WHH at Africa Food Systems Summit 2024 in Kigali
From September 2 to 6, the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) 2024 will take place in Kigali, Rwanda
The Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) is the largest annual conference on agriculture and food systems in Africa. In 2024, it will take place from September 2 to 6 in Kigali, Rwanda. The Forum aims to showcase innovative approaches and technologies to improve food and nutrition security and create jobs for young people and women.
At this year's AFS Forum, Welthungerhilfe will present innovative approaches that can contribute to the building of equitable and sustainable food systems. Our program and sector experts will participate in several key sessions, focusing on critical topics such as developing nutrition-sensitive food systems, advancing policies for equity and nutrition, and investing in regenerative food systems.
In addition to these discussions, you can find us at our booth or at a side event on soil health, where we will be discussing the topic with panelists from other leading organizations.
WHH Side Event: Why investing in soil health is important
September 2nd, 2024 at Youth Dome Tent. More details to follow
Participants:
- Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Boomitra, Clim-Eat, Development Gateway: An IREX Venture, Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations
- IDH - the Sustainable Trade Initiative
- International Fertilizer Development Center
- NTT Data
- WHH (Welthungerhilfe)
- World Economic Forum
Healthy soils are crucial for food systems and climate protection. They contribute to over 90% of global food production, harbor about 30% of terrestrial biodiversity and absorb large amounts of CO2. However, approximately 65% of agricultural land in Africa is degraded, posing a significant threat to food security and livelihoods through unsustainable practices, land use change and climate change.
Initiatives such as the Soil Health Action Alliance and the Nairobi Declaration, which aim to reverse soil degradation and reclaim at least 30% of degraded soils by 2034, are critical steps towards restoring soil health.
Scaling market-based incentives such as soil organic carbon credits and Payments for Soil Health Services (SHS) is critical for large-scale restoration. These incentives can provide financial support for farmers to invest in soil health. However, further research and policy support are needed to optimize these efforts and provide additional benefits to smallholder farmers, including higher yields and improved adaptive capacity to climate change.
Panelists will discuss these topics with a focus on policy instruments, co-benefits and the expansion of market services for soil health.
Presenting our innovative work
At the Africa Food Systems Forum, you will find a booth where we will present our innovations such as the Child Growth Monitor, Toothpick Company and Agrishare.
- Toothpick: A social enterprise founded by Welthungerhilfe in partnership with the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization, the Liberty Initiators Network (LIN) and Montana State University. The Toothpick Company increases sustainable agricultural production by controlling the invasive Striga weed with a Fusarium fungus called Kichawi Kill™. The Striga weed affects 40 million hectares (98,842,153 acres) of crops in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
- AgriShare: A digital platform to share agricultural tools and services that gives farmers low-cost access to mechanization, extension services, and labor.
- Child Growth Monitor: An AI image processing application that accelerates malnutrition screening and referrals by improving their accuracy and cost-efficiency.
