The private sector can help smallholders to participate in modern supply chains. This type of collaboration will be critical to agricultural development.

Over the coming decades, global change will have an impact on food and water security in significant and highly uncertain ways, and there are strong indications that developing countries will bear the brunt of the adverse consequences, particularly from climate change. This is largely because poverty levels are high, and...

With likely long-term changes in rainfall patterns and shifting temperature zones, climate change is expected to increase the frequency of climate-related shocks, such as floods and droughts in Sub-Saharan Africa. For farm households, an increase in the frequency of climate-related income shocks could lead not only to lower expected income,...

This study assessed perception of farmers about profitability of vegetable gardening enterprise in Ahiazu Mbaise local government area of Imo state, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was administered to 60 randomly selected farmers in the study area. Data collected were analysed using frequencies, percentages and mean scores. Results showed that majority...

Food aid is a widely debated development topic and such debates have given rise to the existence of two schools of thought regarding its resultant effects. The general belief is that food aid has disincentive effects, whereas the counter belief is that food aid instead comes with contributional effects to...

The Zanzibar Workshop Proceedings consists of the report and the Statement of the Workshop and provides a rich understanding of the dynamics of traditional, indigenous, small-scale and artisanal fisheries and fishing communities in the Eastern and Southern African (ESA) context. The issues covered include: the saga of rights denied to...

Ethiopia’s agricultural sector, which is dominated by smallscale, mixed crop, and livestock farming, is the mainstay of the country’s economy. It constitutes more than half the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), generates more than 85 percent of the foreign exchange earnings, and employs about 80 percent of the population. Ethiopia’s...

The publication of this report will help move the discussions on agricultural mechanization from being on the banks to the mainstream of the debate on agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa. Now is the “Time for a New Look” at agricultural mechanization in this region.

Tthese proceedings synthesise the deliberations of the iii world congress on conservation agriculture held in nairobi from 3 to 7 october 2005. the proceedings are published at a time when soaring food and energy prices have severely impacted on the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers and many more consumers....

Agricultural production remains the main source of livelihood for rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, providing employment to more than 60 percent of the population and contributing about 30 percent of gross domestic product. With likely long-term changes in rainfall patterns and shifting temperature zones, climate change is expected to significantly...

This study analyzes five marine protected areas (MPAs) in South Africa, which span three of the country’s four coastal provinces, namely, the Langebaan Lagoon MPA, the Maputaland MPA, the St Lucia MPA, the Tsitsikamma MPA and the Mkambati MPA. A biological, conservation-oriented fisheries science dominates the agendas of these MPAs....

Recent increases in the levels and volatility of food prices have created significant challenges to efforts to reduce levels of food insecurity both at national and household levels. As a result, significant political attention has been given to the promotion of improvements in food staples productivity in developing countries, both...

Discusses the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa program, which aims to establish a self-sustained African body of expertise on adaptation through capacity development and strengthening institutions.

This study discusses the social dimensions of MPAs in Tanzania, using the case of the Mafia Island Marine Park and the socioeconomic, political and cultural contexts within which Mafia people live their lives. Based on documentary surveys and interviews with residents of the island’s villages, national government officials, and the...

This Occasional Paper examines the role of agricultural mechanization in the agricultural and economic development of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The paper argues that in the light of global changes and challenges the time is ripe to reconsider the potential of mechanization and the priority that needs to be given to...

This report intends to provide key elements for answering these questions. Before starting the analysis, it is necessary to introduce the factors that have fuelled the adoption of certification in the banana industry and the main categories of schemes used.

Climate variability poses a severe threat to subsistence farmers in southern Africa. Two different approaches have emerged in recent years to address these threats: the use of seasonal precipitation forecasts for risk reduction (for example, choosing seed varieties that can perform well for expected rainfall conditions), and the use of...

Food insecurity and income poverty are rampant in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thirty-one percent of children under the age of five are malnourished and some 72 percent of the population lives on less than US$2 day. Forty-one percent lives on less than US$1 day. The impoverished and hungry are concentrated disproportionately in...

The Conference on Ecological Agriculture: Mitigating Climate Change, Providing Food Security and Self-Reliance for Rural Livelihoods in Africa was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 26-28 November 2008. It was organised by the African Union (AU), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development...

This issue of Caravan describes some of ICARDA's work on climate change. It contains overviews of the key issues, and articles describing research in specific areas: for example, how genetic resources – landrace varieties, wild relatives, indigenous livestock breeds – can be used to make small-scale agriculture better adapted to...