Africa

This report by IDS presents the results of a desk-based study to assess the available research evidence in relation to African young people’s engagement with agriculture, and to analyse how this evidence is reflected in current European Union (EU) policy and programming in Malawi, Ethiopia and Kenya, three of the 89 countries in which Alliance2015 members work. »

This working paper by CGIAR contains a systematic review of 175 peer-reviewed and grey literature studies, to gauge the impact of over seventy potential climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices on CSA outcomes in Tanzania and Uganda. Climate-smart agriculture is being widely promoted as a solution for food insecurity and climate change adaptation in food systems of sub-Saharan Africa, while simultaneously reducing the rate of greenhouse gas emissions. »

This paper, published in the Regional Environmental Change journal, analyzes drivers of change in farming practices in the region using data obtained from surveys of 700 farming households in five countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Senegal). Agricultural practices have constantly changed in West Africa, and understanding the factors that have driven the changes may help guide strategies to promote sustainable agriculture in the region. »

This report by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) shows that the introduction of improved forage varieties of the Brachiaria genus is a climate-friendly way to close the gap in the availability of livestock and dairy products in Sub-Saharan Africa. The authors assess the potential economic impact of the development and release of such varieties in six East African countries is using an economic surplus model. »

This paper by the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACBIO) reviews the farm input subsidy programmes (FISPs) within countries belonging to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), to ascertain whether input subsidies have benefited small-scale farmers, have increased food security at the household and national levels, and have improved the incomes of small-scale farmers. »

This paper in the World Development Journal, argues that gender relations are more than the outcomes of negotiations within households. It explains the importance of social norms, perceptions, and formal and informal rules shaping access to land for male and female farmers at four levels: (1) the household/family, (2) the community, (3) the state, and (4) the market. The framework is applied to Ghana, using the results from qualitative field work. »