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...

This first video of a three-part series observes how FAO has used EU funding to provide 44,000 farmers with training, machinery and other inputs as part of an initiative to increase agricultural production and productivity in Sierra Leone, in partnership with the Government and other humanitarian organizations. 44,000 small holder...

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is increasingly promoted in Africa as an alternative for coping with the need to increase food production on the basis of more sustainable farming practices. CA is specifically seen as a way to address the problems of soil degradation resulting from agricultural practices that deplete the organic...

Le présent document présente le Programme national du secteur rural (PNSR) du Burkina Faso pour la période 2011-2015. Le PNSR est le cadre d’opérationnalisation de la Stratégie de développement rural (SDR) et ainsi du volet développement rural de la Stratégie de croissance accélérée et de développement durable (SCADD) pour la...

Thanks to FAO efforts under the EU Food Facility, 138 Agricultural Business Centres have been established in Sierra Leone. This second video of a three-part series takes a close look at these one-stop shops providing small holder farmers with access to training, tools, labour-saving equipment and machinery, which will increase...

Climate change and severe weather events such as temperature shocks and declining rainfall often strongly impede sustainable farming development, especially where agriculture is rain fed and when other external shocks such as poverty, poor access to inputs and credit are common. This is the context in which small scale farmers...

Small-scale coffee and tea production used to contribute considerably to household income of more than 6000 smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe, including Mr. Duri up to the late 1990s. Since the year 2000 when Zimbabwe embarked on an unplanned land reform programme, the resulting economic instability brought the tea and coffee...

The purpose of this policy note is to contribute to an understanding of the factors that combine to constrain the development of smallholder agriculture in Swaziland. It seeks to shed light on why, despite being well-endowed in land and water resources, and despite having a climate that is generally favorable...

Worldwide, women make high contributions to household and national food security. This video explores the critical role played by women in agricultural production in Africa.

The issue of agricultural investment is a key one in Africa and how and where these investments are directed is of considerable concern to African family farmers and their organisations. From CAADP to the reformed Committee on World Food Security, enhanced investment for food security is at the top of...

En Afrique de l’Ouest des dispositifs de conseil à l’exploitation agricole familiale ont été développés pour mieux répondre aux nouvelles attentes des producteurs. L’objectif de l’article est de montrer que ces dispositifs pluri-institutionnels peuvent être appréhendés comme des systèmes complexes dont le fonctionnement est fortement contraint par le mode de...

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...

elle a été adoptée en décembre 2010, en lieu et place du Cadre stratégique de lutte contre la pauvreté (CSLP adopté en 2000, révisé en 2003). Son objectif est de «réaliser une croissance économique forte (10% par an), soutenue et de qualité, génératrice d'effets multiplicateurs sur le niveau d'amélioration des...

Sierra Leonean farmers benefit from new business skills. This final video of a three-part series shows how FAO has used EU Food Facility funding to train farmers on how to better market their produce.

'Africa is for sale’ is how some characterise it: there is a ‘land grab’ underway. Others are more cautious, speaking of ‘large-scale land acquisitions’, while the World Bank notes euphemistically the ‘rising global interest in farmland’. Whatever the prevailing terminology and ideologies, there is now ample evidence that large swathes...

Linking farmers to markets is widely viewed as a milestone towards promoting economic growth and poverty reduction. However, market and institutional imperfections along the supply chain thwart perfect vertical and spatial price transmission and prevent farmers and market actors from getting access to information, identifying business opportunities and allocating their...

This is Volume 2 of the study ‘Strategies to Support South African Smallholders as a Contribution to Government’s Second Economy Strategy.’ It contains the accounts of the 16 case studies that comprised the main ‘data’ for the analysis presented in Volume 1. However, beyond their function of supporting the analytical...

Article décrivant comment , à Madagascar, l’association de coopération internationale Fert (Formation pour l’épanouissement et le renouveau de la terre), en partenariat avec l’Organisation Paysanne Fifata (Fikambanana Fampivoaranany Tantsaha – Association pour le Progrès des Paysans), développe depuis 2009 une formation pour les conseillers agricoles intervenant auprès des paysans, et comment,au cours de...

This paper provides an overview of agricultural and economic characteristics of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), in comparison with other developing regions and the opportunities which the medium term outlook holds for SSA’s small holder farmers. Seizing these opportunities will depend on shifting from extensive to intensive production systems. The paper reiterates...

Le projet encourage par des circuits courts intégrés un modèle d’interaction durable, entre l’agriculture familiale et l’activité urbaine dans le pays Sénoufo. L’objectif est de permettre une amélioration des conditions de vie des populations locales et une sécurisation de leur souveraineté alimentaire. Cela passe par l’amélioration des revenus des petits...