IFPRI Policy Seminar: Food Security through Food Value Chains

The value chain approach to food security looks at not only increasing food production but helping bring that food through the value chain—from field to fork—to hungry households.

Please join IFPRI next week for a policy seminar with researchers and representatives from the embassies of Germany and Tanzania to discuss food security projects in Africa south of the Sahara that use the food value chain approach.

Presentations will highlight results of research projects funded by German federal ministries, share success stories of food value chains, and outline key policies required to achieve food and nutrition security through this approach.

Speakers will include Stefan Sieber from the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Germany; Khamaldin Mutabazi from Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania; and IFPRI Senior Research Fellow Ephraim Nkonya.

Astrid Jakobs de Pádua, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and Lily Munanka, Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania, will give welcoming remarks and IFPRI Chief of Staff Rajul Pandya-Lorch will moderate.

The event will take place Monday, June 8, at IFPRI’s Washington, DC office at 2033 K Street NW, 4th floor, from 12:15 to 1:45 pm EST (a light lunch will be served at 11:45 am).

Please register to attend, or join us virtually through our live webcast. You can join the discussion by sending your question via twitter (#askIFPRI) or via email to s.hill-lee@cgiar.org.

Join the seminar, in person or virtually, on June 8.

17th Annual National Value Added Agriculture Conference

Online Registration is Now Open! 

You are invited to attend the 17^th Annual National Value Added Agriculture Conference in Austin, Texas on May 18-20, 2015. The conference addresses food security, rural development, and value added agriculture. 

 

Conference participants will also have the opportunities to visit U.S Foods’s amazing LEED-certified facility in Buda and Whole Foods flagship store in Lamar, and tour two famous urban farms in Austin: Agua Dulce Farm and Springdale farm.  

Deadline for registration

5:00 pm April 27, 2015.

Registration fee for regular attendee is $200 which will
cover meetings, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 coffee breaks,
a reception, and a banquet.

American Farm Bureau Federation, National Food MarketMaker, Southern Rural Development Center, Southern Extension Risk Management Education, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Agricultural Marketing Resource Center are confirmed sponsors for the conference.

For more information about the conference and conference registration, please visit website : http://www.agmrc.org/national-value-added-agriculture-conference/

See you in Austin on May 18-20, 2015!

Call for Applications: Global Food Security Symposium 2015-Next Generation Delegation

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is accepting applications from students to participate in the Global Food Security Symposium 2015 Next Generation Delegation. The deadline for applications is January 15, 2015.

About the Delegation

Convened annually by The Chicago Council, the Global Food Security Symposium discusses the US government and the international community’s progress on addressing global food and nutrition security.
 
The Next Generation Delegation program was launched in 2013 to provide an opportunity for promising students to engage in symposium discussions and to interact with policy, civil society, and business leaders working on agriculture, food, and nutrition issues.
 
The Global Food Security Symposium 2015 will focus on food systems for improved health. The Symposium is an invitation-only event which will be held on April 16, 2015, in Washington, DC.

Delegate Opportunities

Delegates will have the opportunity to:

1. Attend the Symposium.
2. Interact with Symposium speakers and senior attendees in private fora.
3. Connect with other outstanding students planning careers in the global agriculture, food, and nutrition sectors.
4. Connect with food and agriculture leaders from the public, private, and NGO sectors in private meetings.
5. Select delegates may also participate in video interviews (to be filmed the day of the Symposium), panel discussions, or other opportunities.  

Delegate Responsibilities

Delegates are expected to:

1. Attend all Symposium-related events in Washington, DC, from April 15-16, 2015. The Chicago Council will cover airfare, accommodations, and meal expenses. 
2. Prepare a commentary piece (800 words or less) for the Global Food for Thought blog on the topic of food systems for improved nutrition as it relates to their area of research focus and career trajectory.
3. Participate in Symposium discussions via social media.
4. Participate in a private post-event debriefing session.

Delegate Criteria

Students must be at the graduate or advanced undergraduate (third or fourth year) level studying agriculture and food policy; business; agricultural development; public policy and administration; agricultural science; nutrition; or other related science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines and must plan to enter the agriculture and food sector upon graduation. International students and students studying at universities outside of the United States are strongly encouraged to apply. 

To Apply

Interested applicants should email the following to nextgendelegation@thechicagocouncil.org:

1. Curriculum Vitae.
2. A letter of recommendation from a professor or employer.
3. A brief essay (500-700 words) on the topic of food systems for improved health, as it relates to their area of study.
4. A recent headshot (in JPG or PDF format).
5. Twitter handle and any other social media information.

The deadline for applications is January 15, 2015. Please note incomplete applications will not be considered.

Global Health Corps Accepting Applications for 2014-2015 Fellowships

Global Health Corps is excited to announce that the job descriptions for the 2014-2015 fellowship are now up. GHC is looking for driven, passionate, young leaders with diverse skill sets and experiences to join the movement for health equity. One-year paid fellowship positions are available with high impact NGOs and government organizations in East Africa, Southern Africa and the US. Applicants can apply for up to 3 positions that match their interests and skills, from project management to monitoring and evaluation, engineering, communications and more. We are looking for people from a broad range of sectors and disciplines.

We have a variety of job opportunities in nutrition, food security and agriculture, including:

• Community Nutrition Support Fellow at Clinton Development Initiative in Malawi
• Health and Nutrition Fellow at the Ministry of Health in Burundi
• Community Nutrition Education Fellow at Partners In Health in Rwanda
• Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow at Gardens for Health International in Rwanda

Applications for the fellowship close January 26, 2014.

Apply at http://ghcorps.org/fellows/apply/

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The only requirements are that applicants must:

• Be 30 years old or younger
• Have at least a bachelor's degree
• Be proficient in English

No prior health or international experience is necessary!

WHAT BENEFITS FELLOWS RECEIVE

• Livable monthly stipend
• Free housing and utilities
• Health insurance
• A professional development grant of $600
• A completion award of $1500
• An advising program that pairs fellows with a mentor in their area of work or interest
• A two-week Training Institute at Yale University in the United States to begin the fellowship
• An End-of-Year retreat in East Africa to finish the fellowship
• Three multi-day retreats during the year
• Travel to placement site, all trainings and back home
• Professional development and personal support from a dedicated in-country program manager
• Accompaniment program led by Still Harbor

Applications close January 26, 2014. Apply at http://ghcorps.org/fellows/apply/

17th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis

“New Challenges in Food Policy, Trade and Economic Vulnerability”

June 18-20, 2014 | Dakar, Senegal

The 17^th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis is being jointly organized by the Center for Global Trade Analysis and AGRODEP, facilitated by IFPRI.

The goal of the annual conference is to promote the exchange of ideas among economists conducting quantitative analysis of global economic issues. Particular emphasis will be placed on applied general equilibrium methods, data, and application. Related theoretical and applied work is also welcome.

The overall theme of the conference is "New Challenges in Food Policy, Trade and Economic Vulnerability" with sub-themes on:

· International Trade and Food Security

· International Trade and Finance

· Foreign Direct Investment in Land and Land Markets

· The Impact of Demographic Transition and Population Aging on the World Economy

· Trade, Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainable Development

· The Impact of the Internet and New Technological Innovations on Global Trade

· The Interaction between Global Trade, Poverty, Income Distribution, Inequality, and Development: The Integration of Africa into the World Trade System

· The Potential for Africa to "Feed the World"

Abstracts and organized session proposals are currently being accepted on the GTAP website through January 15. A number of scholarships will be available for presenters currently residing in Africa. Scholarship recipients will be chosen based on and following the review of their submitted abstract.

Registrations for this event will be accepted from early January through April 30.

For further information or to submit an abstract or session proposal, please visit the conference homepage on the GTAP website at: www.gtap.agecon.purdue.edu/events/conferences/2014/.