(A partnership between The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the Building Nutritious Food Baskets (BNFB ).
The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), a key partner of International Potato Center (CIP ) on the Building Nutritious Food Baskets (BNFB ) Project, held a two-day Orientation, Planning, and Advocacy Strategy Validation workshop between 21st and 22nd March, 2017 in Accra, Ghana. The workshop brought together BNFB’s regional advocacy champions, the BNFB regional and country advocacy teams, and key FARA staff with a common agenda of addressing micronutrient malnutrition in Africa through biofortification.
The workshop provided an opportunity to orient BNFB’ regional champions to issues relating to micronutrient deficiency and biofortification in sub-Saharan Africa; review and validate the Situational Analysis (SITAN) report and the draft regional advocacy strategy.
FARA’s Executive Director, represented by Dr. Aggrey Agumya—Director of Corporate Partnerships and Communication—affirmed FARA’s role in promoting the biofortification agenda. He noted that nutrition was a key pillar in FARA’s 2014-2018 strategic plan which further recommends measures on policies and its advancement towards agricultural interventions that strengthen food and nutrition security. Dr. Agumya encouraged the promotion of biofortification and stated that in line with FARA’s mandate, the key target of the regional advocacy on biofortification is “influencing inclusion of biofortified crops as prioritized value chains in the national and regional agricultural investment plans and its mainstreaming in the country level”.
FARA is BNFB’s partner responsible for policy engagement and advocacy at regional level for increased investment and policy change to support the scaling up of biofortified. These advocacy efforts aim to promote biofortification and food-based approaches as one of the most cost effective, sustainable and culturally acceptable strategy for combating micronutrient deficiency. FARA will target and influence the inclusion of biofortification in key regional and sub-regional policies with an aim to mobilizing investment for biofortification.
Read more on this workshop on the FARA blog: FARA hosts validation workshop for BNFB regional advocacy champions.
View photos of the workshop here.
Watch CIP’s Regional Director for SSA, Dr. Adiel Mbabu; CIMMYT’s Africa Regional Representative, Dr. Stephen Mugo; and FARA’s Executive Director, Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo explain about BNFB.
Edits by Vivian Atakos (Regional Communication Specialist) and Hilda Munyua (BNFB Project Manager)