Below is a copy of the Horticulture Innovation Lab's email newsletter, sent today. Browse our newsletter archives for past editions.
Today is the culmination of 10 years of the Horticulture Innovation Lab led by UC Davis. As we wrap up our second 5-year grant, we reflect on the accomplishments of our program’s global leadership in advancing the value of horticulture in international development.
We have every expectation that the U.S. Agency for International Development will provide funding for a Feed the Future Innovation Lab focused on horticulture in the near future, as they recognize the many contributions of fruit and vegetable research for development in meeting their global goals. Read more: http://bit.ly/2nVqubE
FOOD SYSTEMS CHANGE IN CAMBODIA FEATURED ON WASHINGTON POST A new video and article on the Washington Post website takes a closer look at the impacts of a Horticulture Innovation Lab team, led by Karen LeGrand of UC Davis, on Cambodia’s vegetable value chain. With nethouses and packinghouses, Cambodian farmers and produce marketers are making safe vegetables grown in Cambodia more widely available: https://wapo.st/2njujH7
HORTICULTURE FOR DEVELOPMENT WEBINARS NOW AVAILABLE All nine of the presentations from the Horticulture Innovation Lab’s recent webinar series are available on the website, with full videos, slides, text summaries, and supporting documents. Each week participants from at least three continents tuned in, with more than 140 participants joining one or more session. From grant writing to participatory research methods, horticulture value chain assessments to integrating youth, catch up with the webinars you missed here: http://bit.ly/2XFnyfj
*** PROGRAM UPDATES ***
INSIGHTS INTO FARMER-LED IRRIGATION IN UGANDA IN NEW VIDEO, BLOG Kate Scow of UC Davis shares 3 key insights into irrigation constraints and a new 3-minute video about how participatory processes improved the outcomes of her Horticulture Innovation Lab project: http://bit.ly/2oIQlUD
5 KEY STEPS TO CREATING A SUCCESSFUL POSTHARVEST CENTER Rashmi Ekka of Agribusiness Associates provides tips for launching a Postharvest Training and Services Center, after her team’s Horticulture Innovation Lab project in Rwanda opened three centers with local partners: http://bit.ly/2nYwwZe
6 LESSONS FROM RESEARCH EMPOWERING WOMEN IN HONDURAS Janelle Larson of Penn State shares important principals in addressing gender equity in horticulture value chains, from the completion of her Horticulture Innovation Lab project: http://bit.ly/2lSLgI2
HOW DRIP IRRIGATION IS HELPING YOUNG GUATEMALANS PROFIT FROM THE LAND With the expansion of conservation agriculture practices and drip irrigation equipment, here is the story of one young farmer who is seeing these innovations make a difference for his family’s farm: http://bit.ly/2lFIMwq
BOWMAN HONORED AS OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURIST The American Society for Horticultural Science honored John Bowman, senior agricultural advisor for USAID Bureau for Food Security and the Horticulture Innovation Lab’s agreement officer, as its Outstanding International Horticulturist this year: http://bit.ly/2nUqqZR
SHARING LOW-COST SOLAR DRYER WITH REFUGEE FARMERS IN CALIFORNIA UC Davis students from the Horticulture Innovation Lab’s management entity led workshops on how to use the chimney solar dryer for farmers at the International Rescue Committee’s New Roots Farm in Sacramento: http://bit.ly/2m30s5O
NEW INFORMATION RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON HORTICULTURE INNOVATION LAB WEBSITE In the wake of completed projects and final reporting, the Horticulture Innovation Lab’s website has a wave of new information products available, from how to build a packinghouse out of a shipping container to a new report on tomato varieties. These resources can be searched via a new webpage with filters by country, crop, and more: http://bit.ly/2n1MykY
*** OF INTEREST ***
ONLINE POSTHARVEST LESSONS Training modules focused on fundamental postharvest concepts for smallholder farmers are now available on the Horticulture Innovation Lab website, from a team led by the University of Florida. Topics include basic postharvest biology, cooling, sorting and water sanitation—offered at three different levels of skill and knowledge: http://bit.ly/2kugnt7
NEWSPAPER IN KENYA QUOTES RESEARCHERS ON TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES An article in Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper took a closer look at how indigenous vegetables can lift rural economies, with quotes from Horticulture Innovation Lab partners James Simon of Rutgers and Jane Ambuko of the University of Nairobi: http://bit.ly/2n2khuz
NUTRITION REPORT ON FOOD ENVIRONMENTS The United Nations’ Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN) has published a report focused on the new concept of “food environments” about where people meet the food system and factors that influence their food choices: http://bit.ly/2nXp68x
IPCC ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND LAND The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a new Special Report on Climate Change and Land, with a majority of authors from developing countries. The report takes a comprehensive look at land systems and climate, including a chapter on food security in particular. http://bit.ly/2nboo7u
*** OPPORTUNITIES ***
GRANT: EVALUATING CGIAR IMPACTS AND OUTCOMES Oct. 14 is the deadline for expressions of interest related to impact studies that would examine long-term, large-scale impacts of CGIAR research on development outcomes, to be completed by the end of 2023: http://bit.ly/2ndCDsj
CONFERENCE: ‘CRACKING THE NUT’ IN SENEGAL Oct. 14-15 is the newest Cracking the Nut conference, focused on “Leveraging Systems for Improved Food Security,” in Dakar, Senegal, along with an optional two-day training after the conference on assessing value chain market opportunities: http://bit.ly/2mq90Uv
GRANT: PRIVATE PARTNERS INVITED TO STRENGTHEN IRRIGATION IN GHANA AND ETHIOPIA Nov. 22 is the deadline for private sector partners to apply for up to $1.45 million for up to three years to accelerate the scaling of smallholder irrigated production with market system activities with the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation: http://bit.ly/2naNumQ
*** THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP! As always, thanks for reading. While our program is officially going on hiatus until additional funding becomes available, our website will continue to operate. Email us at horticulture@ucdavis.edu or browse our website: http://horticulture.ucdavis.edu/.