The purpose of this study was to estimate the impact of minimum tillage and crop rotation on maize yields and incomes for farmers adopting the strategies. The study used cross sectional data collected in 2012/13 from 1231 households across six districts of Zambia and applied propensity score matching techniques and...

During the 2012/2013 agricultural season, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) implemented a market-based agriculture input assistance programme in Zimbabwe. FAO together with key partners aimed at reducing poverty and food insecurity in Zimbabwe, by helping to increase the productivity and income of small-scale farmers as...

FAO project to introduce simple raised drying racks improves livelihoods and nutrition for communities along the shores of Lake Tanganyika and beyond

Drought is one of the most constraining climate extremes to livelihoods particularly in dryland environments. Effective adaptation to drought is partly dependent on farmers’ perceptions and how these are harmonised with scientific knowledge systems into local adaptation policies and strategies. This paper examined the perceptions of drought among farmers in...

For the first time, Somali farmers are turning themselves into suppliers of high-quality food assistance for their fellow Somali people. European Union, Austria and United Nations food agencies are backing landmark initiative

The topics covered in this Dossier concern 21 research units based in Languedoc-Roussillon Region, involving over 1 000 researchers whose activities are fully or partially focused on addressing—in collaboration with many partners—major family farming challenges in France and worldwide.The scientists have developed four multidisciplinary approaches to deal with family farming...

Comme décidé lors de la table-ronde sur la Déclaration de Maputo, tenue du 20 au 24 septembre 2014 à Kinshasa, la CONAPAC a mis en branle son plaidoyer en vue de l’augmentation de la part du budget national réservée à l’agriculture à au moins 10 %. Un cahier de plaidoyer...

The credit market serving agriculture in Nigeria is encumbered by operational and administrative inadequacies and the discriminatory tendencies of financial institutions. The government has implemented policies to redress the situation, but small-scale farmers have not benefitted from these incentives to any reasonable degree. This makes it imperative to examine the...

The soybean value chain has a potential to increase smallholder farmers’ incomes and has significant growth potential yet soybean farming households lack services such as education which is tailored to address the real challenges they face in maximizing profits from farming. There is thus a need to integrate entrepreneurship training....

Producer organizations (PO) can improve market access, lower transaction costs and increase the profits of smallholder farmers by offsetting diseconomies of scale (Heyer et al., 1999; Hill et al., 2008; The World Bank, 2008). Yet, evidence for Sub-Saharan Africa shows that POs often fail to attain these objectives. Instead of...

Agricultural systems with conventional tillage and intensive use of agrochemicals, especially those on high slopes and with shallow soils, have the potential to release pollutants. This study aimed at evaluating the soil, water and nutrient lost via agricultural runoff in large plots (small catchments) under conventional and organic farming of...

Two women farmers in Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa), Agnes Dago and Sekongo Sarke Coulibaly, show their daily activities and expose the challenges and obstacles they face in their life as women and farmers.    

This paper considers a range of issues relating to the current status and future trends affecting smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, including the likely transitions that lie ahead for this sector. Smallholder agriculture has long been the dominant economic activity for people in the sub-Saharan region, and it will remain...

The purpose of this manual is to provide practical guidance and examples of how to apply Adaptive Collaborative Management (ACM) methods in communities and how to teach those methods to others. ACM is a collective problem-solving and management approach. With ACM everybody can participate, contribute their knowledge and learn together...

The study assessed the nature of marketing chain of fruits and vegetables in Murehwa and Mutoko Districts in Mashonaland East Province in Zimbabwe. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques were used. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, direct observations and document reviews. A structured household...

The European Union (EU), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Zimbabwe have launched a major programme to assist poor smallholder farmers to boost production, productivity and engage in commercial agriculture through integrated farming approaches.  The 4-year US$19 million (13.78 Million Euro) programme...

Un renforcement de l’agriculture africaine s’impose pour renforcer d’une part la production à petite échelle et d’autre part pour accroître l’emploi des jeunes. Ces dernières années ont été synonyme d’exode rural vers les centres urbains pour les jeunes en recherche d’emploi. Cependant, le chômage urbain et la pauvreté ne font...

Les jeunes représentent l’avenir de l’Afrique. Il est nécessaire que les gouvernements créent des politiques cohérentes en mesure d’inciter les jeunes à s’investir dans le secteur agricole. Étant donné que les besoins alimentaires augmentent progressivement et que l’Afrique dispose encore d’une énorme surface cultivable, les jeunes d’aujourd’hui pourraient constituer l’avenir...

This is a 4 minute taster of our upcoming film, Seeds of Justice, featured in The Guardian. Created by Gaia in partnership with the African Biodiversity Network and MELCA Ethiopia, and due for release in Autumn 2014, Seeds of Justice explores the life of Dr Melaku Worede and his work to...

Rural household economies dependent on rainfed agriculture are increasingly turning to irrigation technology solutions to reduce the effects of weather variability and guard against inconsistent and low crop output. Organizations are increasingly using market-based approaches to disseminate technologies to smallholder farmers, and, although women are among their targeted group, little...