Category Archives: News

On Friday, 10 December, Dr Samira Amellal, CEO at CropLife Africa Middle East, took part in a thought-provoking discussion on the topic of “Working together to promote climate resilience on farm”, a side event of COP28 in Dubai, together with panellists Sophie Beecher, Director General, Sustainable Development Policy Directorate, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/ Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, Kristjan Hebert, Global Farmer Network, President and CEO, HEBERT GROUP, & David ‘DJ’ Jochinke, President, Australian National Farmers’ Federation

Please see below key takeaway messages:

Via the Sustainable Pesticide Management CropLife Africa Middle East actively engages in discussions with local regulators and policymakers to ensure enabling legislative frameworks are in place. The SPMF illustrates well how enabling legislative frameworks, a localised approach and public-private partnerships are key ingredients to a successful program. As part of the ‘increase innovation pillar,’ the SPMF has already demonstrated changes, notably with the introduction of innovations via the acceleration of registration processes for biological solutions, cooperation with national research institutes on gene-editing research, development of guidelines for the use of drones in agriculture, training and e-learning modules for farmers on Integrated Pest Management, etc.

esterday, Thursday 7 December, Samira Amellal, CEO at CropLife Africa Middle East, took part in the Devex Climate+ Summit alongside COP28 in Dubai, sharing the stage with Emily Rees, CEO of CropLife International, on the important topic of ‘Harvesting Innovation for Climate Resilience’.

Check out the key takeaways below:

Agriculture can help Africa achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063 thanks to the opportunities and solutions it offers.

Plant science technologies and innovations can help African farmers deliver more with less, contributing to food security while transitioning towards more sustainable food systems. By unleashing Africa’s agricultural potential, innovations and crop protection technologies also allow farmers and Africa to trade, improving our farmers’ livelihoods and having the potential to lift millions of Africans out of extreme poverty.

The above requires a combination of technological advancements, policy reforms, and collaborative efforts. It is in this context that, so far, CropLife Africa Middle East has launched the Sustainable Pesticide Management Framework (SPMF), a proactive and long- term engagement over 5 years and for which over 13$ million dollars are being invested by the industry. The core ambition of the SPMF is to protect human health, safeguard the environment and optimize agricultural productivity. To date the SPMF has launched in two significant agricultural countries in the region: Kenya in 2021, and in Morocco in 2022.

Still, a lot remains to be done. The attainment of a prosperous agriculture sector, capable of feeding an African population expected to double by 2050, while also meeting sustainability goals, requires:

Dr Amellal concluded as follows “COP28 is a fantastic opportunity to gather various stakeholders across the food value chain to discuss these important topics. We now need concrete actions in order to have concrete results”. Ms Rees shared her optimism about the recent Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action “It’s a great step forward as countries have committed to integrating agriculture and food systems into their localised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).”

In November, ESA Regional Director was in Zambia to attend the launch of the Chongwe Aggregation Hub, which is the second Empty Pesticide Container (EPC) Aggregation Hub in that country. In attendance were District Commissioner Chongwe District Administration, representatives from government entities (Zambian Environmental Management Agency, District Agriculture Coordinator Office, and Chalimbaba Agricultural Training Institute), CL Zambia board members, CL Zambia member companies, recyclers, Farmer Cooperatives and farmers. Farmer Cooperatives will manage this aggregation hub under the supervision of the Chalimbana Training Institute and the District Agriculture Coordinator Office. With these partners, CL Zambia aims to reach all the Chongwe District’s horticulture farmers to ensure the triple-rinsed EPCs’ collection. The Chongwe Aggregation Hub is linked to recyclers for the qualifying EPC, and an incinerator for the unrecyclable material.

The African Conference on Agricultural Technologies (#ACAT2023) kicked off in Nairobi, Kenya, focusing on food security, and CropLife Africa Middle East is proud to share that Emily Rees, President and CEO of CropLife International was one of the speakers.

In her address, Emily delved into the regulatory and trade policies that can advance agricultural innovation and productivity across Africa. With most African countries net food importers and 82% of Africa’s essential food imports emanating from outside the continent, the Continent must build on its agricultural potential. She highlighted measures to improve yields and reduce post-harvest losses, such as leveraging improved seed technology and crop protection solutions.

To boost intra- and inter- Continental trade, Emily mentioned non-tariff barriers, mostly sanitary and phytosanitary: ‘’if we really want to facilitate trade, we should align as much as possible with science-based, risk-assessed regulatory models that are based on international standards.”

Some of the key takeaway messages conveyed on this first day were notable:

CropLife Africa Middle East is fully committed to advocating for sustainable agricultural practices and the region’s responsible use of plant science technologies. We actively promote awareness of the benefits of modern plant science solutions and champion the utilization of innovation and technology to foster a more sustainable agricultural model.