smallholder farmers

This publication examines how current seed policies and laws in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda affect smallholder farmers’ practices. The investigation is based on three measures: the degree of recognition of the roles and rights of smallholder farmers; the degree to which policy and legal regulations facilitate smallholder-based seed management; and the level of support such regulations provide for smallholder-based seed management. »

This article measures farmlevel postharvest losses for three main crops—maize, soy, and groundnuts—among 1,200 households in Malawi. To optimally design interventions targeted at reducing losses, it is important to know where losses are concentrated between the farm and fork. Farmers answered a detailed questionnaire about losses during harvest and transport, processing, and storage. The findings indicate that fewer than half of households report suffering losses conditional on growing each crop. »

This report provides an overview of a study conducted in the NENA region in 2015-2016 focusing on the features and characteristics of small-scale family farming. Defining policies to support small-scale family farming by fighting poverty in agricultural households cannot be reduced to intensifying farming or stock-breeding practices. »

This webinar by Agriculture Finance Support Facility’s (AgriFin) looks at the role of digital infrastructures in driving efficiency and sustainability in the agricultural value chain. It dives into issues that surround emerging innovations, capacity strengthening, and the enabling environment of mobile service banking. »

This article assessed the effect of using certified seed potato (CSP) on yield, input use, and food security among smallholder farmers. The recent development of rapid seed multiplication technique has helped to shorten the duration of CSP production and increase the supply of seed. Results indicate that use of CSP is associated with increased yields, sales, and hence income. In addition, users of CSP were less food insecure than their counterparts. »

This issue of ICT Update portrays how GODAN and other stakeholders are creating a global open data movement in agriculture and nutrition from the perspectives of its users by showcasing some of the best practices and the most common challenges in this field. There is a lot potential, but lack of reliable and contextualised data is currently working against smallholder farmers. »