Zaï as they are known in Burkina Faso, or tassa in Niger, are wide deep planting pits. They act as a microcatchment and can be used to rehabilitate soils when used with manure. They have been very successful in West Africa during the last 25 years.

This is the annual report of the Cassava Community Action Research Project (Cassava CARP) for the period October 2015 – September 2016. The Cassava CARP is aimed at enhancing sustainable production, processing and marketing of cassava and cassava products among the cassava farming communities. Its focus is on quality cassava...

Plantwise is a global programme, led by CABI, to increase food security and improve rural livelihoods by reducing crop losses. Working in close partnership with relevant actors, Plantwise strengthens national plant health systems from within, enabling countries to provide farmers with the knowledge they need to lose less and feed...

Demi-lunes (half-moons) are in the shaped of a semi-circle with the tips of the bunds on the contour. They come in a variety of sizes, which help with water harvesting in semi-arid areas. They help to improve soil fertility when manure or compost is added.

The Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF) is an innovative Africa-led fund to support Africa for African development initiatives. Its main goal is to strengthen food security across the continent by assisting countries and their regional organizations to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, eliminate rural poverty and manage natural resources in a...

Sub-Saharan Africa is generally characterized by low production and productivity in the agriculture sector, despite rapidly growing human population which calls for closing the production gap in crops, livestock, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries. At the same time, ecosystems are under pressure, a situation which is further challenged by climate change,...

Trees produce timber and firewood, but also fruit, pods, leaves and medicines for people and livestock. Some species help improve soil fertility and reduce local temperatures. The system supports crops and livestock.

Bidco Africa Oil Refineries has partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the Conservation Agriculture initiative to encourage farmers to take up growing of soya beans and sunflower seeds in a bid to increase the supply of the two crops.

An Open Letter by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food highlighting concern over the Regional Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Plant Varieties by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)The letter highlights concern that the Arusha Protocol is inappropriate for the ARIPO region and the non-transparent...

Based on experience and lessons learned in 2014-15, Africa’s Regional Initiative 2 (RI2) (originally entitled “Integrated Management of Agricultural Landscapes in Africa”) has been revamped for implementation in 2016-17 to sharpen its focus and to make it more programmatic. It takes a food systems approach with two integrated components, namely...

USA/ Statistically, the family farm makes up ninety-eight percent of all American farms, while farmers in general comprise 2% of the work force in the United States. 40% of the crop market is accounted for by 2.5% of nation's total farms, while family farmers produce approximately twenty-seven percent of the...

Integrated soil fertility management is based on maximising the use of organic fertilizers and minimizing the loss of nutrients.

Participatory research approaches are widely being used for promoting the uptake of agricultural integrated innovations. The methods encourage greater knowledge sharing among farmers and give them more confidence in the technology being promoted which in turn brings about wide adoption of the technology in question. Therefore, understanding efficiency and effectiveness...

The FAO Youth Mobility, Food Security and Rural Poverty Reduction (RYM) project aims at mitigating distress economic mobility in Tunisia and Ethiopia. With the support of the Italian Development Cooperation, the project will promote innovative mechanisms and rural development strategies with the objective of mitigating distress migration for rural youth...

The 29th session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa will be held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, at Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire, from 4 to 8 April 2016. Jointly hosted by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Conference is...

The main aim is to reduce costs and improve profitability. Soil health is improved as is soil moisture. Zambia is leading the way in Sub-Saharan Africa and this programme shows how the technique is practised.

Increasing plant populations by reducing the planting distance is a key step to achieving a uniform crop stand and a high yield. On the other hand, when plants are too close to each other this can hamper good crop development. The plants will be thin and will be susceptible to...

Populations in Africa are increasingly exposed to the negative impact of natural and human-induced disasters such as drought, floods, disease epidemics and conflicts which threaten the agriculture production systems and livelihoods of vulnerable communities. The initiative on “Building Resilience in Africa’s Drylands” was developed to enhance the capacity of these...

In an already precarious context characterized by structural vulnerabilities, the socio-political crisis that started in April 2015 has increasingly affected the population in the country with 1.1 million Burundians in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. Access to basic services was restricted and communities were forced to adopt negative coping mechanisms,...

Une colonie d’abeilles peut se diviser en produisant un ou plusieurs essaims de production si elle grossit et devient surpeuplée. Ces essains peuvent s’installer dans des ruches places par les apiculteurs ou bien dans d’autres endroits adapter pour le development de la colonie. Cette fiche explique comment capturer une colonie...