In the Shrubs for Change project, 300 ‘trainers of trainers’ learn how to get more milk from dairy cows by feeding them nutritious leaves from shrubs. These trainers will in turn train and support 120,000 dairy farmers in Kenya and Malawi to start growing shrubs in their own gardens. Research has...

In order to preserve their tradition, the Manjaq communities have embarked on a process of preserving local rice varieties essential for the organization of certain traditional ceremonies. Faced with these challenges, they have rebuilt their seed capital by making an inventory of all traditional seeds and their importance in traditional...

Food insecurity and reduced food sovereignty is rampant in Kenya. This can be attributed to a new era of industrial agriculture resulting in genetic erosion of local crops, monoculture, high seed prices, and excessive use of chemicals. As a remedy, Kenya Seed Savers Network empowers farming communities to develop a...

In Guinea-Bissau, the intensifi cation of cashew monoculture and the decline in yields of rice and other staple cereals is a common issue that puts the population in an unprecedented state of food insecurity. Organisations such as CAURAL REMOBE have tried to fi nd a solution to this problem. The...

Current food systems are at a crossroads. There is a strong need for transforming food production and consumption patterns in a sustainable way. One where farmers adapt and build resilience to the increasing challenges from climate change and where nutritious food is available for all. Agroecology provides one solution towards...

As part of its food security and livelihood programs, Action Against Hunger (ACF-USA)* has organized seed fairs in rural areas of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to provide farmers with seeds. The fairs have been widely spread and had a great number of direct beneficiaries and vendors, successfully...

“Strengthening the Livelihoods Resilience of Pastoral and Agropastoral Communities in South Sudan’s Cross-border Areas with Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda” is a three-year project funded by European Union that aims to improve governance and conflict prevention to reduce forced displacement and irregular migration in the cross-border areas of South Sudan....

This brief is based on experience gained from the Master’s Programme in Agroecology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in particular, and on contributions from our partner programmes at Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and Martyrs University in Uganda (UMU). The brief provides an overview of agroecology,...

 En Afrique de l’Ouest, la forte croissance démographique et l’urbanisation rapide ont changé les caractéristiques démographiques de notre population : en 1961, 80 % des 70 millions d’ouest-africains étaient paysans ; en 2011, ils n’étaient plus que 56 % des 342 millions ; en 2050, ils pourraient n’être que 37...

Indigenous cocoyams in Burundi have the potential to increase food and nutrition security and contribute to improved livelihoods, but farmers’ capacity to meet the growing demand for them has been constrained by a lack of good quality seed and technical knowhow. The Good Seed Initiative targeted both seed and cocoyam...

Ce film illustre une expérience pilote (2016-2018) de renforcement des compétences de 12 organisations paysannes du Niger en finance agricole afin d’améliorer leur accès au financement de leurs activités économiques.

Groundswell International and Cultivate! publish this new briefing on how to upscale and outscale agroecology in the Sahel in West Africa.  The briefing starts from an integrated approach, combining agroecology with women’s self-empowerment, nutrition, equity and governance. It outlines concrete steps in three general strategies for how civil society organisations can successfully support processes to scale up...

Le Réseau Billital Maroobé (RBM) a engagé un travail de capitalisation des acquis des éleveurs en matière d’organisation des marchés à bétail en Afrique de l’Ouest. Cette vidéo met en avant des enseignements tirés des formes d’organisation des marchés à bétail dans les différents pays. Si de nombreux efforts sont...

This report presents the lessons learned from a project in four East African countries – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – focusing on youth and their agribusinesses. In Burundi and Rwanda, poultry and eggs were sold to retailers but were also provided to schools to alleviate malnutrition. In Kenya and...

Traders tend to be regarded as exploitative towards producers even without knowledge of their businesses. This study examines marketing costs, net-profits and return to invested capital of small ruminant traders from Marsabit County. Based on 84 transactions made between 2014 and 2016, we found low average profits and a high...

The return of more abundant rainfall in the Sahel region since the early 2000s raises questions about the consequences of this change for breeders in the Ferlo region of Senegal. A detailed analysis of precipitation data shows that with the return of a more humid rainfall regime, the climatic risk...

Le document présente les Actes d'un séminaire organisé à Bamako en novembre 2018, par AVSF et VSF-International, avec le soutien de l'Agence Française de Développement, pour dynamiser et renforcer les collaborations entre l’ensemble des partenaires impliqués (organisations paysannes, société civile, services publics et techniques déconcentrés, professionnels de la santé animale...

A case study has been conducted for assessing how Agricultural Entrepreneurship (being part of a farming cooperative, taking part to training programs and improving one’s commercial/agricultural techniques) results in social, political and economic empowerment among women farmers in Cameroon. In-depth interviews have been conducted in order to compare the empowerment process in farming cooperatives with the...

High rainfalls in mountainous agricultural regions trigger a need for intervention to help farmers confront food insecurity and restore and protect their soil.

The Organic Agriculture Centre of Kenya (OACK) saw that by providing the right skills, information and support, they could help small-scale farmers move away from subsistence farming and into thriving livelihoods that improve their local communities and the landscapes they live in.