Malawi is a small landlocked country in southern Africa, bordered by Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. The majority of Malawians are smallholder farmers, who grow crops for both food and income. More than half of the Malawian population lives in poverty, and the rate of food insecurity is very high. Typical...

China is a large country with diverse agro-ecosystems and numerous different agricultural production systems. These agricultural systems are managed by more than 200 million households who provide agricultural products to meet the needs of almost a fifth of mankind. Agriculture plays numerous key functions, including not only the provision of...

This document discusses the process of structural change in the agricultural sectors of the western Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU). Conventional agro-political discourse and scientific theory (especially agricultural economics) generally understands structural change as being a uni-directional process that involves the gradual disappearance of small farms and...

Mediterranean grasslands (including rangelands, pastures, meadows, fodder crops) are important resources covering up to 48% of the whole region. Although these ecosystems are a key element in the production of high quality animal products and in the livelihoods of producers, they provide a range of ecosystem services besides forage production,...

Les changements climatiques se manifestant le plus à travers le cycle de l’eau, ces initiatives considèrent que l’eau constitue un connecteur : • l’eau connecte entre les politiques, les secteurs économiques, les sociétés, et devient aussi un outil de coopération et de construction de la confiance. Pour relever les défis...

Adoption of new cattle management practices by Indonesian smallholders occurs less as a ‘technology transfer’ in the classical sense but rather as a series of conscious decisions by farming households weighing risks and resources as well as matching innovations to livelihood strategies. This paper uncovers the context of decisions and...

EVENT TO BE HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CZECH MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE MARIAN JURECKA 11 − 12 November 2016, Krtiny, Czech Republic The conference is prepared for farmers, LAG representatives, rural NGOs and members of municipalities. The topic is business start-up aid for young farmers and good practise examples. The conference...

he workshop 'Operational Groups: first experiences' took place in Legnaro, Italy, on 20-21 April 2016. Some Operational Group participants took the time to talk to us and tell us about their experiences.

L’agroécologie est avant tout une discipline scientifique au carrefour de l’agronomie et de l’écologie. C’est aussi la somme des pratiques qui en découlent. Elle permet non seulement de transformer l’agriculture mais aussi de repenser l’ensemble des systèmes alimentaires afin de les rendre plus durables. Elle vise à conjuguer production agricole...

The CIHEAM WATCH LETTER n°38 to be published in October 2016 on "Rural innovations and digital revolution in agriculture " wishes to provide a regional Mediterranean overview in terms of innovation in rural areas and the role of ICT in agriculture. This issue will be resolutely prospective and rich in...

Given limited funds for research and widespread degradation of ecosystems, environmental scientists should geographically target their studies where they will be most effective. However, in academic areas such as conservation and natural resource management there is often a mismatch between the geographic foci of research effort/funding and research needs. The...

The critical role of smallholder farmers in ensuring global food security has been widely acknowledged. Smallholders produce up to 80% of food supply in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and not only are they supporting their families, but also rural communities and ultimately all of us. In Asia, we have 74% of...

New agreement aims to ensure capacity development, farmers’ access to productive resources, knowledge exchange. India's Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) and FAO are strengthening their collaboration to boost rural development and reduce poverty in Asia and Africa via local initiatives focused on empowering rural women and youth.

"Failing to support Syria’s farmers now will give them no choice but to abandon their land, move to the cities and ultimately migrate to other countries.There is no peace without food security and there is no food security without peace.  No peace is sustainable without food security, which in turn...

Key forestry leaders from Asia-Pacific began deliberations today on a series of critical natural resources issues challenging the region. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience to the negative impacts of climate change are among the priority topics on the agenda for the five-day meeting that will be the main...

Le Ministre de l’Agriculture et de la Pêche Maritime, Aziz Akhannouch, a dévoilé les premiers détails d’une stratégie de préservation des oasis. Cette stratégie a pour ambition de faire revivre des espaces sinistrés. Mais le soutien international est plus que nécessaire pour que la stratégie aboutisse. 

This scoping exercise was carried on to deepen our understanding of the current context of seed use, main crops and varieties in the research localities, in order to gather evidence of the ongoing importance of farmer seed systems in the agricultural practices and livelihoods of smallholder farmers, to identify cases...

Comment répondre au défi qui se pose à notre agriculture : la gestion des sols agricoles, la préservation et l’optimisation de l’utilisation de l’eau, des fertilisants et des produits phytosanitaires,la réduction de l’empreinte environnementale du travail agricole, le confort et la sécurité des agriculteurs, la production d’une énergie renouvelable à...

Dans le cadre d’un projet de coopération entre la FAO et le ministère de l’agriculture, des ressources hydrauliques et de la pêche,la petite agriculture a fait l’objet de débats et travaux de groupes très productifs lors de la tenue de l’atelier de restitution des résultats terrain d’un travail de diagnostic...

Europe is at the heart of a rapid worldwide change marked by global economic changes and environmental challenges. Many States choose to face these challenges by strengthening their urban policies, considering that economic dynamics are mainly based on the competitiveness of urban poles. On the other hand, rural territories are...