Most Africans depend on small-scale farming systems as the primary source of their livelihoods. Yet they are marginalized and often do not produce enough to enable their families to have sufficient food to eat throughout the year. Smallholder farmers are also particularly vulnerable to climatic and economic shocks. Despite these...

Ha surgido una renovada atención hacia el papel tan importante que desempeñan los servicios de asesoría rural (extensión) en los procesos de desarrollo. Este documento resume la publicación titulada ‘Cómo movilizar el potencial de la extensión agraria y rural’ que se elaboró para la Conferencia Mundial sobre la Investigación Agrícola...

One of the reasons that necessitated the establishment of Women-in-Agriculture (WIA) Programme in 1989 was the perception that women farmers were not having adequate access to extension services compared to their male counterparts. Feminists argued that the inadequate access to extension services resulted in women farmers having poor farm yields,...

The objectives of this guide are: 1. to explain what origin-linked quality and the GI concept are; 2. to raise awareness regarding the potential of origin-linked products for rural development and conditions for sustainability; 3. to facilitate implementation of GI processes at local level by providing tools and a concrete...

January 2010 saw the launch of the world's first livestock insurance for remote African pastoralists as a result of years of research.

This issue of Baobab focuses on access to water for sustainable agriculture and livelihoods, its management and policies, or lack of them, which can regulate its effective and efficient use. In a region that highly relies on rainfall for food production, a lot needs to be done in agricultural water...

Building  on  case  studies from the field, the paper outlines a range of practices, approaches and tools aimed at increasing  the  resilience  and  productivity  of  agricultural  production  systems, while  also  reducing  and  removing  emissions. The second part of the paper surveys institutional and policy options available to promote the  transition...

CONAMUCA es una organización de cobertura nacional, fundada el 1ero. de noviembre del año 1986, que promueve los intereses y derechos de las mujeres y reivindica la lucha por una vida digna. Su misión es construir un modelo de producción agrícola que recupere la agricultura campesina basada en la igualdad de...

Este número de Mundos Rurales incluye artículos sobre: Charagua, líder en las reivindicaciones del pueblo guaraní, avanza a la Autonomía Indígena. Vivencias en elecciones Largo camino para ejercer el derecho Amazonía: día esperado, entre incertidumbre y esperanzas Asentamientos humanos en Pando: explorando mejores condiciones de vida Pese a la Constitución y las leyes, las mujeres...

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.

Pineapple is by far the most important crop within the horticultural sub-sector of the Ghanaian economy. The crop employs over 15,000 individuals out of which 40% are women and generates rural incomes of over 6 million USD. Large and medium commercial farms account for about 70% of production with the...

同世界上大多数地方一样，利比里亚妇女们承担着照顾家庭的重任。尽管当地土地肥沃、森林资源丰富，然而农村居民几乎就没有决策的权利，好的机会总是被强势的群体（主要是男性非法伐木者）所掌握。在此背景下，许多发展组织通过对妇女群体展开教育和培训来解决她们面临的粮食需求问题。

En ese artículo se analiza la existencia de una nueva fuerza política en los movimientos campesinos y de agricultores familiares en Brasil. Está formada por campesinas, agricultoras familiares, trabajadoras agrícolas, que, en medio de movimientos sociales identificados con la agroecología y organizados en la "Articulação Nacional de Agroecologia" (ANA), están...

This report, launched in the UK Parliament in July 2010, outlines why support for agriculture - and in particular for smallholder farmers - is critical to address hunger and poverty in Africa. The report showcases a range of approaches that have improved access for marginalised farmers, especially women, to decision-making,...

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...

Se caracterizó el comportamiento socioproductivo en las parcelas del Consejo Popular de Santiago de las Vegas. Se realizaron entrevistas directas y observación directa a una muestra representativa del 20% de los parceleros. Se efectuó un análisis de componentes principales como herramienta en la agrupación de los parceleros para la caracterización...

A rapidly changing world combined with mounting domestic challenges is prompting many Middle East and North African (MENA) countries to rethink their development models and to initiate economic and social reforms. Taking this new momentum as a starting point, this paper uses the concept of Food Security to identify the...

This report is based on extensive research and interviews with several hundred farmers, the majority of them women, carried out by ActionAid staff and consultants in Uganda, Kenya and Malawi throughout the last third of 2009. It is complemented by an extensive global literature review, and our study also benefited...

Global food production has increased by 20% in the past decade – but food insecurity and poverty remain widespread , while the natural resource base continues to decline. International research centers, which have helped drive previous improvements, must continue to deliver new technologies to support sustainable growth in agriculture; and...

ZATAC was requested by FAO to identify participants from Africa and facilitate a 3 day roundtable meeting on voluntary standards and schemes for specific quality products. The aim of the roundtable was to consult with key stakeholders and build consensus on intervention strategies related to voluntary standards and schemes for...