West African countries are expecting major contributions from science and technology in the agricultural sector in order to meet the significant challenges of economic growth, food security, and overall poverty reduction. Although Research-Development in West Africa has experienced instability with regard to financing, much effort has been made over the...

Cette note descriptive tente d’illustrer les démarches successives dans le passage de la vulgarisation au conseil agricole au Bénin – conseils plus en lien avec les agriculteurs (l’agriculteur au centre du dispositif).

The agricultural sector in Malawi is vital to the economy for incomes and food security. The sector accounts for 35% of national income, generates 90% of foreign exchange, and provides paid and self-employment to 92% of the rural population. One constraint in achieving food security has been the small size...

Smallholders in Ghana, as elsewhere, are widely considered to be the largest as well as the most vulnerable component of the rural sector. Ghana professes national development objectives of reducing rural poverty through the increased productivity and commercialization of smallholder agriculture. As a starting point for more detailed discussion of...

The need to focus on women farmers' productivity, which can be an effective engine for social change, has become increasingly clear in sub-Saharan Africa. Women have a significant role in farming and post-harvest activities in most countries in the region. Nevertheless, a complex set of rights and obligations reflecting social...

This case study presents the status of conservation agriculture in Kenya. It is one in a series of eight case studies about conservation agriculture in Africa, which were developed within the framework of a collaboration between CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development), FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of...

In Kenya's drylands, drought has always been the greatest hazard faced by livestock herding families. Modern pressures are making this situation worse. This film tells the story of a research project started in 2007, which this year introduced a new form of insurance to remote herding peoples who had never...

This 13th edition of the newsletter provides an opportunity for Dimitra and its partners to inform you about their activities over the last six months. It will also present other issues, such as the situation and rights of rural women producers, the right and access to land, food and sustainable...

In this latest edition of the Dimitra Newsletter, as in previous editions, we highlight the importance of access by rural populations, and particularly women, to information and communication. The ability to access information and to share it through dissemination and networking is crucial in order to combat inequality, malnutrition and...

a permis d’accomplir des progrès significatifs dans le domaine. Mais aujourd’hui, les évolutions et réformes institutionnelles dans notre pays rendent nécessaire la relecture de ce document. De plus, l’absence d’une politique nationale en matière d’assainissement constitue un vide qu’il convient de combler. C’est l’objet du présent document qui tire les...

This report focuses on the potential and opportunities for smallholder commercialization in Zambia. The paper discusses the framework for Zambia's smallholder commercialization strategy, the current state of smallholder agriculture in Zambia, key issues, support from agribusiness to smallholders, and development of potential and opportunities for smallholder commercialization. The paper concludes...

Programme National d’Investissements Agricoles(PNIA) a été élaboré dans le cadre de la mise en oeuvre de la déclaration de Paris qui prône l’amélioration de l’efficacité de l’aide et la gestion axée sur les résultats et également dans celui de la mise en oeuvre de la Déclaration des Chefs d’Etat Africains...

IMF and World Bank liberalisation policies have had an uncertain impact on African economies and their agricultural sector. Despite some improved macro-economic data these liberalisation measures had a negative impact on smallholder farmers and their right to food. The shift in the EU-ACP partnership during the 1990s away from preferential...

This book focuses on three specific case studies in Tanzania. A number of results and lessons, however, can be drawn from a cross-analysis of all eight case studies selected. Such an analysis offers a unique opportunity to look at key technical and process issues and will be the focus of...

Considering water as an economic good entails, among other requisites, properly assessing the cost incurred by supplying and managing the resource, and the required infrastructure thereof. Regarding irrigation, the International Commission for Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) set up a method for assessing the full financial costs, in the form of...

The objectives of this Technical Paper are to highlight the contribution that inland and coastal small-scale fisheries can make to poverty alleviation and food security and to make practical suggestions on ways that this contribution can be maximized. This paper is organized into three main sections. The first section discusses...

Since 1998, the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tigray Region has adopted the making of compost as part of its extension package and by 2007 at least 25% of the farmers are making and using compost. A reflection of the success of this approach is that between 2003...

This publication provides an overview of recent literature on the potential of the informal food sector (IFS) to facilitate an affordable supply of food to urban areas and generate income for low-income households. The goal is to identify global patterns, topics for further research, and policy suggestions. It also draws...

Small-scale forestry – here meaning all activities related to forest ownership, management and enterprise – can contribute significantly to social and economic development when the circumstances are right. This issue of Unasylva examines the conditions and support that make it work. We don’t define “small” by numbers, but use the...

The need to focus on women farmers' productivity, which can be an effective engine for social change, has become increasingly clear in sub-Saharan Africa. Women have a significant role in farming and post-harvest activities in most countries in the region. Nevertheless, a complex set of rights and obligations reflecting social...