Africa

This article characterizes global trends in dietary quality for all countries between 1961 and 2011. This is done by estimating micronutrient density of the food supply, and the prevalence of inadequate intake of 14 micronutrients. Over this 50-year period, Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where dietary micronutrient density has declined, while in most regions it improved. »

This short guide helps Africa RISING researchers to properly address gender issues in their proposals and interventions. Gender equality is central to the process of scaling technologies and practices in a sustainable manner. Failing to take into account gender differences can limit the reach and scale of Africa RISING technologies. This tool describes how gender issues should be addressed in each step of the intervention designing process. »

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. »

Innovation platforms (IPs) form a popular vehicle in agricultural research for development (AR4D) to facilitate stakeholder interaction, agenda setting, and collective action toward sustainable agricultural development. This article in the Science and Public Policy Journal, aims to systematically research the dynamics of stakeholder composition throughout IPs and tries to analyze how seven ‘key functions’ of the innovation process are fulfilled. »

This article examines the post-harvest practices of small-scale fisheries in Nigeria and the contribution of these fisheries to food and nutrition security. Small-scale fisheries are the dominant source of local fish production in Nigeria but receive limited policy attention. »