Africa

This report provides a contextualized review of drones as a vital precision agriculture-enabling technology and its range of relevant uses for providing detailed and on-demand data in order to enhance decision-making by farmers and hence facilitate much needed support. The report considers drone technology for precision agriculture as a potential game-changer for the African continent. »

This article discusses the growth of the private seed sector since the seed industry in Eastern and Souther Africa (ESA) was deregulated, the importance of public-private partnerships in driving genetic gains for climate-smart (CS) traits, and the importance of developing a favourable regional regulatory environment that incentivises the private sector to rapidly scale out CS crop varieties »

This paper evaluates the effect of market accessed through farmer organizations on household income in Tanzania. Farmer organizations can benefit farmers by increasing their incomes and providing a good platform for the provision of farm inputs and marketing of produce, which can immensely enhance farm productivity and increase farmers’ incomes. »

This publication evaluates a soil scanner in Kenya, to identify success factors, possible bottlenecks and the added value of innovative soil testing services for farmers. Farmers indicated positive experiences with the scan, but it takes at least six months of investing to get these results. A critical success factor for the implementation of soil scanner services, are the management and board of a cooperative »

This paper reviews the evidence available on the provision of financing for African smallholder farmers to purchase irrigation equipment such as pumps, pipes and drip irrigation systems. Based on both case studies and several systematic reviews of the literature, it finds that the outcomes and impacts on poverty, gender equity and broader economic development are mixed at best. »

This article analysed the impact of elevated CO2 concentrations on the sufficiency of dietary intake of iron, zinc and protein for the populations of 151 countries. Atmospheric CO2 is on pace to surpass 550 ppm in the next 30–80 years. Many food crops grown under 550 ppm have protein, iron and zinc contents that are reduced by 3–17% compared with current conditions. »