The United States Agency for International Development, Kenya and East Africa (USAID KEA) mission is interested in strengthening the capacity of households, communities, conservancies, county governments, and the private sector to participate in, benefit from, and contribute to the development of sustainable local food systems. USAID KEA intends to fund a program focused on Local Food Systems. The program’s focus on developing local food systems is meant to lead to the reduction of poverty and malnutrition and the diversification of livelihoods that build resilience in the Feed the Future (FTF) Zone of Influence (ZOI).

The Kenya Feed the Future Local Food Systems Activity (FTF LFS) aims to reduce poverty and malnutrition, increase diversification of livelihoods and build resilience in the Feed the Future (FTF) Zone of Influence (ZOI). FTF LFS will also support the Government of Kenya’s Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS, 2019-2029) which aims to enhance agricultural-led economic growth, reduce cost of food, alleviate poverty and deliver food and nutrition security.

The Activity will build on local priorities, knowledge, and aspirations to achieve development which enhances diversity, inclusivity, equity, and sustainability. In line with the Agency’s New Partnerships Initiative and the Mission’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS’s) call for a pivot to locally-led development.

The Activity will also focus on significantly improving gender equality and women’s empowerment. Specifically, FTF LFS will focus on safeguarding the rights of women and girls by promoting women’s and adolescent girls' economic empowerment and promoting gender equity in climate change mitigation. In every aspect of the implementation of FTF LFS, offerors should focus on improving gender equality and women’s empowerment. In terms of outcomes, FTF LFS will increase 140,000 women’s income by at least 50%, will ensure that 36,800 women have a minimally acceptable diet, and will partner with caregivers utilizing gender-sensitive approaches to reach 11,200 children with nutrition programming.

Since 1984, the U.S. Congress has made funds available to the Cochran Fellowship Program for training agriculturalists from middle-income countries, emerging markets, and emerging democracies. Training opportunities are for senior and mid-level specialists and administrators working in agricultural trade and policy, agribusiness development, management, animal, plant, and food sciences, extension services, agricultural marketing, and many other areas.

Please see appendix for full SOWs and learning objectives.

• Women in Agriculture: Entrepreneurship for Food Processing, Packaging, and Value Chain

• Food Safety Standards and Regulations for Nigeria

• WTO Adherence: SPS, TBT, & TFA Agreements

• Food Safety Standards and Regulations

e Institute particularly welcomes proposals that envisage active collaboration with RIFS researchers and offers Fellows the opportunity to develop their ideas in an international community of eminent researchers, not only within the institute, but also in the wider Potsdam-Berlin area. Applicants can come from a wide range of sectors such as science, public administration, the private sector, civil society, media and the arts. Fellows will receive financial compensation to cover their additional costs of living during their stay in Germany. The minimum duration of Fellowships is three months, and the maximum duration is twelve months. 

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) announces a new call for authors to submit and publish data papers on soil biodiversity. Papers will be published in a special collection of Biodiversity Data Journal. The publisher Pensoft will waive the article processing fee (normally €650) for the first 40 accepted data paper manuscripts. The deadline to receive proposals is 22 September 2023. (Note: Sponsorship is limited to the first 40 accepted submissions. The call for submissions can therefore close prior to the deadline of 22 September 2023).