“COVID-19 will make African governments identify agriculture as an essential sector that deserves maximum support and protection,” explains Stephen Mugo, Africa regional representative at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Kenya. “Urgent action is needed to ensure that adequate credit and other support are available when and where needed to strengthen farmers’ ability to deliver.”
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Nutrition, health and food security
Source: Devex (4 May 2020)
Leaders from CIMMYT, Harvest Plus and Clinton Development Initiative discuss need for smallholder farmers to be resilient against shocks — pandemics, droughts or crop infestations.
Gender equality, youth and social inclusion
The Scaling Up community of practice discusses challenges and opportunities for an improved “new normal” for agriculture, research and development.
Innovations
As the current pandemic and restrictions create labor constraints, CIMMYT experts discuss the role scale-appropriate farm machinery can play in addressing them.
