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HomePosts Tagged "United Nations"
Agrotech, Company News, Dairy, India, Live Stock

Move aimed at supporting pioneering of smallholder dairy farming transformation.

 Sid’s Farm, a premium dairy brand based in Telangana, announced its selection as a participant in the prestigious Inclusive Business Program by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). This milestone was reached with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Ecociate, Endeva (Coach), and Sid’s Farm (Coachee), further cementing their commitment to promoting inclusive and sustainable business practices.

Under the Inclusive Business Program, Sid’s Farm will embark on an ambitious project titled “Improving Smallholder Dairy Farmers’ Milk Productivity by 1.2x Annually.” This project aims to generate meaningful social impact for smallholder farmers and individuals at the base of the economic pyramid, all while ensuring economic viability.

According to Santosh Gupta, Director, Sustainable Agriculture at Ecociate, “We are excited about the potential this coaching program holds for an inclusive business journey and are keen to start working with Sid’s Farm. Their commitment to inclusive business marks a significant step forward in our collaboration. Together we can bring about lasting changes in the realm of sustainable agricultural practices in India.”

Commenting on the inclusion, Dr Kishore Indukuri, Founder, Sid’s Farm said “We are honoured to have received this opportunity. We have been working tirelessly for years now towards the creation of ethical and sustainable dairy farming practices within our ever-growing network of farmers, and it is truly humbling when you are among the chosen few for a prestigious and impactful ESCAP programme as recognition of your efforts.”

The program will target 500 small-scale producers, with a special focus on empowering women in agriculture, with 300 female smallholder dairy farmers. By June 2024, a comprehensive comparison will be made between the progress reports submitted by Sid’s Farm in October 2023 and the projected results. Sid’s Farm aims to achieve a remarkable 20% increase in milk productivity among these farmers, directly or indirectly benefitting a network of 2,200 individuals.

ESCAP’s decision to select Sid’s Farm for its coaching services is a testament to the company’s dedication to fostering positive social and economic change at the grassroots level. In-depth discussions took place during a physical session involving Sid’s Farm’s team members, leading to this exciting partnership.

Furthermore, as a participant in the ESCAP Inclusive Business Program, Sid’s Farm is honoured to be invited to join the prestigious investment dialogue in India and participate in various other activities that align with the program’s objectives. These activities are being facilitated by ESCAP with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sid’s Farm is committed to making a significant difference in the lives of smallholder dairy farmers and the communities at the base of the economic pyramid. This partnership with ESCAP, Ecociate, and Endeva is a significant step towards a brighter and more sustainable future for all stakeholders involved.

Move aimed at supporting pioneering of smallholder

Foodgrains, Industry Reports / Analysis, Sustainability, World

Economic shocks grew as driver of food crises; war in Ukraine contributed to acute food and nutrition insecurity

The number of people experiencing acute food insecurity and requiring urgent food, nutrition and livelihood assistance increased for the fourth consecutive year in 2022, with over a quarter of a billion facing acute hunger and people in seven countries on the brink of starvation, according to the latest Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC).

The annual report, produced by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), was launched by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) – an international alliance of the United Nations, the European Union and governmental and non-governmental agencies working to tackle food crises together.

The report finds that around 258 million people in 58 countries and territories faced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels (IPC/CH Phase 3-5) in 2022, up from 193 million people in 53 countries and territories in 2021. This is the highest number in the seven-year history of the report. However, much of this growth reflects an increase in the population analysed. In 2022, the severity of acute food insecurity increased to 22.7 per cent, from 21.3 per cent in 2021, but remains unacceptably high and underscores a deteriorating trend in global acute food insecurity.

“More than a quarter of a billion people are now facing acute levels of hunger, and some are on the brink of starvation. That’s unconscionable,” António Guterres, UN Secretary-General wrote in the report’s foreword. “This seventh edition of the Global Report on Food Crises is a stinging indictment of humanity’s failure to make progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 to end hunger and achieve food security and improved nutrition for all.”

According to the report, more than 40 per cent of the population in IPC/CH Phase 3 or above resided in just five countries – Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, parts of Nigeria (21 states and the Federal Capital Territory – FCT), and Yemen.

People in seven countries faced starvation and destitution, or catastrophe levels of acute hunger (IPC/CH Phase 5) at some point during 2022. More than half of those were in Somalia (57 per cent), while such extreme circumstances also occurred in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Haiti (for the first time in the history of the country), Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen.

Around 35 million people experienced emergency levels of acute hunger (IPC/CH Phase 4) in 39 countries, with more than half of those located in just four countries – Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Yemen.

Additionally, in 30 of the 42 main food crises contexts analysed in the report, over 35 million children under five years of age suffered from wasting or acute malnutrition, with 9.2 million of them with severe wasting, the most life-threatening form of undernutrition and a major contributor to increased child mortality.

While conflicts and extreme weather events continue to drive acute food insecurity and malnutrition, the economic fallout of the СOVID-19 pandemic and the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine have also become major drivers of hunger, particularly in the world’s poorest countries, mainly due to their high dependency on imports of food and agricultural inputs and vulnerability to global food price shocks.

Economic shocks grew as driver of food

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Sustainability

Narendra Singh Tomar holds bilateral meetings with the ministers of Guyana, Suriname, Zambia, Mauritius and Sri Lanka

Narendra Singh Tomar Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister held bilateral meetings with Agriculture Ministers of various countries participating in the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference. An MoU was also signed with the World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations. 

Narendra Singh Tomar lauded the work of WFP in promoting food self-sufficiency and supporting governmental and global efforts to ensure long-term solutions to the challenge of hunger.

At the conference, Tomar also thanked the ministers for being a part of the global conference organised by India with the aim of promoting Shree Anna, under the International Year of Millets (IYM).

He said that the International Year of Millets is being celebrated so that the Indian Shree Anna, its recipes, and value-added products are accepted globally as a people’s movement. He hoped to further strengthen India’s agricultural ties with various countries.

During the global conference, the MoU between WFP and the Government of India for cooperation between 2023-2027 was signed in the presence of the Tomar Agriculture Minister. Manoj Juneja, Deputy Chief Executive Director, Management and Chief Financial Officer of UNWFP, and Elizabeth Faure, WFP Representative and Country Director in India were present.

Meanwhile, he held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from various countries participating in the Global Millets Conference. In a meeting with Minister Zulfikar Mustafa, Guyana’s Agriculture Union Minister Tomar recalled the visit of Mohammad Irfan Ali, President of Guyana, and Bharat Jagdev, Vice-President of Guyana and said that agriculture is a very important area of cooperation between the two countries.

“India is keen to share its expertise and experience in the development of agriculture and allied sectors in Guyana, for which an MoU is under finalisation. He assured that Guyana’s request for the deputation of two experts to ITEC from India for three years to support the Guyana Sugar Corporation management and revive the sugar estates and plants in Guyana would be considered at the earliest,” said Tomar.

Apart from Guyana, Tomar also held meetings with his counterparts from Zambia, Suriname, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka.

Narendra Singh Tomar holds bilateral meetings with

Agrotech, World

Arya.ag will conduct business in alignment with UN Global Compact Network India

Arya.ag has joined the United Nations Global Compact India thereby voluntarily conforming to universal sustainability principles and taking steps to support UN SDGs. Within the agritech ecosystem in India, Arya.ag is among the pioneers to proactively embrace this globally coveted framework.

The United Nations Global Compact is an evolved framework of Corporate Governance driven sustainability that requires members to conduct business conforming to 10 principles encompassing elements such as human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption. Furthermore, members are required to take action to achieve SDG 2030.

The world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative, UNGC has over 16000 companies and 3000 non-business signatories across 160 countries through over 70 local networks. The India Network, UN GCNI presently has around 550 participating organisations.

Prasanna Rao MD, Arya.ag said, “At Arya, we propagate solutions that are sustainable to the ecosystem and inclusive for communities. Conforming to benchmarks of the coveted UN Global Compact program validates our efforts and nudges us forward towards a more inclusive and purposeful organisation. We aim to set newer reference points in the agritech space on aspects related to sustainability.”

Aseem Kumar, Executive Director (Officiating), UN Global Compact Network India commented, “As part of the One UNGC family and acting as its local arm in India, we take immense pride in the work that we are fortunate to be doing to achieve SDGs and driving Sustainable and Responsible Business Practices. We firmly believe in the power of partnerships and collaborations at all levels as the key enabler to pursuing the Goals. We are pleased to welcome ARYA.ag as our latest member organisation and are confident of driving much-needed CHANGE with their support.”

Arya.ag will conduct business in alignment with