Tea production accounts for 9%  of Malawi’s foreign exchange earnings and is a major employer, but smallholder farmers are struggling. While those in neighbouring Kenya are adding value to their tea crop for their own benefit, Malawi’s smallholder farmers — the majority of whom are women — gain far less...

Ethiopia’s forests have been declining due to agricultural conversion, increased wood extraction for fuel and construction, and livestock over-grazing. The country has several high-profile tree-planting programmes, including the Green Legacy Initiative (GLI). Proponents say the GLI will help re-green the country, improve local livelihoods and build climate resilience, while critics...

  Indigenous knowledge and cultural diversity is increasingly being put under pressure as the process of modernization is reaching into every corner of Zimbabwe. Rapid changes are taking place in land use practices, farming methods, health care and the cultural ethos and rituals of indigenous people. Fortunately, in recent years much...

Water access is the cornerstone of livelihoods for most rural communities in Tanzania. Yet limited capacity for effective planning, management and governance of water sources is deepening vulnerability to the increasing and often unpredictable impacts of climate change. This paper assesses Tanzania’s recently centralised approach to rural water planning through...

Zulfa Hassan and the Mtangawanda Women’s Association in Kenya's Lamu County are revitalizing local mangrove forests, crucial ecosystems that protect coastlines, support fisheries, and sequester significant amounts of carbon. These women plant mangrove seedlings in degraded coastal areas, working during low tides to ensure optimal growth. Their efforts have restored...

After much anticipation, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) published draft Regulations to implement the Plant Improvement Act (2018) (PIA) – also known as South Africa’s Seed Law – and the Plant Breeders Rights Act (2018) (PBRA), for public comment. The closing date for comments on the...

A comprehensive study provides an in-depth analysis of the status of mangroves globally, highlighting the critical challenges these vital ecosystems face, including deforestation, climate change, and coastal development. The study underscores the urgent need for coordinated conservation efforts to protect and restore mangrove forests, which are essential for coastal protection,...

Given the multi-benefits, enset cultivation has been continuously underutilized in Ethiopia. We assess best practices, processing technologies, environmental maintenance, multi-benefits of enset and its potency in hunger reduction in Ethiopia by reviewing evidence on good farm practices, improved technologies, sustainability, hunger reduction, inputs cost, and yields advantage of enset. The...

Communities living in Northern Ghana face a complex situation due to a lack of livelihood options in the semi-arid area. Listen to the latest episode of Let’s Talk Trees to find out more. Eric Bayala and Houria Djoudi explore the problem and possible solutions to this longstanding issue through the...

La publication du présent numéro de Grain de Sel coïncide avec la tenue de deux événements majeurs de la gouvernance internationale de l’environnement, la COP27 concernant le climat et la COP 15 concernant la biodiversité. La COP27 qui s’est déroulée en novembre 2022 en Égypte a consacré la victoire des...

MONGABAY's Charles Mpaka authored an excellent piece on Malawi's 3.3 million smallholder farming families, which comprise the country's economic backbone, yet many are underprivileged and facing food scarcity. Agroecology has proven to be a lifeline for some farmers, enabling them to increase yields and revenue while lowering the usage of...

A perte de vue, des acacias et des baobabs peuplent la savane poussiéreuse du bassin arachidier, cette large zone d’agriculture pluviale située au centre du Sénégal. Mais à l’approche du village de Tawafal, 120 km à l’est de Dakar, c’est un autre paysage qui attire l’œil du visiteur : six hectares de...

CZU mobiLAB (developed at Czech University of Life Sciences Prague) represents a complex solution that enables the application of state-of-the-art molecular detection methods in remote or inaccessible areas. The principal advantage of the proposed solution is the concept of a mobile laboratory, which is unique in terms of its size...

Women and youth-led agri-enterprises (WYE) (which may also be operating as family businesses) in agricultural value chains have been identified as catalysts for rural transformation given their potential for creating employment and stimulating value addition both on and off-farm. Given that agriculture and food systems are likely to remain the...

Dans sa rubrique tribune, la revue en ligne « cointribune » expose et défend l’idée selon laquelle la cryptographie des aliments peut jouer un rôle fondamental dans l’atteinte de la    souveraineté alimentaire en Afrique.  L’auteur de la réflexion, Mikaia Andriamaha pense que le « crypto étiquetage » peut retracer le parcours d’un aliment quelconque, de la...

La crise sanitaire de la Covid-19 nous a rappelé à quel point le métier d’agricultrice et d’agriculteur, partout dans le monde, est essentiel à la vie humaine. L’enjeu de la formation des prochaines générations en Afrique paraît ainsi fondamental. Mais former à quelle agriculture et à quel système de production...

Burkina Faso and other countries in the Sahel are currently facing a multitude of crises. Over 12 million small scale farmers and their families in the dryland areas of the region are chronically vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity. This is the result of the degradation of fragile ecosystems, population growth, and a low...

De plus en plus de producteurs adoptent des pratiques agroécologiques comme ici au Sénégal. Cette nouvelle approche de l’agriculture commence à porter ses fruits. Elle repose sur un cortège de solutions techniques adaptées à chaque territoire et à chaque culture. Le Cirad avec ses partenaires est convaincu que l’agroécologie peut...

You will see, how local partners from different hospitals received our CZU mobiLAB with the presence of his excellency Ambassador of the Czech Republic Radek Rubeš. Also, our partners from ADRA and ADRA Zambia were present!   Enjoy this video report!

Rural businesses, which are so vital for transforming our food systems, will get a much needed boost from an ambitious new financing programme launched today by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) (www.IFAD.org), as part of its broader efforts to address rising hunger and poverty levels in the...