CIHEAM Press Review

The rolling hills around Saffa resemble a paradise – terraced olive groves stretch out far and wide, flower meadows bloom under the gentle spring sun.
Yet only a few metres from the small village north of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, is a far from idyllic sight – the separation barrier with Israel.
The separation fence doesn’t seem particularly menacing and no Israeli soldiers are in view. But Palestinian farmers in Saffa say that since the Gaza war broke out in October last year, it has become impossible to stay in the area for more than an hour, making it harder for them to farm the land bordering the wall.

The 2024 Census of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals a growing number of new and beginning and young producers in the United States. Despite these changes, the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture say progress is still necessary to support these groups.

Youth must play a central role in food systems transformation to ensure that the failings of past generations do not fall on their shoulders.

The Secretary General of the CIHEAM, Mr. Teodoro Miano, was welcomed by the Albanian authorities as part of an official visit which took place between  9 to 10  October in Tirana. 
The visit started with working meetings with the Minister of Agriculture Mrs Anila Denaj and the Minister of Education Mrs. Ojerta Manastirliu during which the activities of education, research and cooperation led by the CIHEAM were presented.
Solutions to respond to the most pressing challenges in agriculture and food systems were also discussed in particular regarding the strengthening and efficiency of value chains, women and youth empowerment through entrepreneurship or the attractiveness of professional schools. 

Despite Morocco’s many legal advances in women’s rights, the lack of effective implementation and the existence of legislative loopholes undermines the country’s reputation as open, tolerant, and progressive. In recent years, Morocco has taken substantial steps to establish parity between the sexes in constitutional, family, and criminal law. A sharp social divide exists: While feminist groups work to push legislative standards toward equality, conservatives in non-governmental organizations, judicial institutions, and broader Moroccan society continue to fight to limit the gender parity legislation and its effects. Social and cultural barriers form other key barriers for women’s equality and inherent rights. Economic needs and social traditions tend to favor antiquated female roles as early brides and domestic workers. Education and literacy among girls is still not valued in many corners. This situation obscures the critical contribution Moroccan women make to the local economy; enables even more pronounced levels of poverty and vulnerability, particularly for divorcees, widows, and female heads of household; as well as prevents greater exposure of marginality and violence toward women, especially regarding conjugal and domestic violence. 

When local stakeholders have the knowledge and resources, they are best positioned to inspire adaptation on farms and in value chains.

More than 6,000 people were in Kigali for the Women Deliver conference last month, including four heads of state, donors, policy makers and, importantly, activists from almost every country in the world.
The discussions at the conference focus on a wide range of issues based around advancing gender equality. Health in general was, of course, a focus, as were sexual and reproductive health specifically.
But two gaps were obvious in the conversations. There was very little youth representation. And there was minimal discussion about the role of food or food systems.
While these two topics might seem separate, they are in fact closely connected.
Anything for young people without young people is against young people

Kenneth Odoemenam is an aquaculture consultant, catfish farmer and YouTube sensation from Nigeria, who leverages the power of social media to drive his catfish farming and consulting business.

Mrs. Frida Krifca, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Albania and CIHEAM President, and Mr. Teodoro Miano, CIHEAM Secretary General, attended the meeting during which a dozen of Universities and Institutions -CIHEAM Bari included- signed an MoU for international cooperation and innovation in learning, research, and technology transfer in Italy, Albania, and Cyprus

The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to convene a virtual conference highlighting a number of synergistic themes associated with climate change throughout the week of the event. These daily themes put into focus areas of priority for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as the region begins to look ahead towards hosting the upcoming COP28 climate meeting in the UAE, following last year’s COP27 meeting in Egypt.

As European fisheries struggle to recruit a new workforce, the sector has concerns for the future.

The AgriPath project is evaluating the effectiveness of digital, in-person, and hybrid extension services across Uganda, Tanzania, India, Burkina Faso, and Nepal. The five-year project seeks to strengthen country-specific knowledge on gender and youth involvement among smallholder farmers.

The legislation includes favorable tax rates for young people starting businesses, along with grants to buy land and equipment.

Egypt takes a significant step in combating climate change with the launch of the national 'UniGreen Climate Change' competition from 22 December to 13 January. Ministers Nevine Al-Qabbag and Yasmine Fouad inaugurated the initiative on 22 December, aiming to harness the creativity of Egyptian youth to confront climate challenges head-on.

Introduction As the climate crisis intensifies and the window for corrective action narrows, the global community is becoming increasingly alert to the need for sustainable practices. From alarming rate

We invite youth workers, youth educators and social educators to join our Training Intro Course on Nature and Social Permaculture within the NASPLY project! Registration form below.
Our comprehensive course is thoughtfully tailored to equip youth workers and educators with the tools they need to empower and uplift the youth they work with. Through a series of three dynamic modules, we delve into essential topics that merge nature, community, and skill-building:

CIHEAM Bari, in collaboration with LUM University - Libera Università Mediterranea, School of Management - opens applications for the 2023-2024 International First Level University Master in "Open Innovation & Youth Entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean Agrifood Sector". The Master, in its fifth edition, envisages the active involvement of national and international companies, including Andriani SpA, Planetek Italia, Putignano & Figli, Tersan, Timac Agro Italia. So far, it has trained more than fifty managers of innovation.

August 12th is International Youth Day and this year it is dedicated to the theme of Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health. The day is a way to celebrate the efforts and achievements of young people already at the forefront of food systems change.

Winning the indus­try’s most cov­eted qual­ity awards pro­vides a range of ben­e­fits for pro­duc­ers, from val­i­dat­ing cul­ti­va­tion and pro­duc­tion tech­niques to improv­ing brand vis­i­bil­ity in a crowded mar­ket­place.
For Naouel Bouabid, the owner of the Tunisian pro­ducer Massiva, win­ning two awards at the 2023 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for the sec­ond year run­ning was no excep­tion.

Morocco is a country of emigration, transit, and destination. However, over the years, the nature of migration to and from Morocco has changed, with more women and children making the northward journey, and not always for purely socio-economic reasons. Stemming these growing migration flows has become an ever more important priority in Europe, including in its relations with the North African kingdom. In turn, migration control is now a powerful diplomatic tool for Rabat.

For nearly four decades, the partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) has engendered advanced ideas and knowledge in the service of food security, sustainable agriculture, and fisheries, or in favor of sustainable and inclusive rural development in the Mediterranean. Driven by these common objectives, which have generated quality expertise, FAO and CIHEAM have jointly contributed to political dialogue, the implementation of programs and projects, awareness-raising, and capacity-building activities for various players in the region, in particular by putting emphasis on gender and youth.

Morocco is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change and has already been greatly impacted by its worsening effects. The delicate Moroccan ecosystem has come under stress from years of rising temperatures and increasingly severe water shortages caused by  declining annual precipitation, rising water usage, and the growth of water-intensive industries like agriculture and tourism.