Stylized facts drive research agendas and policy debates. Yet robust stylized facts are hard to come by, and when available, often outdated. In a special issue of Food Policy, 12 papers revisit conventional wisdom on African agriculture and its farmers' livelihoods using nationally representative surveys from the Living Standards Measurement...

The RBA Project is jointly implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP). Funded by the Government of Switzerland, the Project seeks to improve food security and income-generating opportunities through the reduction of...

Cette fiche du Projet Amélioration de l'emballage alimentaire pour les petites et moyennes entreprises agroalimentaires en Afrique Subsaharienne MTF/RAF/299/IMA descriptive présente les réalisations prévues, les objectifs, les partenaires de mise en oeuvre, les résultats et impacts attendus.

We analyze allocative efficiency of major input factors for farmers in Kenya. Marginal value products are estimated for land, labor, inorganic fertilizer and seeds, at the farm household level and compared with marginal costs as approximated by their prevailing market prices. Price efficient and inefficient farmers are identified and equivalent...

Le Togo, avec une superficie de 56 790 km2, est situé entre les 6e et 11e degrés de latitude nord et le méridien 0° et 1°40 de longitude est. C’est un pays de la zone subhumide de l’Afrique occidentale assimilé à un corridor qui s’étire sur environ 600 km entre...

Across Africa, governments grapple with the challenge of designing appropriate policies that foster development and strike a balance between current and future development goals. In the natural resources sectors the challenge is further exacerbated by sustainable development concerns. Ensuring that the economic value derived delivers inter-generational value is an important...

Burkina Faso will host the closing ceremony of the International Year of Pulses from 10 to 11 February 2017. Throughout 2016, the objective was to highlight the exceptional nutritional benefits of pulses to human diets, through numerous events, publications and other activities. The closing ceremony was announced on 21 October 2016 in Rome, jointly...

Agro-pastoral communities are working together in Central Senegal to tackle climate change challenges. Applying successful FAO approaches, in particular the Dimitra Clubs and the Farmer Field Schools, durable solutions are sought, demonstrated, evaluated and replicated. This video is a brief look into the initial achievements of the FAO-LDCF project Mainstreaming...

Betty Ndugga used to be a clothing trader in Uganda's capital of Kampala, after her husband died, she returned to her village and joined a local farmer field school, supported by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, where she was trained in coffee production. After that, she decided to establish...

Africa, including the Maghreb region, was the last continent to be part of La Via Campesina. Since 2004 the number of African peasant movements joining La Via Campesina has been increasing. African movements consider their membership to the peasant movement as a strategic process of amplifying their struggles and reinforce...

Enhancing the productivity of agriculture is vital for Sub-Saharan Africa's economic future and is one of the most important tools to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity in the region. How governments elect to spend public resources has significant development impact in this regard. Choosing to catalyze a shift...

The video describes the threat represented by the Fall Armyworm to food security, livelihoods and economic prospects in Africa and beyond. It also outlines the Programme of Action against the Fall Armyworm in Africa which provides a clear roadmap towards the sustainable management of the Fall Armyworm. Engaging in this...

This paper investigates the nature, extent, and impacts of credit constraints in Ethiopia’s agriculture. Using a direct elicitation approach on a panel of 5,308 smallholder farmers, we find that around 66.6% were credit constrained, a majority of them (71.9%) due to risk factors and transaction costs (14.33%). The hypothesized heterogeneity...

In the prevailing context of higher climate variability with the rainy season being no longer predictable, supply of water is extremely important for the farmers. Farmers in Rwanda do not have enough rain for their production due to drought. There is competition for water use between rural and urban area....

Social protection is increasingly recognized as a critical strategy for poverty reduction and inclusive growth. Both, the 2030 Agenda, as well as Agenda for Humanity, stress the critical role social protection can play in the fight against poverty and exclusion, but also as a component of resilience building. However, more...

This video tells the story of Mehaou, an inspiring Nigerien farmer and grandmother who has overcome many challenges to provide for her family - including rearing, breeding and selling goats. FAO and the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF) fund are supporting hundreds of farmers like Mehaou in Niger to diversify...

This policy brief addresses the issue of limited farmer access to quality seed of Irish potato varieties in demand in local markets, which is a severe constraint for the potato sector in eastern Africa. It provides evidence in support of urgently needed action and presents options for practical decisions by...

El análisis conjunto de 50 estudios de caso en 22 países africanos muestra la contribución de la agroecología al logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) de las Naciones Unidas. Las tendencias que revela este análisis evidencian el potencial de la agroecología para fortalecer, de manera sostenible, la soberanía...

We are women and men, farmers, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) activists, agronomists, agro-ecologists, agro-ecology trainers, Food Sovereignty activists, Civil Society actors from 7 different countries in West Africa. We come from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Togo. Over and above the current extraordinary social and economic...

This newsletter provides information on the FAO project: “Strengthening Linkages between Buyers and Small Actors in the Roots and Tubers Sector in Africa” (ART) Project, which may be of interest to you. The newsletter is a core tool for knowledge sharing among members of the project.  In this issue our...