Nova Scotia food producers: IDEA program boosts sales

Boosting Food Security in Sierra Leone: New Flour Mill Project Receives $23M Funding Proparco has approved a $23 million loan for Sonoco to establish a 600-ton/day flour mill in Freetown. The project aims to reduce flour imports and enhance local production for regional markets, ultimately improving food security in Sierra Leone. With 77% of the population currently facing food insecurity, this initiative is a significant step towards sustainable development.

Value‑added processing is a key driver of regional economic growth. MCCCI is working to expand processing capacity in Northern Ontario by supporting product development, culinary innovation, and regional supply chain opportunities. Strengthening local processing helps retain value within communities and creates new pathways for producers. #ValueAddedAgriculture #FoodProcessing #RegionalDevelopment #EconomicGrowth #AgriFoodSector #NorthernOntario

At the Intersection of Food Security Programs: Are We Breaking the Cycle? Right now, Malawi is at a critical point where three major interventions overlap: Mtukula Pakhomo runs year-round, providing social cash transfers. Lean Season Response (October–March) addresses immediate food gaps. Agriculture Input Program (AIP) is active during the growing season to boost production. This convergence should be an opportunity to move households toward resilience, yet I keep asking: Are we truly reaching the right people? Are beneficiaries taking responsibility for the support they receive? And how strong is accountability across these systems? After years of implementing these programs, why do we remain trapped in recurring food insecurity? Are sectors integrating effectively, or are we working in silos that perpetuate dependency? My Reflections Household Accountability: Are beneficiaries of AIP, the Lean Season programme, and Mtukula Pakhomo using the support they receive for its intended purpose? If beneficiaries sell their inputs or resources, should they remain eligible for other social protection or agricultural support programmes? What systems exist to verify appropriate use of distributed resources? System Accountability: How effective are extension services beyond the point of distribution? Do they consistently monitor beneficiary progress, provide ongoing production support, and document results? Are there structured mechanisms in place to track implementation and outcomes over time? Vendor Accountability: Are there safeguards to ensure that vendors transparently disclose the sources of their fertilizer supplies, including verifiable documentation? How can the system address practices where vendors purchase farmers’ allocations and resell them at inflated prices, thereby undermining the integrity and objectives of the programme? It’s disheartening to see the same household sell AIP inputs, then benefit from Mtukula Pakhomo and later lean season support. If AIP were implemented with seriousness, households could graduate and become selfreliant within five years. Perhaps it’s time to introduce stronger layers of responsibility and accountability at every level, and design programs that complement each other to create a clear graduation pathway, not perpetual dependency. What are your thoughts? How do we design interventions that truly transform lives instead of keeping households stuck in survival mode?

🥩 Resilience isn’t built on-farm alone. It also relies on strong, forward-thinking supply chains. As part of the #WADroughtHub study tour, WA participants visited The Forager Food Co, Western Plains Beef, and Australia’s third-largest beef processor, Greenham, to explore opportunities in product innovation and premium market access. The takeaway? Strong partnerships and alignment with evolving market expectations, especially around emissions and welfare, can strengthen both profitability and resilience. 🎥 Watch the Western Plains Beef video and dive into more insights in the full study tour report: https://lnkd.in/gr8tHBEu TAS Farm Innovation Hub Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub #FutureDroughtFund

Hello everyone. I'm reposting this because it highlights a truth we don’t talk about enough in Canada’s food system. The real innovation isn’t just what we grow, it’s who gains access to markets, data, and long-term stability. Too many small-scale and immigrant farmers operate in an “invisible middle,” rich in knowledge and trust, yet excluded from scalable systems. At FRED Marketplace, we’re building that bridge connecting soil to software so farmers can move from survival to sustainability, and communities from scarcity to resilience. This work is strengthened by leaders across the ecosystem: Dr. Trevor Charles, whose pioneering research on soil microbiomes helps ensure today’s crops become tomorrow’s sustainable harvests, and Toyin Kayo Ajayi, founder of the Canadian Black Farmers Association, whose leadership continues to open pathways for farmers to grow, adapt, and thrive. This is what community-centered agri-tech looks like when innovation, science, and lived experience come together. Worth the read, the work is just getting started! We’re building the infrastructure for the future of food. If you’re a farmer, partner, policymaker, or supporter — let’s connect! #SoilToSoftware #FoodSecurity #AgriTech #SustainableFarming #CommunityWealth #BlackEntrepreneurship #FREDMarketplace #CanadianBlackFarmersAssociation

Driving Food Security and Economic Growth: The Power of Collaboration in Southern Africa On Tuesday, November 25, the Southern Africa Food Systems Transformation Alliance held its General Assembly—a milestone moment for an initiative that started right here in our Unilever offices with IDH, alongside other visionary companies. What began as a bold idea has grown into a movement that is reshaping food systems across the region. The Alliance’s long-term ambition is clear: by 2033, ensure that 80% of total viable food sourcing comes from within the SADC region, and through this, reduce reliance on imports, support the development of SMEs, and create a food system that is resilient, inclusive, and sustainable. Today, the Alliance also has 8 pilot projects in flight, managed and implemented by IDH, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. These projects entail the strengthening and scaling of local agricultural SMEs and directly impacting over 1,000 farmers and countless livelihoods. These pilots are not just projects — they are proof that collaboration can unlock real change in agricultural value chains. Furthermore, the learnings from these projects will be invaluable. The journey is powered by partnerships, amplifying the impact of Unilever and the Alliance. Together, we are supporting local SMEs, creating commercial opportunities for smallholder farmers, creating employment opportunities for youth in agriculture, and driving climate-smart agriculture that benefits both people and the planet. Our small actions are making a big difference. Every pilot, every farmer supported, every partnership formed brings us closer to a future where Southern Africa’s food systems are thriving—and where economic growth and food security go hand in hand. Justin Apsey Suren Subramanien Phahle Phalane Brightone Hama Kebba Colley David Black

The NJEDA board has approved more than $9.3 million in grant awards to 23 organizations through the second round of the Food Equity and Economic Development in New Jersey (FEED NJ) Pilot Program. The approvals were made during the board’s Dec. 17 meeting. This latest round builds on the program’s first 50 awards totaling $20.6 million approved in November, bringing total FEED NJ funding to $30 million across 73 organizations. The initiative targets food security projects in New Jersey’s 14 most acute food desert communities and underserved areas, representing one of the state’s largest recent investments in food access infrastructure. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ewiXrjDU

The Hmong American Farmers Association is strengthening local food systems, supporting immigrant farmers, and improving access to fresh produce across Minnesota. 🍅 🥕 🫶🏽 “We create opportunities for everyone to thrive by supporting farmers and ensuring equitable access to fresh, healthy food,” says co-founder Janssen Hang. Founded in 2011, HAFA began with a mission “to advance the prosperity of Hmong American farmers through cooperative endeavors, capacity building and advocacy.” Operating from a 155-acre incubator and research farm in Vermillion Township in rural Dakota County, HAFA creates long-term land access for its farmer-members and delivers their harvests through community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs, schools, childcare centers, retailers and other institutions in the metro area. They even operate a Veggie Rx program where patients with chronic health conditions and food insecurity receive boxes of fresh produce grown by Hmong farmers, along with recipes to help them cook it. By supporting Hmong farmers and making their produce available to the broader community, HAFA ensures that fresh, culturally relevant vegetables, herbs and fruits reach both Hmong communities and broader populations in need of equitable food access. Their work isn’t just about production — it’s about environmental stewardship, intergenerational wealth-building for farmers, and building a resilient local food economy. By increasing the number of farmers who can reliably grow, distribute and supply fresh produce — especially in underserved and immigrant communities — HAFA is helping address multiple dimensions of food security: availability, accessibility, and continuity. When local producers have secure land, technical support, and access to markets, the entire food system benefits, from farmers’ livelihoods to families receiving nutritious produce. 🔗 Learn more about their work at https://lnkd.in/gdwSSENs 🎬 Watch how they’re growing a just and resilient food system in the Midwest in our video feature about HAFA: https://lnkd.in/gjqTTgyK #FoodSecurity #LocalFoodSystems #CommunityAgriculture #FairFood

This is my latest column in the Queensland Country Life. I’m reflecting on how current dairy market arrangements are working on the ground for farmers, particularly around long-term contracts, pricing signals, and where bargaining power really sits. My intention isn’t to point fingers, but to encourage a realistic conversation about whether today’s structures are delivering the competitive outcomes many of us expect, or whether some settings may be limiting flexibility at the farmgate over time. Queensland dairy has always been built on resilience, good business decisions, and long-term thinking. Open discussion about market settings, risk, and rewards is part of ensuring the industry remains sustainable for the next generation of producers.

Kenya Cannot Achieve Food Security Without Fixing the Most Overlooked Player: Rural Logistics If there is one truth we rarely say aloud in agriculture, it’s this: Kenya loses more value in the short 3–5 km between farm and collection point than in the entire highway network. And yet, that short distance is almost invisible in policy discussions. Food security begins long before a cold room, a packhouse, or a major road. It begins with the small movements: The crate that waits too long in the sun, The truck that arrives an hour late, The cooling room that opens too slowly, The loading sequence that disrupts grades, The collection route that changes every week. These are the “quiet losses” — the ones nobody reports, but every cooperative feels. Why this matters now With new investments flowing into infrastructure and food systems, Kenya has a rare chance to strengthen rural logistics. But roads and power mean nothing if movement inside the cooperative remains unpredictable. Food systems don’t break at the big moments. They break at the small ones. What cooperatives can start doing today: Lock in fixed collection rhythms Match cooling capacity to real volumes Protect produce from direct heat Sequence loading with intention Establish dispatch windows buyers can trust These small disciplines outperform many large investments. Where Swara supports you We help cooperatives and SMEs redesign the everyday movements that protect quality: Route mapping Dispatch planning Loss-reduction routines Cooling-flow alignment Loading and handling SOPs When the “invisible steps” become organised, the entire chain becomes stronger. 📩 info@swaraagrilogistics.co.ke Let’s strengthen the movement that protects your value. #RuralLogisticsKE #FoodSecurityKenya #PostHarvestKenya #CooperativesKE #AggregationSystems #ColdChainAfrica #InvisibleSteps #AgricultureReformsKE #MarketAccessKenya #SwaraAgriLogistics