Look out for The EU Africa Business Forum & EU Africa Summit In Brussels this April!

EU–Africa Business Forum back-to-back with EU–Africa Summit from coleacp on Vimeo.

The EU -Africa Summit will be taking place on the 2nd and 3rd of April this year in Brussels and just before it there will be EU -Africa Forum organized by the European Commission . The objectives of the forum are to connect both African and European business leaders to do business but also to develop impactful policy around the discussions they will have during the meetings.

COLEACP will be co organizing two roundtable events the first is on the role of the private sector with the directorate general for agriculture and rural development of the European commission and the second roundtable will be on Innovation in Agriculture . The second rountable will be done in collaboration with the directorate general for research and innovation of the European Commission. This will take place on the eve of the EU-Africa Summit and will see discussions on (PPP'S ) Private /Public Partnerships regarding how innovation and research can influence and contribute to improving food security and nutrition in Africa.

The roundtables will be co -chaired by some amazing experts as mentioned in the video about the activities above . The co chairs are Akiinwumi Adesina - Federal Minister of Agriculture of Nigeria,Jezy Plewa DG of the directorate general for agriculture and rural development and Guy Stinglhamber General Delegate of COLEACP.

If you haven't already watched the video its a great way to get a feel for the events and also for a bit of fun see if you can spot me in the video!! :)

For Further Information on the EU-Africa Summit & EU-Africa Business Forum as well as the round tables COLEACP is co -organizing check out the links below :

(http://www.africa-eu-partnership.org) Read the concept note of the Agribusiness roundtable Read the concept note of the Innovation roundtable  http://euafrica-businessforum.eu

YOUTH OPPORTUNITY :The Idlelo6 ICT Conference on Free and Open Source Software in Nairobi

The Idlelo6 ICT Conference on Free and Open Source Software 

Date :Friday March 28th  2014

Time :12:00 PM (EAT)

Country : Nairobi, Kenya 

Venue : Strathmore University Auditorium onday, March 24, 2014 at 9:00 AM –

The Organizers have an exciting programme prepared that includes technical training sessions that were requested  by the open source community from all over Africa. Following this there will be some great presentations and discussions by those who responded to the their earlier call for papers and also some case studies on practical implementations of Free and Open Source software.  More information is also available at the website www.idlelo.net 

Registration is available online, secure your seat by signing up. There are limited spaces especially for the training sessions, it is advisable to register as soon as possible at this site: http://idlelo.net/content/idlelo-6-conference-registration orwww.idlelo6.eventbrite.com The GE Innovations in Healthcare challenge will also be launched at the Idlelo6 event. 

WEB 2.0 & SOCIAL MEDIA LEARNING OPPORTUNITY IN SWAZILAND

Venue: Mananga Centre for Regional Integration and Management Development, Ezulwini Campus, Lobamba,Swaziland

Dates: 19-23 May, 2014 (9:00 – 17:30)

Technological innovation is taking place at a breath-taking pace. Simple, open source internet-based applications and services designed to enhance on-line collaboration are now available to the wider public at little or no cost at all. These new online technologies known as Web 2.0 and Social Media applications enable people to collaborate to create, share and publish information.

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation EU-ACP (CTA) has a mandate to facilitate access to and dissemination of information in the fields of agriculture and rural development in 78 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). Supporting the adoption of Web 2.0 applications and Social Media represents a great opportunity for meeting it.

The Mananga Centre for Regional Integration and Management Development (Mananga) in collaboration with CTA will host a 5-day Web 2.0 and Social Media Learning Opportunity on 19-23 May 2014. Participants will be introduced to selected web 2.0 applications including social media and will learn how to use them hands-on.

The Learning Opportunity will cover advanced online searching, getting information served via alerts and RSS, collaborating remotely using wikis and Google Docs, using VoIP, online mapping and social networking. Participants will get a chance to see what others have done, get hands-on experience on how to use innovative applications, and assess how they could adopt these innovations within the context of their work and organisation.

This Learning Opportunity forms part of CTA initiatives that support development partners in networking, accessing and disseminating information more effectively.

Programme of the Learning Opportunity

·         Introduction to the participatory World Wide Web (Web 2.0) and to social media;

·         Search Magic: How to conduct advanced multilingual online searches;

·         Information Self Service: How to get selected information served to you via alerts and RSS feeds;

·         Online content curation: Tagging and Social Bookmarking;

·         Remote collaboration: How to develop content remotely using wikis and Google Docs;

·         Online mapping: How to locate your organisation and your projects on an online map;

·         How to communicate voice over the internet at no cost;

·         Online publishing (micro-blogging and blogging);

·         Professional / corporate social networking (LinkedIn and Facebook);

·         Web 2.0 and Social Media for Agri-business marketing;

·         Web 2.0 self-instruction (introduction to IMARK).

Participants - Eligibility and responsibilities

Participation in the Learning Opportunity is free of charge, but subject to acceptance by the organisers. 25 participants will be accepted for the event.

Eligibility criteria

·         be computer literate and conversant with browsing the Internet;

·         have regular access to a computer (ownership of a computer is an advantage);

·         be in a position to take along a WIFI-enabled laptop to the training;

·         be competent in the use of the English language;

·         have an active e-mail account;

·         be actively engaged in agriculture and rural development / natural resource management / biodiversity conservation in the domains of ICT for development (ICT4D), policies, markets; publishing, communication and media; and

·         be resident in Swaziland.

Responsibilities

Accepted participants will be responsible for all costs related to their travel to and from the venue at the Ezulwini Campus in Lobamba, accommodation, breakfast and supper, daily subsistence allowances, and for bringing their own WIFI-enabled laptop to the event.

Entitlements

During each event, the organisers will provide lunch and refreshments and distribute copies of CTA publications and instructional material.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying, please click on this link to complete the online form.

Deadline for applications: 22 April, 2014 (14:00 GMT)

Feedback

The organisers will inform successful applicants about the status of their application ~two week before the commencement of the course. Successful applicants will receive confirmation letters. Others will be duly informed about the results of their application.

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JOIN ONLINE #AskAg Twitter Chat: Empowering Women at the Head of Family Farms

#AskAg Twitter Chat: Empowering Women at the Head of Family Farms

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DATE

March 20, 2014

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

EDT

Add to calendar

LOCATION

Online

Farming First is going to debate the issues. Uniting over 130 organisations from around the world, Farming First is one of the most diverse and active agricultural coalitions in the world. Farming First supporters represent the world’s farmers, scientists and engineers as well as agribusiness associations and non-governmental organisations.

Watch the video below to better understand what Agrilinks #AskAg Twitter chats are. Also, as part of their efforts to get everyone comfortable with using Twitter, Agrilinks produced 101/102 trainings that can be accessed by clicking here.

Guiding questions

1. What challenges do women in family farming face in the developing world, and what do they need to thrive?
2. How can we reach more women farmers worldwide with tools and skills they need?
3. What are the success stories that show the benefits of investing in rural women? How do we measure this success?
4. How do we identify and empower male allies in the quest to improve women-run family farms?
5. Women farmers are often both the breadwinners and the bread bakers. How do we improve the nutritional status of family farms?

The chat is organized around these five guiding questions. If you have additional questions you'd like to ask the experts, tweet @Agrilinks using the #AskAg hashtag!

Twitter accounts to follow

Experts	Organizations & featured contributors
Sylvia Cabus: @sylviacabus	Farming First: @farmingfirst
Stephanie Hanson: @HansonSteph	One Acre Fund: @OneAcreFund
Susan Carlson: @susanmcarlson	SPRING Project: @SPRINGProject2
Thembi Ndema: @FANRPAN	World Farmer's Organisation: @worldfarmersorg

 How to participate

• If you are new to Twitter, visit Twitter.com to sign up for an account. (For more tips on getting started, check out our Twitter training.)
• Explore the guiding questions that will be discussed during the chat.
• Join the discussion by using the hashtag #AskAg and following @Agrilinks.
• You can also follow on Twubs or through the livestream 

More information can be found here : http://agrilinks.org/events/askag-twitter-chat-empowering-women-head-family-farms

International Year Of Family Farming 2014 Series : Come Join The Shadehouse REVOLUTION with the First Lady of Guyana !!

One of the first hydroponic shade houses constructed in 2012 was at the State House at the request of the First Lady of Guyana. She has started a campaign to have gardens in schools, as well as in ordinary households, and she wanted to show students the hydroponic system. See above the video footage from the Capitol news report showing the launching  of her  hydroponic shade house project where she speaks about the benefits of growing your own food and encourages persons to take up family farming.

Over the years hydroponic shade houses have slowly taken hold in Guyana .The 4 year Guyana Hydroponic Shade House USD $1.35M Inter American Development bank and Japanese Trust Fund project is being implemented by the Partners of the Americas Guyana Branch and  The Caribbean Self Reliance International .The objectives of the project are to improve the community economic welfare and growth of vulnerable and disadvantaged men,women and young people.

The training period lasted from July 2013 -March 2014 and succeeded in  training 551 people in hydroponics and established the same number of home based gardens. 32 additional shade houses have been constructed across Guyana according to the shade house production projects manager Mr Kelvin Craig said.He highlighted in his remarks that during the second phase of the project there would be further involvement of partners and beneficiaries in the project. Phase two will also take the project to other regions and  Communities in Guyana including Linden. 

The Guyana Minister of Culture Dr Leslie Ramsammy was pleased with the success of the project and "Pointed out that shade houses in Guyana are the best in the Caribbean and he urged farmers not to see farming as something poor people do but as an investment in the country's economy " He also called for record keeping by farmers to be improved so that their production can grow . He  encouraged farmers to register their farms to be eligible to produce for the export market and  spoke briefly about submitting a Tracibility and animal welfare bill  to the attorney generals office.These bills Will allow the government to be able to trace produce from farm to plate and to better govern how animals are kept and slaughtered. The minister further emphasized the need for the grow more food campaign to continue throughout Guyana to encourage more citizens to grow their own food.

 Suzy Wong, a beneficiary of the training, urged all to take advantage of the project. She said, it is a good initiative, since hydroponic farming utilizes a small space and less physical work. Juliet Munian, of Essequibo, who said she had been farming bananas for the past 30 years, said she started hydroponic farming out of a need for fresh vegetables for her family. And Gerond Roberts, Toshao of Bethany Mission on the Supenaam River, said the introduction of hydroponic farming has lit up that community. He said 25 persons have built shadehouses. “We want our community to diversify in agriculture,” Roberts said, before adding that land space is not an issue in his community. He said he started with containers but now he has expanded to boxes. (Taken from Stabroek News Article Online Shadehouse project aims to lift poor communities by Staff writer on March 13,2014).All the plants in the hydroponic project have been produced in substrate soil,coconut fiber,rice paddy ,charcoal ,sponge and styrofoam and are depicted in the photos below.They are even growing in an old sneaker!!

PHOTO CREDITS : Stabroek News Online , GINA and The Guyana Times 

Caribbean Climate Innovation Center (CCIC) $50,000 Grant Opportunity

Caribbean Climate Innovation Center launches in Trinidad

The business hub is now accepting applications for grants of up to $50,000

Originally posted on 28 January 2014 on the CCIC website

The Caribbean Climate Innovation Center (CCIC)—a hub designed to help clean technology ventures transform the region to a low-carbon economy and create green jobs—launched yesterday in Freeport, Trinidad & Tobago.

The CCIC will offer financing, training, mentorship, and other services to a growing network of innovators in the areas of solar power, energy efficiency, water management, resource use efficiency, and sustainable agribusiness.

By supporting local climate technology companies that make use of these natural resources, the CCIC is expected to cut 20,882 metric tons in carbon emissions in the first six years of operation - which is equivalent to the exhaust emissions from 4,500 passenger cars per year.

“We believe biodiesel could play an important role in the energy landscape of the Caribbean,” said Elliot Lincoln, founder of Themba Biofuels, based in Antigua. “We aim to replace ten percent of imported diesel fuel with biodiesel and create more than a hundred jobs. I look forward to the support of the CCIC as we scale our operations and develop new markets."

The CCIC is currently accepting applications for proof-of-concept grants of up to $50,000 to facilitate product development, prototyping, testing, or piloting a product or service. Caribbean green ventures are invited to apply by March 30.

The center will have facilities in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, as well as satellite hubs in other Caribbean islands. The center will be part of a global network of eight Climate Innovation Centers, the first of which—in Nairobi, Kenya—has supported over 75 businesses since it launched in September 2012. 

More Information can be found here : http://www.infodev.org/highlights/caribbean-climate-innovation-center-launches-trinidad

WEB 2.0 & SOCIAL MEDIA LEARNING OPPORTUNITY NEW BUSSA,NIGER STATE IN NIGERIA

Venue: National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research, New-Bussa, Niger State, Nigeria

Dates: 12-16 May, 2014

Technological innovation is taking place at a breath-taking pace. Simple, open source internet-based applications and services designed to enhance on-line collaboration are now available to the wider public at little or no cost at all. These new online technologies known as Web 2.0 and Social Media applications enable people to collaborate to create, share and publish information.

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation EU-ACP (CTA) has a mandate to facilitate access to and dissemination of information in the fields of agriculture and rural development in 78 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). Supporting the adoption of Web 2.0 applications and Social Media represents a great opportunity for meeting it.

The National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research, New-Bussa, Niger State (NIFFR) in collaboration with CTA and the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) and the Federal College of Freshwater Fisheries Technology (FCFFT), will host a 5-day Web 2.0 and Social Media Learning Opportunity on 12-16 May 2014. Participants will be introduced to selected web 2.0 applications including social media and will learn how to use them hands-on.

The Learning Opportunity will cover advanced online searching, getting information served via alerts and RSS, collaborating remotely using wikis and Google Docs, using VoIP, online mapping and social networking. Participants will get a chance to see what others have done, get hands-on experience on how to use innovative applications, and assess how they could adopt these innovations within the context of their work and organisation.

This Learning Opportunity forms part of CTA initiatives that support development partners in networking, accessing and disseminating information more effectively.

Programme of the Learning Opportunity

·         Introduction to the participatory World Wide Web (Web 2.0) and to social media;

·         Search Magic: How to conduct advanced multilingual online searches;

·         Information Self Service: How to get selected information served to you via alerts and RSS feeds;

·         Online content curation: Tagging and Social Bookmarking;

·         Remote collaboration: How to develop content remotely using wikis and Google Docs;

·         Online mapping: How to locate your organisation and your projects on an online map;

·         How to communicate voice over the internet at no cost;

·         Online publishing (micro-blogging and blogging);

·         Professional / corporate social networking (LinkedIn and Facebook);

·         Web 2.0 and Social Media for Agri-business marketing;

·         Web 2.0 self-instruction (introduction to IMARK).

Participants - Eligibility and responsibilities

Participation in the Learning Opportunity is free of charge, but subject to acceptance by the organisers. 25 participants will be accepted for the event.

Eligibility criteria

·         be computer literate and conversant with browsing the Internet;

·         have regular access to a computer (ownership of a computer is an advantage);

·         be in a position to take along a WIFI-enabled laptop to the training;

·         be competent in the use of the English language;

·         have an active e-mail account;

·         be actively engaged in agriculture and rural development / natural resource management / biodiversity conservation in the domains of ICT for development (ICT4D), policies, markets; publishing, communication and media; and

·         be resident in Nigeria.

Responsibilities

Accepted participants will be responsible for all costs related to their travel to and from the venue at the NIFFR, accommodation, breakfast and supper, daily subsistence allowances, and for bringing their own WIFI-enabled laptop to the event.

Entitlements

During each event, the organisers will provide lunch and refreshments and distribute copies of CTA publications and instructional material.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying, please click on this link to complete the online form.

Deadline for applications: 14 April, 2014

Feedback

The organisers will inform successful applicants about the status of their application ~two week before the commencement of the course. Successful applicants will receive confirmation letters. Others will be duly informed about the results of their application.

Follow Web2forDev on Facebook, Twitter and join the community on DGroups and LinkedIn