In this section, you may find new materials that have been published on the topic of ” Investing in Smallholder Agriculture “, since the date of the event. We continually select major new publications and articles that add up to the policy points discussed in this briefing.

Impulse start-up to assist African smallholder farmers
guardian.ng; 15/09/2019

African smallholder farmers are set to benefit from Impulse Start-up Accelerator program. The program, which is an initiative of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), supported by OCP Group and its subsidiary OCP Africa, is aimed at helping start-ups in the fields of agritech, agricultural biotech, mining tech and materials science and nanotech. During a capacity building event for Agritech startups in Nigeria, held in Lagos, the Program Director, Impulse, Mr. Adnane Alaoui Soulimani, explained that Impulse is the first step towards the creation of a much bigger sector-agnostic accelerator called, MassChallenge Africa, that will accelerate each year between 50 to 100 start-ups working on African challenges.

How small businesses are driving growth across African agriculture
ifpri.org; 12/09/2019

new report from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) finds that millions of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) source directly from millions more smallholder farmers across Africa South of the Sahara. These SMEs, often led by women, include food processors, wholesalers, and retailers. SMEs provide a range of services, from transport and logistics to the sale of inputs such as fertiliser and seed to farmers. Their activity is driving a “quiet revolution” across African agriculture, connecting smallholder farmers to commercial markets at an unprecedented rate.

A New Resource for Smallholder Farmers: 100 Under $100 Tools to Reduce Post-Harvest Loss
http://www.engineeringforchange.org; 12/09/2019

Global post-harvest food loss has a long list of elegant solutions. And at least 100 of them cost less than (USD) $100. They have not been implemented on a large scale, however. Why? In many cases, farmers and organizations that serve them simply do not know what is available. A new book takes a step toward sharing that knowledge. In 100 Under $100: Tools for Reducing Post-Harvest Loss, Betsy Teutsch has presented extremely affordable tools for saving food until it reaches the plate. The book was a commission from the Postharvest Education Foundation, which requested a follow-up to Ms. Teutsch’s first book, a list of ‘100 Under $100’ products that empower women. The new book draws on the foundation’s resources and experts for added layers of scientific rigour.