On the occasion of the 7th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security commemorated in Accra, this year, under the theme “Investing in Food Systems for Improving Child Nutrition: Key to Africa’s Renaissance”, FAO called for multi-stakeholder public private partnerships at national, regional and regional levels to address the problem...

The international community is beginning to recognize the integral role of urban agriculture in improving the economy, environment, and health of cities. The Resource Center on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF) Foundation expects that by 2020, 85 percent of the poor in Latin America, and about 40 to 45...

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165 participants from 18 countries met in Marrakesh from 18-19 December 2015 to discuss the critical condition of soils, especially in Africa.  The event was organized by theFondation OCP and INRA Morocco (National Institute for of Agricultural Research) in partnership with FAO. The final communiqué highlights the crucial role soils play for...

This paper presents an analysis of the characteristics of family farming in Africa and discusses its role in overcoming some of the major development challenges in this region. The main objective of the study is to depict family farming’s diversity in the region. Furthermore, it examines the contribution of family...

En tant qu’apiculteur, les vêtements de protection sont indispensables pour travailler dans de bonnes conditions et se protéger des piqûres d’abeilles. Il existe différents types de tenues de protection. Cette fiche décrit la fabrication d’un modèle qui est une blouse de protection qui vous sera bien utile. Elle a été...

In this video,  we will learn how to monitor the performance of a rabbit farm. By filling out monitoring sheets with accurate information and by keeping a notebook to systematically record all expenditures. This  will enable better management of the farm and ensuring its profitability.

This Edition of RAF Newsletter captures the key projects and success stories of FAO across the subregion of Africa. It also present to readers news highlights and titbits of FAO activities in focus.

Nairobi, the bustling economic center of East Africa, faces rapid urbanization like many other African cities. The ongoing expansion of urban areas, especially informal settlements, poses a severe challenge to food security for its about 3,7 million inhabitants. One estimate suggests that about 38 percent of the city's population suffer...

This paper examines how women’s empowerment is essential for food and nutrition security and resilience in West Africa and suggests policy “pointers” arising from the West African experience that can help inform policies and strategies, particularly in view of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. West African women play a...

In semi-arid West Africa, farmers and herders explain why and how trees and livestock play a crucial role in obtaining a productive soil and crop. In Niger and Ghana this is one of the strategies of integrated striga and soil fertility management that has a positive effect across agroclimatic zones....

Coccidiosis and colibacillosis are the most dangerous diseases in rabbits because they are highly contagious. Veterinary products cannot cure rabbits that have been infected with these disease. Luckily, they can be prevented, as we will listen in this video.

Seed is an essential input in agriculture, and the availability of quality seed of superior varieties is often critical for improved food security and poverty reduction in developing countries like Nigeria. However, while the Nigerian government recognizes the importance of improving seed availability, its recent focus in the seed sector...

This paper summarizes the deliberations at a meeting convened by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation held in Beijing in October 2015. Farm power and mechanization are agricultural production inputs that will be essential to raise the labor and land productivity required if Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2 (ending...

Acting as a facilitator to enable debates and foster collaboration among a variety of actors in order to advance science, knowledge, public policies, programmes and experiences, FAO organized the International Symposium on Agroecology for Food Security and Nutrition in September 2014 in Rome, Italy. The Symposium was followed by three...

Although rice is highly nutritious, a lot of the quality is lost during processing. This results in poor-quality rice on the market, so consumers turn to imported rice. In this video you can learn about parboiling, a way to improve the quality of rice by treating the paddy with warm...

There are three major poverty divides in Ghana: rural-urban, northsouth, and between women and men. To meet these challenges, IFAD, the African Development Bank and the Government of Ghana are investing in rural northern Ghana to create viable economic opportunities – particularly for women – while improving market linkages with...

Farmers in northern Nigeria are changing the way they intercrop their sorghum and millet with cowpea. By planting both crops at higher densities and in separate rows, and by applying some organic and mineral fertilizer, they harvest more and reduce damage by the parasitic weed striga. It is one of...

Given that the population of the Sahel depends largely on rain-fed agriculture and transhumant livestock rearing, there is a growing concern about the future climate of the region as global warming may alter the availability of water resources. The lack of consensus on climate projections for West Africa results partly...

The 2016 Agriculture Status Report has as its main objective to: (i) highlight major trends in African agriculture, the drivers of those trends, and the emerging challenges that Africa’s food systems are facing in the 21st century; (ii) identify policies and programs that can support the movement of Africa’s farming...