Groundnut is among the most important crops for smallholder farmers in Tanzania, providing both food and income for households. Groundnut is a nutritious source of fats, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals for human consumption and parts of the crop can be used for livestock feed. This study identified factors which...

The study conducted in Southern Zambia investigated smallholder farmers’ use of indigenous knowledge to respond to rainfall variations and soil fertility problems. Farmer and key informant interviews and observations were employed to collect data. A total of 60 smallholder farmers and 6 key informants were interviewed. Chipepo lies in the...

This edition opens with a report of the last session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which has helped to ensure that gender equality and women’s empowerment feature prominently in the post-2015 Development Agenda. This will take over from the Millennium Development Goals, whose 2015 deadline is now close. Today, the post-2015 Development Agenda...

Field schools in Mali that have been training farmers on alternative methods of pest control have succeeded in reducing the use of toxic pesticides by participating cotton farmers in the country. These reductions are a staggering 92 percent, according to a new FAO study published today by the London-based Royal...

This issue highlights experiences of development approaches that are helping in the fight against poverty in rural areas. Reducing rural poverty is one of FAO’s strategic objectives for the coming years, to which the Dimitra project is making a special contribution. Innovative methodologies have been developed which seek to place...

The warehouse receipt system for maize (Zea mays L.) was introduced in Uganda to enhance farmer access to markets and credit in order to increase the efficiency of the maize value chain and to improve smallholder incomes. Though, since the inception of the warehouse receipt system in Uganda, there has...

This report presents the synthesis of case studies analysed by the action-research activity. The aim is to give a description of the practices carried out by farmers, individually or collectively, which can be considered as sustainable ways to use plant genetic resources with the purpose that these practices be spread...

Formed in 2007, Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group (FPS) creates science-based educational materials, which: identify highly nutritious local food plants, explain how to grow them in a sustainable, agroecological way, detail the nutritional value of the plants and describe why human bodies require those nutrients. The resources created by FPS allows people to better...

Soutenu par le gouvernement du Sénégal, ce programme appelé « Achat par les Africains pour les Africains », lancé en 2012,  renforce  la sécurité alimentaire et le développement économique et social des communautés rurales. Dans 200 cantines des écoles de la région de Kédougou au Sénégal, les enfants mangent désormais...

This research examines the relationship between household wellbeing and the use of conservation agriculture (CA) by smallholder farmers in Mozambique. Wellbeing indicators are regressed on household demographic attributes, farm management practices, and a variable indicating farmer adoption of CA. Findings suggest that households using CA have higher wellbeing index scores...

PISA (Programme Italien pour la sécurité alimentaire), un chantier de la FAO.

Programme Italien pour la sécurité alimentaire (PISA), appui aux transformatrices de produits halieutiques au Sénégal.

Etat des lieux du secteur agricole de la République Démocratique du Congo, qui a toujours été considéré comme une perspective de développement intéressante susceptible de contribuer au décollage économique du pays. Les agriculteurs et les agricultrices restent  le groupe cible le plus important dans la lutte contre la pauvreté en...

L’objet de ce projet est d’étudier l’impact d’actions ciblées d’appui aux exploitations familiales. Ce projet est issu d’une demande de l’IFPRI adressée au Gret afin de mettre en application au Sénégal des leçons tirées du projet Fomento au Brésil. Le GRET a s'associe à la FONGS  pour la mise en...

In 2000, twelve smallholder farming families, which had gathered extensive experience on agroecological methods by working closely with a grassroots organization called the Association of Zimbabwe Traditional Environmental Conservationists (AZTREC), organized themselves into a group. They initiated a project to set up a school for farmer-to-farmer training in Zimbabwe which...

Les approches de conseil agricole favorisant le renforcement des compétences des producteurs sont au centre des préoccupations des acteurs du développement agricole, particulièrement au Sud. Le conseil à l'exploitation familiale (CEF) est une approche de conseil de gestion, basée sur des méthodes d'apprentissage et d'aide à la décision, favorisant l'évolution...

Africa’s rising population growth and the continuous degradation of agricultural lands have raised questions about the suitability of the current agricultural system. There is a growing need to investigate different crop production systems that prevent soil degradation while increasing productivity. Conservation agriculture (CA) offers a promising solution. Conservation agriculture is...

Renforcer la sécurité alimentaire par l’amélioration de l’offre variétale et des pratiques agricoles : tel est l’objectif d'un récent projet de collaboration "Réunion-Comores". Une délégation réunionnaise, composée de membres du Conseil Général de La Réunion, de l’ARMEFLHOR, du CIRAD et de France Volontaires, s'est ainsi rendue en Grande Comore du...

The celebration of the IYFF (International Year of Family Farming 2014) gave impetus to a group of foundations to launch the European Foundations for Family Farming (E4F) initiative, with the support of the European Foundation Centre (EFC). This initiative seeks to raise the visibility of the family farming agenda among...

Conservation agriculture (CA) is promoted as a cropping system that has potential to alleviate poor crop yields in smallholder farming while protecting the environment. It involves maintenance of permanent soil cover, diverse crop rotations and/or interactions; and minimum soil disturbance. CA is associated with crop residue management challenges due to...