Many environmental factors constrain the production of major food crops in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. At the same time, these food production systems themselves have a range of negative impacts on the environment. In this paper we review the published literature and assess the depth of recent research (since...

El Niño is a periodic climate phenomenon defined by anomalously warm sea surface temperatures in the eastern and central tropical Pacific Ocean which affect local weather worldwide and generally leads to increased drought risk at global level. In 2015, since July a strong El Niño is being observed with increasing...

When the seasonal rains came to some regions of south-eastern Senegal, the flooding used to cut off the inhabitants from the rest of the country. But that has changed with the IFAD-supported project known as PADAER – Projet d’Appui au Développement Agricole et à l’Entreprenariat Rural. Thanks to the projects’...

This blog article presents hows young African entrepreneurs are engaging and succeeding in agriculture. this is all happening during a panel discussion that was part of the warm-up to the formal launch of the 2015 Agriculture Green Revolution Forum (AGRF)

En Gambie, les femmes cultivent souvent des sols dégradés et improductifs car les terres fertiles sont généralement réservées aux hommes. Mais les choses sont en train de changer. À l’aide de techniques simples, des marécages sont transformés en terres agricoles. Awa Jagne, qui autrefois avait du mal à nourrir ses...

The aim of the study was to estimate the technical and cost efficiencies of smallholder dairy farms in Kenya (Embu and Meru counties).The results indicated that optimization of farm efficiencies could increase milk yields while concurrently lowering its production cost. The study further provides evidence that any efforts towards reducing...

The Kagera River Basin in East Africa occupies a strategic position on the borders of four countries. Good management of the Kagera water flow regime is vital for maintaining the water levels of Like Victoria and outflow to the River Nile. More than 16 million people live here and depend...

The study investigated the impact of farming systems on determinants of smallholder sugarcane farmers (SSFs) financial sustainability (FS) between Block Farming (BF) and Traditional Farming (TF) systems. FS was analyzed by assessing profitability of the farming system. Semi structured questionnaires were  administered to a random sample of SSFs and officials...

A vast wealth of knowledge about crops, nutrition, medicines, biodiversity, ecosystems, climate change and more, is on the verge of being lost to Africa forever, just when it is most needed. Over millennia, women in most African traditions have played a central role in selecting, storing, and enhancing the diversity...

Food Security New farming method, conservation agriculture taking root in parts of the country

Born in a rural Bedouin community in North Sinai Governorate, Egypt, Yasmina Atta grew up in a culture that heavily restricts the roles of women. Undeterred by this oppression, she started to support young women in claiming their rights and becoming relevant economic and political actors.

Cecilia William était tributaire des pluies irrégulières pour irriguer ses cultures. Mère célibataire, elle luttait pour produire de quoi nourrir sa famille. Un système d’irrigation a maintenant changé sa vie. Depuis qu’elle a un accès régulier à l’eau, Cecilia est non seulement une agricultrice performante, mais aussi une chef d’entreprise...

Formed in 2007, Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group (FPS) creates science-based educational materials, which: identify highly nutritious local food plants, explain how to grow them in a sustainable, agroecological way, detail the nutritional value of the plants and describe why human bodies require those nutrients. The resources created by FPS allows people to better...

 En Côte d’Ivoire, au moment où l’industrie prend le train de l’engrais chimique, l’agriculture familiale amorce une diversification de ses stratégies de fertilisation, vers des intrants de plus en plus biologiques. Une innovation naît notamment dans les années 2000, prenant une ampleur considérable dans les années 2010 : la fertilisation...

Thirty women groups attached to the Koinadugu Women Vegetable Farmers’ Cooperative benefited from high quality vegetable seeds of different varieties with support from FAO to enhance their production and depleted income.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Union Commission (AUC) on the implementation of the Regional Initiative on Resilience in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.

La hausse des prix alimentaires au Sénégal était telle que les Sénégalais ne pouvaient même pas acheter des produits de base car tout était importé. Sans accès à des semences de bonne qualité, ils ne pouvaient pas produire leur propre nourriture. Un projet visant à cultiver des semences de meilleure...

The biggest challenge we face now is the limited awareness of ecological practices and lack of land for smallholders. We are very much against the current push for hybrids and GMOs and the dependence that comes with them. Thus we call upon our government to declare Tanzania free of such...

This Blog article resumes the work FAO is undertaking with the European Union under the Millennium Development Goal 1c programme (MDG1c) to support smallholder farmers to develop improved post-harvest techniques. Since the inception of the project, over 260 artisans were trained in 15 districts of Mozambique in building and promoting improved...

The Republic of Angola and the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) signed an agreement to finance the Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture Project (AFAP)  in Bengo, Cuanza Norte, Luanda and Malange provinces in the central-north region of Angola.