Africa

Currently, fruit consumption in Eastern Africa is far below recommended allowances and has implications for micronutrient malnutrition while little is known about the patterns and determinants of fruit production, consumption and marketing. The main research question of this paper (PDF) by Bioversity International and the World Agroforestry Centre was therefore: what are key trends in gender-disaggregated preferences, attitudes and decision-making processes of rural households for fruit consumption, production, and income generated from this activity? »

This study in the Food Security Journal, investigates the impact of food price changes on food security in urban and rural Ethiopia. The results indicate that increases in cereal prices are generally, but not always, associated with households having a lower number of meals and switching to less preferred foods. »

This paper in the Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin is the outcome of a study on the international partner project “Changing Gender Roles in Sub-Saharan Horticultural Family Farming” funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. A qualitative case study was carried out to understand the impacts on gender inequality of the integration of horticultural smallholdings into the fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) supply chain to the European market. »

This report by the World Resources Institute sets out a six-step framework for scaling up regreening, each step accompanied by a list of practical, on-the-ground activities to guide development practitioners and regreening advocates. Regreening occurs at the landscape level through a variety of agroforestry and sustainable land management practices. »

This report elaborates on the importance of food markets for food consumption in African cities and rural areas. It argues that food systems in West Africa are rapidly changing and that, contrary to popular belief, the percentage of subsistence farming for food consumption in rural areas is also declining. Therefore, market supply is becoming the main source for food consumption and rural as well as urban household tend to become more vulnerable to fluctuation in food prices on these markets, which impacts their food security. »

The study in the Journal of Agricultural Sciences, investigated the effect of urban household farming on food security status in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria. The study showed that the majority of the urban farming households were not food secure and fell below food security line. The authors recommends the policies that make extension services accessible to urban farmers and also skills development among others. »