The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) committed to the mitigation of the effects of climate change by signing the Kyoto Protocol for climate change and other related environmental management protocols. Since 1994, DRC has produced two national climate change communication documents (RDC, Ministère de l’Environnement, Conservation de la Nature, Eaux,...

African governments, international agencies and NGOs are calling for policies which pay more attention to young people and agriculture.  This policy brief draws on research findings by Future Agricultures and asks: What are the expectations and aspirations of young rural men and women? What are the constraints and opportunities facing...

Les effets du Conseil à l’Exploitation Familiale sur le revenu et la productivité agricoles des bénéficiaires ont été évalués dans cet article. Les données collectées auprès de cent soixante (160) producteurs choisis aléatoirement à raison de quatre-vingt (80) auditeurs CEF (AC) et quatre-vingt (80) non auditeurs ont été analysées à...

Eritrea has adopted various international environmental laws and policy guidelines. The major policies and programs related to climate change are the Environmental Management Plan for Eritrea, the National Action Program to Combat Desertification and Mitigate Effects of Drought, the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Eritrea, Eritrea’s Initial National...

Dans la perspective de l'Année Internationale de l'Agriculture Familiale (2014), le Cirad avait été mandaté pour analyser les caractéristiques des agricultures familiales du monde avec des études dans neuf pays dont le Mali. Parmi les conclusions de cette étude , celles que les exploitations familiales maliennes ont  un besoin urgent d'une politique agricole ambitieuse...

This working paper synthesizes and analyzes the characteristics of the indigenous sheep production and breeding strategies and practices of four sheep farming communities located in pastoral (Amibara), sub-alpine sheep-barley (Menz), perennial crop-livestock (Bonga), and cereal-livestock (Horro) production systems. The paper also provides a model framework for characterizing the indigenous sheep...

Dans la région Est du Burkina Faso, le Projet d’investissement communautaire en fertilité agricole (PICOFA) a entrepris de disséminer la pratique du Warrantage de auprès des groupements de femmes et de jeunes en vue de réduire la vulnérabilité des ménages en période de soudure et faciliter l’accès aux crédits, parfois nécessaires...

The majority of the rural people in Swaziland depend on cash income for survival strategies. Rural agriculture is insufficient to meet all food needs, but agricultural production provides a vital supplement to other food sources as well as employment opportunities during peak agricultural seasons (such as for weeding and harvesting).  ...

Nearly 70 per cent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) live in rural areas and rely mainly on agriculture for livelihood security. Low agricultural productivity in the region keeps this population under constant pressure, even though investment in agriculture is a proven way to reduce regional poverty. Studies have...

Many farmers across rural Africa depend on their livestock for survival. Whether animals such as chickens, goats, pigs and cattle are used as a primary source of household food or as income from the sale of animal by-products, they represent an important asset to many families throughout the continent. This reality,...

Cash Transfers: Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa Cash transfers are regular money payments to poor households. In sub-Saharan Africa, cash transfer programmes target the poorest and most vulnerable people, who are mostly subsistence farmers. Some programmes specifically target families with members who have disabilities or who take care of orphans or older people. Eligible households...

This chapter is meant to further the understanding of policymakers concerning the potential impact of climate change on agriculture in Sudan, along SUDAN 281 with various adaptation options. The chapter begins with a review of some national statistics that will help characterize the capacity of the population to adapt to...

The study was initiated to understand how asset building, combined with appropriate extension services, can enable smallholder farmers to address marketing problems. Interviews were conducted in 2009 with 317 farm households in Kamuli district, Eastern Uganda, who were participants in a sustainable rural livelihoods program, led by an indigenous nongovernmental...

This article examines current adaptation strategies developed by local farmers against climate change effects in Kilombero District. Research questions guided the study include; what are the past and current climatic stresses? What are local farmers’ perception on climate change and response to the adverse climatic stresses? What are institutions and...

L’élevage caprin constitue un pilier important de l’activité économique dans le Nord du Mali. La sécheresse et les abattages massifs ont, cependant, contribué à une baisse significative des effectifs du cheptel.  Pour appuyer la redynamisation de l’élevage caprin dans la région de Kidal, le Programme Intégré de Développement Rural de...

Malawi is one of the least developed countries in the world, and therefore poverty remains a key challenge in the country.  The great variations in Malawi’s landscape result in wide spatial differences in climate.

The Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) is the approach suggested by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) through the sub Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (SSA CP) to address the acknowledged shortcoming of African Agricultural Research and Development’s (ARD) failure to achieve impact on the farmer’s field. The...

This video highlights how a pastoralist community in Mandera, Kenya applied knowledge gained in a pastoral field school to improve their livelihood through fodder production.

Viability differences in smallholder dairy farming are a result of differences in access to markets and services. It is hypothesized that innovations that improve productivity and market linkages also improve returns and viability. The viability of smallholder dairying in Wedza was characterised by interviewing 52 households using semi-structured questionnaires. Information...

This paper looks at the gendered impacts of a development project that provided improved dairy cattle and training as part of a broader effort to develop a smallholder-friendly, market-oriented dairy value chain in Manica province, Mozambique. The project targeted households, registered cows in the name of the household head, and,...