This video describes an agroecology experiment in a Dakar suburb in Senegal. After taking the agroecology courses, some growers are trying new farming techniques to reduce the use of man-made chemicals and improve crop yields. 

An online advisory and problem-solving service is helping livestock farmers to overcome challenges and increase production in Benin and other parts of West Africa. The private service grew out of a blog written by Louis Agbokou, who works as livestock advisor at a government agricultural agency in Benin. During on- site...

Fishing has been the main source of livelihoods for many communities in northeast Nigeria, especially in Borno State which borders Lake Chad. However, long-running armed conflict in the region has caused one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world. Fishing in Lake Chad has been banned on security grounds, depriving...

Cette revue de la littérature fait partie d'une série de quatre revues sectorielles. Elles visent à éclairer l'élaboration de notes d'orientation pour l'intégration de la nutrition dans les secteurs de la production végétale, de la pêche et de l'aquaculture, de la foresterie et de l'élevage dans 12 pays d'Afrique subsaharienne....

The small island developing state of Cabo Verde, off the west African coast, faces recurrent droughts and other environmental and socio-economic vulnerabilities. Recognizing the extent of needs, a national school feeding programme began in 1979 with the support of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). After more than 30...

Africa is not on track to meeting the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 targets to end hunger and ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round and to end all forms of malnutrition. The number of hungry people on the continent has risen by...

Une meilleure intégration de la nutrition dans le secteur de l’élevage est un défi commun partagé par les décideurs et les gestionnaires de programmes au niveau régional, national et local du fait du manque d’outils méthodologiques éprouvés. Pour faire face à cet enjeu, l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’alimentation et...

The use of fire and smoke to extract honey from hives or natural colonies offers some kind of protection from the beestings. However, this practice does not only harm the environment and the health of the colonies, it has also a negative impact on the honey quality. The use of...

Mr. Ernest Aubee, Head of the ECOWAS Commission's Agriculture Division stated that half of the world's population is undernourished, with 3.4 billion people suffering from hunger, malnutrition, and obesity. Agroecology, according to Aubee, is one of the strategies to secure food security, as well as the health of people and...

Cet  article publié au mois de juillet 2021 dans le journal européen scientifique (European Scientific Journal, ESJ), traite de la dégradation des sols et de l’environnement dans les régions du nord-ouest du Togo. A travers des enquêtes socio-économiques auprès des producteurs, l’auteur évalue les perceptions sur la dégradation des sols et...

The article explores the prevalent misunderstanding and belief that agroecology is about going backward. According to John Wilson, many cultures have a saying along the lines of 'we need to go back to go forward.' This is the goal of agroecology in Africa. It's about reconnecting and re-establishing one's roots....

Adaptation to climate stress is an unprecedented challenge facing cropping systems. Most adaptation assessments focus on how adaptation options affect yields of a single crop under different weather or climate conditions. Yet, cropping systems often comprise more than one crop, and holistic assessments should consider all crops grown in a...

The smoker for beekeeping described in this practices is a model that does not require any welding. It has been produced by "la Plateforme des Apiculteurs des Cataractes (PLAAC), in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The description includes detailed diagrams, pictures and tips that will allow any artisan or...

Farmer Field Schools (FFS), or ‘schools without walls’, were introduced by FAO and partners more than 30 years ago as an alternative to the prevailing top-down extension approach. The schools are a way to promote field-based experimentation, group organization and local decision-making through discovery-based learning. Farmer Field Schools have been a...

Two new studies published by the Agriculture Policy Research in Africa (APRA) collaboration present a bleak picture of Malawi's smallholder farmers' future. This article builds on the results of APRA Working Papers to better understand the realities of smallholder farming in Malawi and what the future holds for those who...

In the Adjumani and Amuria districts of Uganda, women are responsible for 75% of agricultural labour. Only 30% have rights over the land that they farm.  Male ownership of property is culturally ingrained in these communities. Women only have secondary rights through their male family members, which are often lost through...

The holistic gardening project in Emuhaya, Western Kenya, is attracting local and international acclaim. Bio Gardening Innovations (BIOGI) is equipping smallholder farmers to break away from monocultures and create thriving, overflowing “food forests” on their farmland.

Uganda made impressive economic development in the last three decades. Poverty headcount declined from 56% in 1992 to 27% in 2018 and 33% of the total population belongs to the middle class. However, the rosy economic growth is marred by inequalities and social exclusion. Youth; majority of the total population...

The Nyagatare district (Eastern Province) is Rwanda’s breadbasket - a vast area of agricultural land providing food for the entire country. The people of this district are mainly farmers, rearing livestock and cultivating crops such as maize and rice, but they suffer a long dry season stretching from June to...

The 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit was designed to create a path towards transforming the global food system so that it feeds the world sustainably, equitably, and inclusively. Small-scale farmers and other rural people must play an essential role in doing that. They are the backbone of the global...