Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture

?? Join us at the Borlaug International Dialogue! On behalf of the Feed the Future Innovation Labs, the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture is hosting an engaging side event focused on the power of horticulture in transforming food systems and promoting healthier diets. ?? Event Details: ?? Tuesday, October 29, 2024 ?? 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (U.S. Central Time) ?? Optional networking: 8:30 PM - 9:00 PM ?? Iowa Event Center, Room 305, Des Moines, IA Explore how strategic investments in horticulture can catalyze innovation, improve access to nutritious foods, and support sustainable food systems. Hear from thought leaders, including: ? Dina Esposito, Assistant to the Administrator, USAID ? Eileen Kennedy, Professor, Tufts University ? Erin McGuire, Director, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture ? Alexandra Spieldoch, Director, Women’s Entrepreneurship and Global Business Development, iDE (International Development Enterprises) ? Naalamle Amissah, PhD, Regional Hub Manager & Professor, University of Ghana ? Peninah Yumbya, PhD, Regional Hub Manager, International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED) ? P.V. Vara Prasad, Director, Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab ??Register now and be part of the conversation! https://lnkd.in/g38EiTNS #FoodSystems #HorticultureInnovation #HealthyDiets #BorlaugDialogue #FoodPrize24

The Horticulture Opportunity Study team has been busy over the last few weeks! Full-day workshops were held in Honduras, Benin, and Tanzania, engaging 20 experts in each country. These workshops are part of a larger study aiming to understand where the most significant opportunities are to push the needle forward on ensuring everyone has access to fruits and vegetables and that we drive demand for healthy diets. We do this through asking hundreds of experts worldwide about critical bottlenecks and quantifying and qualifying the investments made by the private sector, government, academic institutions, and international development partners into horticulture research and development (R&D), with a focus on fruits and vegetables. Initial key insights: ?? There is significantly less investment in fruits and vegetables as compared to other crops in each of these countries. ?? Barriers limiting investment in horticulture include a lack of policy support, unreliable market support and infrastructure, and innovation that supports healthy diets in low-resources environments. ?? This insufficient investment in fruits and vegetables can lead to food and nutritional insecurity, higher post-harvest losses, and reduced incomes for producers. We look forward to collaborating across regions to develop strategic investment areas and research opportunities based on study findings. We are thankful to our host organizations and facilitators – ?? Honduras: Julio López Montes and Patricia Arce with EAP Zamorano and the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture, Central America Regional Hub ?? Benin: Irène Mitchodigni representing CGIAR FRESH and Adama Ouedraogo representing the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture, West Africa Regional Hub ?? Tanzania: Wiston Mwombeki representing CGIAR FRESH, Peninah Yumbya, PhD with International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED), representing the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture, East Africa Regional Hub, and Mercy Mwambi and Emmanuel Mnzava with World Vegetable Center #Horticulture #FoodSecurity #HealthyEating #InvestmentInAgriculture #ResearchAndDevelopment

The International Agricultural Development Graduate Group at University of California, Davis is now accepting applications for the Fall 2025 Academic Year! ??? This dynamic and interdisciplinary program is ranked as a top-tier choice for those who want to gain the skills needed to implement, facilitate, and manage programs that drive agricultural development, resource management, and improve rural livelihoods. ???? ?? Interested in applying? Find more information about the application process here: https://lnkd.in/gCUT3NTp ?? Priority Application Deadline: December 15th, 2024 ?? ?? For any questions, feel free to reach out to our Graduate Program Coordinator at [email protected]. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a leading program committed to making a global impact! ???? #AgriculturalDevelopment #GraduateStudies #ApplyNow

?? Space is limited, last chance to register! ?? Join us in-person at the University of California, Davis for the 2024 Global Food Systems & Agriculture Day: Seeding Food Systems Resilience ???? ?? When: October 24, 2024 | 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Followed by a reception from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. hosted by the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences) ?? Where: UC Davis International Center This exciting event is hosted by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture & UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) Global Engagement -- with Dr. Erin McGuire as Chair -- and will feature top experts discussing key innovations, challenges, and strategies to build resilience in global food systems. ???? ?? Register before October 11th for the chance to secure a spot.?Attendance will be confirmed by email a week before the event. ?? For more information – including the speaker lineup and full-day agenda – visit the event webpage: https://lnkd.in/gS8dKgnP. Looking forward to welcoming our guest speakers, including U.S. Congressman Ami Bera, M.D.;?Dr. Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General of?International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI); representatives from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of the United Nations,?United States Agency for International Development (USAID),?Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,?Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), and more. #2024GlobalAgDay #FoodSystems #EndHunger

????STOP FOOD LOSS AND WASTE!! The term food waste refers to?produce thrown away by the consumer, whereas food loss usually occurs at the?production, postharvest, and or processing stages?of the agricultural value chain (World Food Programme,2024). At the Postharvest Innovation Hub, we aim to help reduce #postharvest #losses through the use of adaptable low-cost technologies. Through the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture funded project "Enhancing the production and Consumption of African Indigenous fruits and vegetables to improve nutrition in Ghana and Mali" (ECo-Inveg), the Postharvest Innovation Hub at University of Ghana, and collaborating partners Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa - FARA, CSIR - Food Research Institute YPARD and USTT-B (Mali) are strengthening the capacities of farmers, traders and processors in postharvest management using effective and adaptable low-cost technologies to #significantly reduce postharvest losses along indigenous fruits???? and vegetable?? ???value chains in Ghana and Mali. As we mark the #UN #Day for #FoodLoss and #Waste we urge you to join hands with us to collectively #reducefoodloss and #stopfoodwaste and #savemoney to ensure sustainable future food systems. #endhunger #feedthoseinneed #saveresources #mitigatefoodlosses

???? Join Us at the World Food Prize 2024 Side-Event! ???? Colorful Harvest: An Agri-Food Systems Approach to Healthier Diets We're excited to invite you to an interactive evening side-event hosted by both the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture and Feed the Future Food Systems for Nutrition Innovation Lab during the World Food Prize Foundation Borlaug International Dialogue. Explore how horticulture can act as a catalyst for healthier diets and sustainable food systems transformation. ?? What to Expect: ?? Hear from leading researchers, USAID representatives, and public policy advocates. ?? Discuss strategic investments in horticulture, boosting consumer demand for nutritious fruits & vegetables, and promoting indigenous varieties. ?? Dive into the latest research findings and engage in thought-provoking panel discussions. ??? WHEN: ?? Tuesday, October 29th, from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm CST ?? Optional Networking: 8:30 pm - 9:00 pm CST ?? WHERE: Room 305, Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center 5th Avenue, Des Moines, IA, USA ?? Register to attend by Tuesday, October 22nd: https://lnkd.in/grbqTU7f Questions? ?? Katheryn Gregerson - [email protected] ?? Erin McGuire - [email protected] Let's come together to champion horticulture and shape the future of global nutrition! ???? #WorldFoodPrize2024 #FoodSystems #HealthyDiets #BorlaugDialogue #AgriFoodSystems

The provincial-level validation workshop of the YUVA Project was successfully conducted in Deukhuri, Dang, and Lumbini provinces. The project is funded by Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture, while our collaborators in the project are Welthungerhilfe (WHH), Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU), and National Farmers Group Federation (NFGF). The workshop was chaired by the ED of FORWARD Nepal, and the chief guest was the Secretary, MOLMAC, Lumbini province. There were presentations from the FORWARD team and MOLMAC. The event was highly interactive and we are sure all the participants learned a lot from this. Sharing our progress and results with all our stakeholders is a must if we intend to leave a lasting impact on society. Public sectors, private sectors, farmers, development sectors, and education sectors all have a role to play as stakeholders if we wish to attain the objectives of the YUVA project of preventing youth outmigration by providing them avenues and directions for commercial agribusiness. #FORWARDNepal #YUVA

??Join Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture at the 2024 American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Annual Conference in Honolulu, during this week’s session: “Growing Impact: Evaluating Global Investments in Fruit & Vegetable Production for Healthier Diets” ???? ?? When: Friday, September 27, 2024 ? Time: 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM HST ?? Where: Mid-Pacific Conference Center, South Pacific 1 ?? Speaker: Dr. Erin McGuire, Director, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture The Horticulture Investment Study is on a mission to assess global investments in fruit and vegetable research, to tackle major challenges such as limited access, high costs, and barriers to consumption. Led by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture in collaboration with World Vegetable Center, One CGIAR Initiative on FRESH and other key partners, this study addresses: ?? The economic, social, and environmental impacts of investments in horticulture ?? Strategies for supporting small-scale farmers in the Global South, with a focus on women-managed crops ?? Policy engagement to overcome barriers and enhance production, affordability, and accessibility This groundbreaking research spans multiple countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America. The study's insights will help guide future policy and investments in sustainable, nutrition-focused agriculture. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn how global investments are shaping healthier diets and sustainable agriculture! Conference program agenda: https://lnkd.in/gVpgdybJ #Horticulture #FruitAndVegetableProduction #InvestingInAgriculture #WomenInAgriculture

?? Passionate about scaling innovations inclusively and responsibly? ?? ?? If so, the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture's #GenderUp team invites you to join our next virtual GenderUp Facilitator Training! This free, three-part training will equip you to lead future GenderUp workshops and empower innovation teams in your community to incorporate gender equity into their work. ?? Register now to become a certified facilitator: https://lnkd.in/g4qhcD99 ?? Explore more about GenderUp here: https://lnkd.in/gRyWf9tT ? Feel free to reach out to our Project Coordinator, Katheryn Gregerson, with any questions—we'd love to connect! #InnovationForAll #GenderEquity #InclusiveDevelopment #FacilitatorTraining

??? Interested in building agricultural innovation systems and scaling efforts that effectively drive positive social change? Join us in exploring the #EquityPrinciples. ???? **September 25 11AM East Africa Time** This recent work was published in the CGIAR Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES) special issue on Inclusive Innovation. ?? to my co-authors! ?? Register in the post below and see the full article link in the chat!