Africa

This report by IFAD shows how IFAD-supported projects are working with smallholder farmers to protect biodiversity in five countries. Poor rural people depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, relying on a range of natural assets from their ecosystems and biodiversity for food, fuel and much else. Productive and sustainable agricultural systems need clean water, healthy soil, and a variety of genetic resources and ecological processes. »

This book, published by the World Bank, identifies some of the most promising investment opportunities at the level of tree-based systems, species (products), and well-defined management practices for accelerating rural economic growth in the drylands. This book is one of a series of thematic books prepared for the study, “Confronting Drought in Africa’s Drylands: Opportunities for Enhancing Resilience.”Trees, with their deep rooting systems, maintain their standing value and offer some production even in drought years. »

This article provides a comprehensive literature review of the grain postharvest losses in developing countries, the status and causes of storage losses and discusses the technological interventions to reduce these losses. Storage losses account for the maximum fraction of all postharvest losses for cereals in developing countries, and negatively affect the farmers’ livelihoods. The basics of hermetic storage, various technology options, and their effectiveness on several crops in different localities are discussed in detail. »

This note by ECDPM in collaboration with FAO discusses the opportunities and challenges to develop regional pulses value chain in the region, drawing from literature review and interviews with key stakeholders. Pulses are crucial in nutritious diets. Despite opportunities, pulses production and yields in Africa and the Horn remain lagging behind potential. The challenges in designing a coherent package of policies and investments to boost intra-regional trade discussed in this note will also be useful for other value chains. »

This report maps the informal food sector and argues that the sector is of significant importance for reaching improved nutrition status of people. The authors argue that the informal food retail sector is an important component of urban food systems and plays a vital role in ensuring access to food for the urban poor. »

This briefing explores the increased pressure on rural land and livelihoods in Ghana due to competition for land an changes in land governance. In Ghana 70 per cent of the population are smallholder farmers who depend on the land for their basic needs. »