Getting beyond ’empty signifiers’—Food policy expert Corinna Hawkes asks: What are food systems for?
Advocacy / Agri-Health / Agriculture / Article / Diet / Opinion piece / Policy

Getting beyond ’empty signifiers’—Food policy expert Corinna Hawkes asks: What are food systems for?

Corinna Hawkes, director of the Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London, UK, asks all of us concerned with ‘food systems’ of one kind or another to think beyond ’empty signifiers’, even beyond visions for better food systems, and to get back to a fundamental question—what should be the purpose of food systems? If we can reach agreement on that, she argues, we can then set about creating diverse visions and actions, suiting diverse circumstances, for fulfilling that agreed-upon purpose. Continue reading

Australian body calls for RENEWABLE FOOD (aka ‘regenerative agriculture’ or ‘circular food economies’) as well as renewable energy
Advocacy / Agri-Health / Agriculture / Australia / Consumption / Event report / Food Security / Human Health / Nutrition / Policy

Australian body calls for RENEWABLE FOOD (aka ‘regenerative agriculture’ or ‘circular food economies’) as well as renewable energy

The Commission for the Human Future’s second round table conference on global threats and solutions has called for a worldwide effort to transform global food production to a system that is renewable, healthy and fair to all. Continue reading

Addressing Africa’s deteriorating food security should be Africa’s top priority—World Bank
Africa / Agriculture / Article / Climate Change / Food Security / Policy / Research

Addressing Africa’s deteriorating food security should be Africa’s top priority—World Bank

World Bank/Brookings report: ‘A key priority for Africa over the next decade should be to address a deteriorating food security situation that is compounded by the effects of climate change, declining agricultural productivity, and rapid population and urbanization growth.’ Continue reading

Thursday Links (November/December 2019)
Advocacy / Aflatoxins / Africa / Agriculture / Article / Cattle / ILRIComms / Livestock matters / Research

Thursday Links (November/December 2019)

A monthly round-up of recent articles, blog postings and tweets about livestock, aid and other topics that may be of interest to International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) staff and partners, compiled by David Aronson. (This is a dual month issue of Thursday Links in anticipation of the December holidays.) This is a good long-form article … Continue reading

Tropical agriculture conference takes unexpected turn: Toward optimism
Agriculture / Australia / Communications / News clipping / Research / Roundup

Tropical agriculture conference takes unexpected turn: Toward optimism

The future of livestock in the developing world was one of the principal themes at the third International Tropical Agriculture (TropAg) Conference held from 11-13 November 2019 in Brisbane, Australia. The conference focused on the challenge of feeding the world’s ever-growing population, which is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. The greatest challenges will … Continue reading

CGIAR and Somali officials and donors come together at ICRAF to support agricultural development in Somalia
Agriculture / CGIAR / Directorate / Drylands / East Africa / Event report / Fodder / ILRI / Insurance / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Somalia

CGIAR and Somali officials and donors come together at ICRAF to support agricultural development in Somalia

With livestock and cropping the backbone of the country, leaders from 11 of the 15 CGIAR centres met with Somali officials last month at ICRAF to map ways that CGIAR dryland agricultural research could accelerate and enhance Somalia’s development. Continue reading

Enlarging on the EAT-Lancet planetary diet report—A fresh look by CSIRO’s Mario Herrero, one of the authors
Advocacy / Agriculture / Biotechnology / Consumption / Environment / Food Security / Human Health / Intensification / Nutrition / Policy / Presentation / Pro-Poor Livestock / Report

Enlarging on the EAT-Lancet planetary diet report—A fresh look by CSIRO’s Mario Herrero, one of the authors

Mario Herrero, a scientist formerly with ILRI and now serving as chief research scientist of agriculture and food at Australia’s CSIRO, recently gave a seminar at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. The title of Herrero’s 19 Sep 2019 seminar was ‘Can we feed the planet and stay within planetary boundaries’. He focused on the EAT-Lancet Report on healthy diets (Commission Food in The Anthropocene: The EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets From Sustainable Food Systems, 16 Jan 2019), to which he contributed, along with 36 other experts. Continue reading