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...

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...

Sub-Saharan Africa is likely to hold large numbers of very poor rural people in the near future unless sustainable intervention measures are undertaken. Although both history and theory point to the important role of agriculture in poverty reduction, such growth today faces even more difficulties. This study uses a probit...

This case study presents the status of conservation agriculture in Zambia. 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...

Many people in Eastern Africa depend on forests and trees to meet various needs. With growing populations, these resources are being rapidly depleted. Many farmers want to plant trees but cannot readily obtain high-quality tree seedlings. Establishing a tree nursery can help to meet this demand and provide you with...

 Module de formation " Conseil à l’exploitation Familiale", destiné aux écoles d’agriculture qui souhaitent donner à leurs élèves une sensibilité à la gestion des exploitations agricoles en s’appuyant sur des modules ajustés aux spécificités des exploitations familiales en Afrique. Les travaux sur le conseil à l’exploitation familiale agricole (CEF) ont...