Cracking the Nut Africa to Cover Rural Livelihoods and Food Security

In Sub-Saharan Africa, 63 percent of the population live in rural areas and 1 out of 4 people lacks adequate food for a healthy and active life. With a population expected to more than double by 2050, significant challenges remain which must be overcome in order for the region to continue to grow, reduce poverty, and increase food security.

At the Cracking the Nut Africa conference, the focus will be on discussing challenges surrounding rural livelihoods and food security and finding real solutions. The conference is sponsored by USAID, the Feed the Future initiative, and organized by Global Communities and AZMJ. The event will take place on January 13-15, 2014 in Kigali, Rwanda. As David Weiss, President and CEO of Global Communities, explains “Cracking the Nut is an important means and forum to bring together a variety of people and organizations to share common experiences.”

While the conference will focus on issues specific to Africa, it will also bring in international participants and expertise. Over a three-day period, the world’s leading international development practitioners, donors, banks, investors, private sector players, and policymakers involved in rural and agricultural finance will collaborate with each other on the following themes:

• Proper Feeding of a Growing Population
• Reducing Costs & Risks of Serving Rural Clients
• Preparing for Sustainability of Future Livelihoods
• Enticing Investors to Key Agricultural Value Chains
• Facilitating Positive Behavioral Changes

On January 13, conference participants will have the opportunity to see how the conference themes come to life through field visits to select projects throughout Rwanda. There will also be an “Investor Match Making Forum” in which African agricultural entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch their investment to leading impact investors and local financial institutions.

Watch the interview with David Weiss of Global Communities as he discusses why his organization is supporting next years Cracking the Nut Conference in Africa:

For more information on the conference, please visit www.crackingthenutconference.com.