Agriculture is the principal economic sector in the Great Lakes region of Africa and represents a major source of income for rural populations in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda. With the objective of unlocking the high potential of agriculture in this region, the project described...

Children in Karamoja, northern Uganda, are learning about farming, healthy eating and how to protect themselves from diseases, thanks to the Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools, set up by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and partners across 6 countries in the region. For young people like former...

The study evaluated factors influencing bean productivity and technical efficiency among smallholder farmers in Eastern Uganda, using a stochastic frontier model and a Tobit model. Findings showed that bean productivity was significantly influenced by plot-size, seeds and planting fertilizer; mean technical efficiency for sampled farms was 48.2%. The Tobit model...

The second of three books in IFPRI's climate change in Africa series, East African Agriculture and Climate Change: A Comprehensive Analysis examines the food security threats facing 10 of the countries that make up east and central Africa - Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda...

Stimulated by work pioneered in Bangladesh, the paper outlines a conceptual framework for using poultry as a tool in poverty alleviation. There is now evidence from several coun- tries that small poultry enterprises with adequate institutional support targeting the poorest rural women and their families can help them take the...

Our Conservation Farming channel is for anybody interested in the promotion of Conservation Farming and Climate Smart Agriculture and we hope you will find it useful.

The Cost of Hunger in Africa (COHA) Study is a project led by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the New Partnership of Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Planning and Coordinating Agency and supported by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP). COHA is a...

Improving food security and agricultural livelihoods in Northern Uganda is an EU-funded Government of Uganda's Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Project (ALREP) implemented by FAO in northern Uganda targeting people that have resettled in their homes after the 20 years of war. The video highlights how farmer field schools are being used...

Over the last fifty years food production per person in Africa has grown disappointingly slowly at little more than 10%. The population of Africa is growing rapidly at an average annual rate of 2.5% and is expected to almost double by 2050 to close to two billion people. Chronic hunger...

Without financial access and sufficient yearly earnings, many farmers also lose up to 50 percent of their annual potential income because they must gain quick access to cash to afford household expenses all year. In the time leading up to harvest, farmers often experience a “hungry season” in which they...

Despite the increasing attention given to organic supply chains over the past decade, there are still significant market opportunities to pursue. The demand for organic products in developing countries continues to grow and price premiums for organic certified products are available, albeit not comparable with those of a decade or...

The objectives of this study were, first, to examine the impacts of certified organic contract farming on the food security of the smallholder farm households participating in such arrangements, and second, to assess the role of gender relations in these dynamics. In particular, the study considered how the costs and...

Agriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy and an important driver of economic development and poverty reduction. Approximately 73% of Ugandans depend on agriculture. However, the sector currently faces many multifaceted challenges which include land degradation, inadequate market access, unreliable weather and civil strife. Agricultural growth is also affected by...

Women in Kapchorwa district play a crucial role in sustaining their families through dairy and agricultural production. They provide most of the farm labour, which they combine with caring for their families, conducting farm and non-farm income-generating activities and contributing to community development initiatives. Increasingly, women are also involved in...

The debate on whether climate change will impact on peoples’ livelihoods and, hence, the need to act is essentially over and has instead shifted to the development of strategies needed by different regions and countries to adapt to climate change effects. However, there is still scanty information necessary to ably...

This study was done in Kabale and Mbale districts of Uganda for the two potato growing seasons of 2011/2012. It sought to determine factors that hinder smallholder farmers’ level of participation in the potato market in addition to those that influence their decisions to participate in the potato market. It...

This paper draws on studies by members of the East Africa Learning Network under the knowledge programme, ‘Small Producer Agency in the Globalised Market’ run by HiVOS, IIED, and a global network led by Mainumby in Bolivia between 2008 and 2012. The programme set out to map, elicit and integrate...

FAO in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and PROCASUR launched an initiative to strengthen women's access to micro financial services. The objective of this activity was also to target practitioners of the rural microfinance industry and assist them to generate effective microfinance programs for both women...

The study aimed at determining factors affecting smallholders’ market access so as to advise on crucial strategic interventions.

This issue of Nature & Faune aims at highlighting the complexity of the interface between forest and agriculture in Africa. The editorial presents agroforestry, as a useful linkage between forestry and agriculture for increased productivity in agriculture and forestry. It recognizes the limitations of agroforestry at the current stage of...