– Japan will offer enhanced trade insurance to boost private sector investment in Africa, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday as his country competes with rival China for influence in the resource-rich continent.

Although donor funds have assisted with training farmers, providing inputs such as seeds and machinery, and building agriculture-related infrastructure, the sector has experienced limited growth. Ultimately, institutional reform lies at the heart of sustainable agriculture development in southern Africa.

South Africa’s biotech crop adoption went up a further 3% in just one year between 2017 and 2018, a new report has revealed.

The Bayer Foundation today launched its new EUR 20 million Social Innovation ecosystem fund by awarding EUR 3 million to four pioneering social innovators – myAgro, MercyCorps, Path and Living Goods. The fund aims to scale up technology and entrepreneurial solutions that empower African smallholder farmers to lift themselves out of poverty.

Africa realised revenue of 127 million euros along the agriculture value chain last year, despite the availability of a market valued at 2.3 billion euro, the Digitisation of African Agriculture Report (2018-2019) has said.

More than 50 African countries took part in the first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in China in June, hoping to tap into the massive Chinese market.

Most Americans don’t spend time giving much thought to Africa. But from my recent trip to Africa, I think they should.

The revenue of the cocoa butter market in the European Union amounted to $3.8B in 2018, rising by 1.9% against the previous year.

The palm oil market size in Africa is estimated at $8.2B in 2018, an increase of 3.7% against the previous year.

The special report on global warming of 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels marks a critical point in climate negotiations. Billed in the media as “life changing,” the report illustrates how crossing the ever-nearer threshold of 1.5℃ warming will affect the planet, and how difficult it will be to avoid overshooting this target.

Although favorable environmental conditions, limitless availability of land, and high demands of fruits and vegetables at the target markets, the export of fresh agricultural produce from most African (and Asian) countries is very small and nearly insignificant.

A united African continent working towards common goals would be a major force on the global economic stage.

Civil society organisations and citizens across Africa are calling upon their governments to issue an immediate ban on all use of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs).

THE demand for macadamia nuts is expected to grow significantly in the near future, driven by changes in consumption patterns, hence a lucrative opportunity for local producers to grow their exports, ZimTrade has said.

The world’s biggest cocoa producer is on course for a second straight record crop, but its plans for bigger control over prices for the following season will remain a major cause of uncertainty for traders.

Africa has been blessed, not only with natural resources but also an abundance of youth, yet we fail to adequately invest in them.

A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool available for free in a smartphone app can predict near-term crop productivity for farmers in Africa.

“We need more young Africans to farm. Let’s give them the tools to do so,” writes Michael Hailu, director of the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development (CTA). It has long been clear that agriculture needs more young people, not only to secure Africa’s future food security but to modernize farming and keep pace with a changing world.

Avocado production in Africa could grow as significantly and rapidly as in Colombia over recent years, according to a representative of Westfalia Fruit.

Farming is probably the most popular career choice in Africa. In fact, almost half of the population of working Africans are working in the agriculture sector.