During the first day of the IFAJ Congress in Austria we went on group walking tours of Graz. Here’s Cindy and me in front of the clock tower on Schloßberg, a hill overlooking the city. Thanks to Harlan Persinger for taking our picture. There were about 20 of us in our group. I’ve got a video clip to share a …
Annual IFAJ Delegates Meeting
The IFAJ delegates business meeting is taking place now. It’s the organization’s annual opportunity for each country to hear from the executive committee and have a say in the business of the organization. It looks like we’ve got a good showing. You get a true flavor of the international makeup of IFAJ when you see all the country flags hanging …
IFAJ Congress Welcome
It’s the first day of IFAJ Congress 2008 activities and the good news is, our luggage arrived! This morning the Executive Committee is meeting and after lunch we’ll have an IFAJ delegates business meeting. I’m going to try to cover that. In the meantime, the welcome committee is greeting attendees in the lobby of our hotel. I spoke with one …
Austrian Corn Greetings
As we arrived in Graz yesterday for the IFAJ Congress and headed from the airport to the hotel, the first landscape that greeted us was corn. Even though they are farther north latitude-wise than even Minnesota, their corn is pretty close to harvest at this point. Once we checked in, we found a Kornland yogurt bar awaiting us on the …
Checked In For IFAJ In Austria
All right. We’re here in Austria. Let the IFAJ games begin! After I get this post done I’m going to be taking a nap for a while. Cindy’s already there. Our flight out of St. Louis was 2 hours delayed yesterday and that meant we missed our flight out of Chicago. So we were re-routed via Frankfurt and when we …
IFAJ Congress Kicks Off Wednesday
Cindy and I are on our way to Austria/Slovenia. This year’s IFAJ Congress is looking like it’s going to be a lot of fun. I just hope we get good internet access and have a little time to relax. Those were two issues we had trouble with last year. Here’s some of the activities on the agenda: Reception with typical …
Ag Secretary Ed Schafer Urges Private Investors to Develop Africa
Investment in Africa is spurring economic innovation and growth throughout the continent. There’s no question about that for the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer. “Make no mistake about it,” Schafer said. “Investment in agriculture, investment in the structure of agriculture to move food to the market, is an investment in Africa’s future.” Schafer urged private sector investors to build …
Real Data, Real Solutions, Real Impact on Africa
The poorest of Africa spend 70 percent of their income on food. That’s the reality the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development Africa Bureau put before the 300 attendees of the 2008 U.S. Africa Agribusiness Forum this week. That’s the reality that Franklin Moore wants the public and private sectors in the U.S. and Africa to …
Millennium Challenge Taking Up the African Challenge
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an organization dedicated to reducing poverty worldwide. Ambassador John Danilovich, CEO of MCC, says a large part of the MCC mission lies in Africa. He says the MCC is partnered with 17 countries around the globe in an effort to reduce poverty through sustainable economic growth. Ten of those countries are in sub-Sahara Africa, drawing …
Nigeria to Declare State of Energy Emergency
The energy sector is, as Nigeria’s Honorable Peter Odebunmi puts it, “the bane of our non development.” Peter is a Representative of the Federal Repbulic of Nigeria. He says Nigeria lacks an adequate energy supply, which increases costs and makes domestic goods uncompetitive in the global market. That’s why, he says, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua plans to declare a state …