This paper draws on studies by members of the East Africa Learning Network under the knowledge programme, ‘Small Producer Agency in the Globalised Market’ run by HiVOS, IIED, and a global network led by Mainumby in Bolivia between 2008 and 2012. The programme set out to map, elicit and integrate...

FAO in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and PROCASUR launched an initiative to strengthen women's access to micro financial services. The objective of this activity was also to target practitioners of the rural microfinance industry and assist them to generate effective microfinance programs for both women...

The study aimed at determining factors affecting smallholders’ market access so as to advise on crucial strategic interventions.

This issue of Nature & Faune aims at highlighting the complexity of the interface between forest and agriculture in Africa. The editorial presents agroforestry, as a useful linkage between forestry and agriculture for increased productivity in agriculture and forestry. It recognizes the limitations of agroforestry at the current stage of...

Welcome to Dimitra Newsletter 22. This issue places the spotlight on the Dimitra community listeners’ clubs, with a special dossier made up of several articles that focus on the impact of projects under way, the development of this approach and the launch of new initiatives.

The Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) surveys which have collected information on many dimensions of household well-being for over 36 countries since 1980 are one of the most important data sources for informing policy making on development. The LSMS surveys have been used to assess household welfare, to understand household...

The laxity of young people taking up farming may be due to, but not limited, to lack of farming incentives, inadequate access to productive assets such as land and capital, inadequate infrastructure, limited well-functioning markets, high population pressure on land and inadequate access to appropriate technologies by farmers. In this...

The concept of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) has emerged as a challenge to the all-too-prevalent tradition of taking the Earth’s natural resources for granted. PES highlights a global continuum, illustrating the relationship between our lifestyles, the demands associated with our production and consumption patterns, and the effects those demands...

This volume, Climate Change and Food Systems Resilience in Sub‑Saharan Africa, demonstrates the possibility of harmonizing agricultural production with the wellbeing of the biosphere – and that this can be achieved in Africa, our biosphere’s least developed continent, and the continent which is likely to suffer most from climate change....

Access to agriculture finance is a hot topic in Uganda, especially for small scale farmers. There is a lot of talk in the sector about working together to remove barriers for small holder farmers to access value chain financing. Most recently the 2011 Zipping Finance and Farming Event in Kampala...

The document presents a roadmap for developing commercially sustainable quality seed in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. It focuses on directing investments in five key areas along the seed potato value chains. The objectives of this strategic roadmap are to improve productivity, raise incomes of smallholder farmers, enhance food...

The present ability or otherwise of Africa to cope with climate change and improve its agricultural production depends on the environment and natural resources base of the continent, on the impacts of its past and on the nature of its present interactions with the outside world. Africa is a large...

This newsletter also contains a special Dossier on Radio & ICTs in Rural Areas that puts together a variety of experiences in this field, from an electronic forum on Gender, ICTs and Rural Livelihoods, over participatory community radio to empower rural women and men, to the use of different methodologies...

This paper presents the position of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) on where agricultural extension stands today and where it needs to go in the future. The findings presented here are intended to better situate extension...

Smallholder farmers in developing countries such as Uganda are faced with the difficulty of accessing sustainable markets. Such farmers include those growing sweet potato, and are becoming increasingly marginalized as urban markets demand better quality, quantity and sustainable supply of agricultural commodities. Research and Development (R&D) actors on the other...

Despite the importance of smallholder agriculture in East Africa, the strategic, conceptual and empirical analysis in the context of the crisis, which would guide policymakers and development practitioners in their efforts to revitalise agriculture in the aftermath of the crisis, is sparse. Moreover, recent studies tend to examine specific constraints...

This first issue after the merger of the old Baobab with the Kilimo Endelevu Africa (KEA) looks at the importance of livestock in the livelihoods of farmers. Livestock is an integral part of most family farms, and fulfills many functions such as food, assets and fertilizer. This issue focuses on...

The study aimed at examining how the policies and regulations in place (or lack thereof) impact on smallscale banana farmers in Isingiro district and share possible solutions with the government, farmers, interested donors and other stakeholders.

Smallholder agriculture continues to play a key role in African agriculture. This paper investigates trends, challenges and opportunities of this sub-sector in East Africa through case studies of Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania. In these agriculture-based economies, smallholder farming accounts for about 75 percent of agricultural production and over 75...

Climate change is now recognized as serious with long term negative effects on agricultural productivity, and hence on the well-being of communities especially in Africa. Farmers have experienced climate change effects and have tried to mitigate these effects by adapting new/different production practices. This study has been set up to...