East Africa

This publication by the Centre for Development Innovation (CDI) and The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) provides readers with a valuable understanding of how agri-food markets can contribute to food security and rural poverty reduction, while still building profitable commercial relations. The report gives the outcomes of the ‘From Islands of Success to Seas of Change’ initiative on scaling inclusive agri-food markets. »

In this briefing it is argued that urbanization, population growth and environmental change in East Africa are generating distinct food security challenges for urban slum dwellers and the rural poor. The author argues that the relation between rural and urban areas will change, especially in relation to food security. By 2050, the proportion of urban residents in East Africa will increase from 25 to 44 per cent. »

In this article on the CGIAR website, Michael Halewood of Bioversity International reports on the workshop ‘Mutual Implementation of the Plant Treaty and the Nagoya Protocol in the context of wider policy goals’, held Nov. 16-20 in Addis Ababa. The meeting focused on how countries can identify and access diversity they need and share associated benefits. »

This report (PDF) by Farm Africa, highlights how support to small and medium agriculture businesses is key to driving rural economic development in East Africa. These ‘first mile’ businesses play a vital role in connecting small-scale farming to wider markets by buying their produce or supplying goods to them. This report maps the various financial instruments that should be provided for agricultural SMEs’ needs, enabling them to grow. »

This brief argues the dairy sector in Eastern Africa is under-exploited. It states that there are opportunities to strengthen or build upon existing regional structures and market complementarities, to activate stronger regional levers and coordinate actions across countries. »

This article uses a gender-based perspective to assess the conditions that underlie vulnerability and resilience of households and communities that face climate-change. The authors utilized a feminist political ecology framework to analyze how women and men are differently affected by issues of climate change and resource degradation. The authors compared the agricultural and livelihood systems of male and female respondents, as well as their productive resources, organization and access to services, and concluded that women have less access than men to common property resources, as well as to cash to obtain goods or services. »