Over the past decade, the Sahel region has witnessed recurrent and multiple shocks. Droughts, floods, conflicts and insecurity have led to the reduction of the most vulnerable populations’ meager assets and capacity to withstand future crises. In a context of extreme poverty and increased exposure to multiple hazards, their food security is at stake. Chad is the second...

Small ruminants, such as sheep and goats, play a significant role in the global livestock sector, particularly within developing countries where they are critical for livelihoods and food security. Sheep and goats have a direct impact on the economy and well-being of the population. However, the presence of infectious diseases...

The Government of Tanzania through the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development and livestock industry stakeholders developed a National Livestock Policy (NLP) of 2006 that availed opportunities and challenges for accelerating the growth and contribution of the livestock industry to poverty reduction and the national economy by making more optimal...

Ethiopia is facing a massive drought and food insecurity crisis. The impact of failed rains and droughts have been worsened by the 2015 El Niño, which itself has been supercharged by climate change. Urgent humanitarian action is needed to support millions of people who have lost food, water and livelihoods....

Feeding a rapidly increasing global population means that food production must be achieved in a more efficient and sustainable manner. It is therefore essential to use fewer inputs to achieve greater yields. The real challenge not only lies in increased production, but also in reaching this aim against a backdrop...

The great lakes region of Central Africa is beautiful and abundant in hills, people and conflicts. Its high altitude and cooler climate make it ideal for crops. But soils have been exhausted, spare land is rarely available, and competition and struggle for resources has marked much of the region’s history...

In Tanzania, most smallholder dairy farmers rely on on-farm resources for feeding their livestock. These on-farm feed resources include grasses, legumes, crop residues, cereals and oilseed byproducts. These feed resources, in particular pasture and crop residues, do often fluctuate seasonally both in terms of quantity and quality. For example, pasture...

Drought is one of the main causes of food insecurity. In 2011, the horn of Africa has faced the worst drought in 60 years. An estimated 12.4 million people suffered from a massive food shortage. To mitigate the impact of agricultural drought, it is of high importance to dispose of...

Remaining fish parts that are not eaten are usually wasted. Fish powder made from fish remaining can be used to enrich staple foods such as maize and cassava, and therefore improve levels of micronutrients in the diet. This practice describes the benefits of the fish powder, how to produce fish...

The 88 page illustrated book showcases 15 case studies, showing how agroecology benefits Africa in terms of food and nutrition, livelihoods, restoration of biodiversity, knowledge and innovation, and climate change resilience. Leading experts in their fields explain how agroecology reforms food systems to promote better nutrition and health, especially among poor...

The Italian government established the Wei Wei Irrigation Scheme in the early 1990s, enabling farmers to practice drip and furrow irrigation along the river banks and produce crops off-season.  The farmers have mainly focused on maize production, but further technology has been necessary to increase diversification of food products while...

The first edition of a biannual magazine supported by the Karamoja Development Forum, this publication gives a glimpse into the life of a Karamajong herder. It compiles essays, opinion pieces and articles by individuals who come from the Karamoja region of Uganda, spanning pertinent issues such as climate change, resilience,...

Access to information by rural farming communities is one of the major constraints to agricultural development in Uganda because of inadequate extension service delivery. The use of information communications technologies (ICTs) can potentially address this blockage. Although the application of ICTs in rural development is not new, its application in...

In 2015, drought exacerbated by El Niño ravaged Ethiopia’s highlands and lowlands, resulting in crop failure and wide-scale animal losses. To counter the devastating impact on the vulnerable smallholder farmers that make up the bulk of Ethiopia’s workforce, FAO initiated a number of livestock and crop-based interventions in order to...

The brief aims at summarizing the efforts of FAO to maximize the impacts of social protection interventions in the Sahel and West Africa by strengthening the linkages with resilience, food security, nutrition and economic growth; ensuring the effective reach of most vulnerable households and making national social protection programmes risk-informed...

With funding from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), the Water Mobilization Project to Enhance Food Security in Maradi, Tahoua and Zinder Regions (PMERSA-MTZ) is being implemented in Niger and benefits from a UA 40,443,000 financing: 9.34 million from the African Development Fund (ADF), UA 21.02 million from...

From Senegal to Togo, from Guinea-Bissau to Mauritania, from Tunisia to Ghana, communities living from maritime fisheries show the same attachment to the sea and face the same challenges. Between September 2014 and November 2015, the West African Network of Journalists for Responsible Fisheries (REJOPRAO), in collaboration with the CAOPA,...

In October 2017, the Agency for Accelerated Regional Development (AFARD) signed a 2-year (2017 - 2019)grant funding agreement with Manos Unidas for the implementation of Jangokoro Food Security Project in Jangokoro Sub-County, Zombo district, West Nile region, Uganda under the contract number UGA/68355/LVIII D (62).The overall goal is, “to contribute...

What is successful access and benefit sharing’ for smallholder family farmers? This contribution argues it is not about legal contracts or mechanisms that regulate the international transfer of plant genetic resources. It is about farmers’ access to seed diversity and the ability to share in the benefits of the continuing...

Following the declaration of a drought situation in the region of the Greater South of Madagascar, the vulnerability of the rural population has reached an alarming level. A project for emergency agricultural rehabilitation of farming households and vulnerable producers has been implemented to allow them to recover quickly from the loss...