24: OEFFA Athens Chapter compost tour — The Compost Exchange; Athens, Ohio; (Athens Co.)

— July 20: Garden tour and permaculture lecture with Peter Bane — Shaker Heights, Ohio; (Cuyahoga Co.)

— July 21- July 22: Advanced urban permaculture workshop with Peter Bane — Cleveland, Ohio; (Cuyahoga Co.)

— July 28: Natural goat health and raw milk cheesemaking tour — Blue Rock Station, Philo, Ohio; (Muskingum Co.)

— July 29: Garlic and hoop house season extension tour — Jandy’s Farm, Bellefontaine, Ohio; (Logan Co.)

— Aug. 4: Grain Growers Chapter specialty grain workshop and potluck — Gregg Organics, Bellville, Ohio; (Richland Co.)

— Sept. 14: Produce auctions and the local food web tour — Owl Creek Produce Auction, Fredericktown, Ohio; (Morrow Co.)

— Sept. 14: Institutional sourcing of local food tour — Kenyon College, AVI Foodsystems, Gambier, Ohio; (Knox Co.)

— Sept. 16: Sustainable living on an Ohio century farm tour — Carriage House Farm, North Bend, Ohio; (Hamilton Co.)

— Sept. 16: 2012 OEFFA Stewardship Award winner tour — Peach Mountain Organics, Spring Valley, Ohio; (Greene Co.)

— Sept. 23: Ohio farm history tour and potluck — Stone Garden Farm and Village, Richfield, Ohio; (Summit Co.)

— Sept. 27: Alpaca fiber production tour — Alpaca Spring Valley Farm, Minerva, Ohio; (Stark Co.)

In total, the series features 22 farms and food businesses, two university research centers and colleges, and five educational workshops.

For additional information and a complete list of all farm tours, including dates, times, farm descriptions, directions, and maps, go to www.oeffa.us/oeffa/pdfs/farmtour2012.pdf.

Article source: http://www.farmanddairy.com/uncategorized/free-public-tour-series-features-ohio%E2%80%99s-organic-and-sustainable-farms/37446.html