Tanzania has adopted a new national land policy which, among others, lowers the ceiling under which foreign investors can lease land from the current 99 to 33 years. The new policy comes barely months after the East African nation embarked on a campaign to seize “idle” land and deter “rogue...

Effects of Climate Change in Uganda.

Impact, Adaptation and Development in African Mountain Areas

This is the annual report of the Cassava Community Action Research Project (Cassava CARP) for the period October 2015 – September 2016. The Cassava CARP is aimed at enhancing sustainable production, processing and marketing of cassava and cassava products among the cassava farming communities. Its focus is on quality cassava...

An Open Letter by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food highlighting concern over the Regional Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Plant Varieties by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)The letter highlights concern that the Arusha Protocol is inappropriate for the ARIPO region and the non-transparent...

Populations in Africa are increasingly exposed to the negative impact of natural and human-induced disasters such as drought, floods, disease epidemics and conflicts which threaten the agriculture production systems and livelihoods of vulnerable communities. The initiative on “Building Resilience in Africa’s Drylands” was developed to enhance the capacity of these...

2015 was a landmark year for the future of the planet and therefore for the future of every woman, man, girl and boy, in all four corners of the world. Two important events - the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 and COP21 on development and climate change, led to...

To feed a growing population, agricultural productivity needs to increase dramatically. Agricultural extension information, with its public, non-rival nature, is generally undersupplied, and public provision remains challenging. In this research, we explore the effectiveness of alternative modes of agricultural extension information delivery. We test whether simple agricultural extension video messages...

The study had the major objective of identifying and documenting climate-smart agriculture initiatives, technologies, practices and stakeholders in the Eastern Africa Sub-region with a special focus on Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, so as to produce a report that would enable stakeholders to understand the opportunities and constraints associated with adopting...

Since 2012, national teams in eight countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America have been identifying options for policy, legal and administrative mechanisms for the implementation of the multilateral system of access and benefit sharing (MLS) for plant genetic resources. This article summarises if and how access and benefit sharing...

Land in Tororo district in Uganda has been intensively used and the soil fertility is low and declining. This video features a possible solution - using urine as a fertiliser.

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...

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 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...

Convened by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Dutch development organisation Hivos, and led from Bolivia, the network set out to generate and integrate its own knowledge on smallholders and globalisation. Their work has also been complemented by a series of debates in Europe on some of the core...

The article shares some of the most compelling insights from a four days Learning Exchange gathering in Uganda, facilitated by the AgroEcology Fund and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa. The meeting brought together grassroot organizers, advocates and donors to discuss, learn and come up with new successful strategies for...

Adoption of productivity- and income-enhancing agricultural technologies is conspicuously low in Africa south of the Sahara. Farmers’ beliefs regarding the authenticity of agricultural inputs are important for explaining technology adoption: if farmers do not believe that inputs are genuine, they are unlikely to invest in them. The degree of alignment...

Of the 35 million people in Uganda, more than 78% of the population are below the age of 30 and 18% are youth aged 18-30 years. Yet 11% of youth are unemployed (9% males and 14% females) and 26% youth are underemployed (28% males and 25% females). These youth unemployment...