CFS 46 is from 14 – 18 October 2019 at FAO, Rome, Italy and will be the first major global meeting on food security and nutrition after the High Level Political Forum SDG Summit in New York in September 2019. The SDGs will be the theme of the week with a particular focus on ways to accelerate SDG 2 – zero hunger. For more details go to - https://mailchi.mp/fao/cfs-updates-cfs46-and-more?e=38b40b4176
Photo credit - Unsplash (Nordwood & Rawpixel)
After a successful 2018 edition, we are happy to announce the date for the 2019 African Diaspora Agro Food Forum. The forum will be at the Bouchout castle Meise Belgium, with the support of the Meise Botanic Garden. This forum is open to African Diaspora agro food entrepreneurs and anyone interested in the agro food sector in Africa. You can direct inquiries for partnerships, exhibitions and participation to the organizers via email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Join the Food Bridge vzw, the heritage department of the Brussels regional government (VGC), the centre for agricultural history (CAG) Leuven, the BigPicnic Project of Meise Botanic garden and FAAb vzw, as we highlight and celebrate Brussels diverse food heritage, on 28th of September 2018, 12-2pm at Muntpunt Brussels.
From Nigeria, we present the YAM and its cultural significance. There will also be a tasting of free Yam frites!!!
Here is a links for more details -
The Sustech4Africa call for projects being organized by Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs Belgium(OvO), VITO nv, Thoman More University Mechelen and the African Diaspora Projects Initiative now has a new deadline. Applications can still be sent in until the 25th of January 2019.
Supporting social entrepreneurship with sustainable projects, is important for the development of Africa. Thus we intend to use the interconnections of African diaspora communities to insure the best entrepreneurial projects are chosen. This call is open to the African Diasporans in Europe. The selection of candidates for this call for projects will be on the 12th of February 2019 from 10am to 5pm. A maximum of 30 project owners will be invited to present their projects. A jury will select 10 out of these for further collaboration. This will be followed by:
Boot camp – Experts from VITO nv, Thomas More University and Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs will train candidates on the 4th to 5th of March 2019 from 9.30am to 6pm. At the Boot Camp, business coaches will teach the participants all they know on how to start their business. With the assistance of mentors they will further work out their ideas and develop a business pitch, which they will present to the other participants at the end of the Boot Camp.
Coaching sessions – 12th, 19th and 26th of March from 9.30am to 6.00pm. The open questions and assumptions that emerge during the Boot Camp, will be the focus of the homework in the coaching sessions afterwards.
On the 4th of April 2019, all the finalists for this call for projects on "Sustainable Technologies for Africa", after the boot camp and coaching sessions, will pitch their business ideas to an audience from the public, potential investors and representatives of the organizing partners . A jury will choose the winners after deliberation.
Companies, aspiring entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists from the African diaspora with great ideas for a sustainable economy can participate in this “Sustainable Technologies for Africa” call for project .
With the SusTech4Africa competition, the African Diaspora Projects Initiative, Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs, VITO nv and Thomas More University will accelerate the founding and growth of cleantech industries in African Countries, by connecting local African and Belgian cleantech companies. This call for project is open to start-ups and scale-ups from all sectors, however you need to state clearly how your project fits the theme “Sustainable Technologies for Africa”, the expected social impact and profitability. Entries can be sent in French, English or Dutch but note that the boot camp and coaching sessions will be in English.
Following recommendations from the African Diaspora Agro Food Forum 2018 and a workshop at Tropentag 2018, which focused on African Diaspora food market and linking African Diaspora agro food entrepreneurs to research and SMEs, The Food Bridge is setting up a database of African Diasporans active in the agro food sector .
This is neccessary for creating the right synergy, to galvanize an integrated approach to African Diaspora input in the development of the agro food sector. Links between research and entrepreneurship will be better put into optimal use. it will also enable dialogues between the different African Diasporas in this sector and also with governments, global agencies, NGOs, policy makers working towards a sustainable development in Africa.
Register here: https://goo.gl/forms/feyvBBC8SFgTtSNn2
The 5th edition of the AgroFood Plastprintpack, an international Nigerian agro food fair is coming up in March 2019 ( From the 26th to the 28th of March 2019) . The event will be held at the Landmark convention center Lagos Nigeria. Many European countries will have stands at this event, with exhibitions by companies working in the sector to promote their business and explore new opportunities. Here is a link for more details -https://www.agrofood-nigeria.com/agrofood-nigeria.html
The 2018 Amsterdam symposium on the history of food will be on the 16th and 17th of November 2018. This year's theme is - Body and Soul: examining the historical relationship between nutrition, health, and culture.
Find below the conference abstract from the event page - https://www.aanmelder.nl/ashf2018
"The act of ingestion ensures our intimate relationship with food. This literal ‘incorporation’ has implications that go far beyond basic physicality: it is precisely in the corporeal sphere that the cultural significance of our food habits is on display. Crucial to the connection between food and body is the concept of control. State institutions, medical professionals, and spiritual teachers have prescribed and proscribed dietary behaviour, exercising what Michel Foucault has termed ‘biopower’, in an attempt to regulate the nourishment of populations. Such nutritional advice has often been a form of moral guidance: to authorities like doctors and religious leaders, public health was a medical and an ethical issue. Corporations have made similar persuasion efforts, often aided by health gurus and sportspersons – from 19th-century fruitarians to 21st-century Instagram influencers advertising their ‘killer’ bodies. By conceptualizing the body as a machine in need of ‘input’, they increasingly sold consumers the prospect of total control over their health and wellbeing.
Yet the public has the agency to modify and contest existing food regimes. By narrativizing the fundamental everyday practice of food consumption, individuals fashion eating – and not-eating – into a performance, thereby inextricably linking these acts to personal identity. Their pursuit for healthy and inspiring lifestyles can lead to greater self-care, but can also encourage problematic body/food mindsets, such as anorexia or orthorexia. No wonder that, since ancient times, the notion of a powerful connection between psychological and physical health has been deployed by spiritual leaders to promise audiences control over their desires and appetites. Hence it is especially in the context of the body that the cultural relevance of food can be explored".
Venue: Aula of the University of Amsterdam
Singel 411, 1012 XM Amsterdam.
Price:
Early Bird (until 1 september): 75 euro
Regular: 90 euro
Student: 45 euro
Friend of the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam: 40 euro
The application for the Sustech4Africa 2019 call for projects is now open. This call for projects organized by African Diaspora Projects Initiative, Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs vzw (Ondernemers voor Ondernemers), the Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek (VITO nv) and Thomas More University, will be open for applications from the 27th of November 2018 to 15th of January 2019.
Register - https://goo.gl/forms/MWA1D7d91YSUnXL03
Supporting social entrepreneurship with sustainable projects, is important for the development of Africa. Thus we intend to use the interconnections of African diaspora communities, to insure the best entrepreneurial projects are chosen. This call is open to African Diasporas in Europe. The first selection of candidates for this call for projects will be on the 12th of February 2019 from 10am to 5pm. A maximum of 30 project owners will be invited to present their projects. A jury will select 10 out of these for further collaborations.
Registration is now open for the 2018 Global Diaspora week opening ceremony, which will be held at the European parliament in Brussels Belgium. Organized by the African Diaspora Network Europe (ADNE) and partners. This year's theme is “#Digital #Diaspora: Boosting the Digital Agenda and #Innovation in Development”. This event will hold on the 5th of October 2018. Here is a link for more details -http://www.globaldiasporaweek.eu/
The founder of the Food Bridge vzw was a speaker on the panel that discussed 'Diaspora innovations for agricultural productivity and sustainability ', at the opening event of the global diaspora week 2018,held at the European parliament Brussels. Other speakers on the panel included
Moderator: Mrs. Marina Diboma, Deputy Managing Director of NABC
Mr. Patrick Gilabert, Permanent Representative of UNIDO to the European Union
Mrs. Christine Leurquin, VP Institutional Relations and Communications at SES Satellites
Mrs. Oladunni Stähler, Chapter Lead Germany, Women in Tech Africa
Mrs. Isolina Boto, Manager of Brussels Office at CTA
Mrs. Irene Salvi, Results Measurement and Fundraising at UNCDF
M. Myrto Arvaniti, Communications officer, FAO Liaison office with the European Union
The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) is a network of 85 Universities in 35 African countries is pleased to announce the 2018 RUFORUM Young African Entrepreneurs Competition (RUYAEC). The 2018 RUFORUM Young African Entrepreneurs Competition (RUYAEC) whose overall purpose is to catalyse entrepreneurship through promotion of business innovation and provision of seed funding to young entrepreneurs with creative and innovative business ideas among African youth. RUYAEC invites young (<35 years) African entrepreneurs and incubates to compete for 10 awards to show case their innovations, enterprises and business concepts and propositions. The focus is for the young entrepreneurs to share their stories at an international stage with close to 1200 participants drawn from academia, business and industry, development organisations, practitioners and philanthropists. It is hoped that through this competition, young entrepreneurs’ business concepts, impact, innovation and business opportunities can be expanded. While the focus of this competition is on innovation in agribusiness, other innovations, incubations, business enterprises and business concepts along ICTs, health, engineering, natural resources, meteorology, urbanization, green economy, and transport and communication, among other areas, will be considered. The ten (10) competitively selected business enterprises will receive all expenses paid trip (air ticket, conference registration, and hotel costs) for participation at the RUFORUM Biennial Conference (22-26 October, 2018) in Nairobi, Kenya. The selected young entrepreneurs will receive a cash price award. Eligibility Applications are invited from enterprises and individuals that meet the following eligibility criteria. Persons with an established business enterprise and/or those with innovations that can potentially be commercialized and/or those with business concepts Deadline for submissions is 31st August, 2018. Application submission process: All applications should be submitted through the www.ruforum.org/younginnovators/ Enquiries For any enquiries do contact Dr. Egeru Anthony (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) and Dr. Sylvanus Mensah (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
The business enterprise/potential enterprise should have a defined business model that show case the innovativeness of the proposed enterprise/business/innovation.
Persons in the age category 16-34 years
Submissions should be in English or French using the template provided.