Ghana

This article reports findings on the steps and pathways thorugh with young people construct livelihoods in hotspots of agricultural commercialisation. Findings draw attention to a new potential area for intervention: the use of social protection measures to help minimise downside risks associated with hazards, so that the young people’s hard-earned assets are less vulnerable to loss. »

The objective of this study was to examine the constraints of seed production and the causes of seed losses in Northern Ghana. The results indicated that high input costs, undeveloped marketing system and seed distribution channels, erratic rainfall pattern, and inadequate machinery constituted the main challenges for seed producers. Field pests, poor storage structures, poor farm hygiene, and poor bagging process significantly influenced seed losses. »

This magazine shares a collection of articles with lessons learned of the N2Africa project. The N2Africa project is a research project that aims to improve the quality and yields of grain legume crops and thereby strengthening the economic position of smallholder farmers. It does so by putting nitrogen fixation to work. »

This paper explores correlations and linkages between neighbourhood food environments and household food environments, with particular emphasis on the risk they pose for obesity. The results reveal that household food environments promoting obesity appear correlated with neighbourhood food environments, which make obesogenic foods accessible and available. They also suggest that poverty is a powerful determinant not only of household consumption and purchasing but also of local food environments. »

This paper examines the state, drivers and, consequently, the impacts of agricutural mechanization in eleven countries in Africa. Significant drivers of agricultural mechanization include the size of the household and gender of the household head. Agricultural mechanization, significantly increases the amount of cropland cultivated (extensification) and is also accompanied by input intensification especially in countries where land expansion is limited. The findings point to the importance of developing favorable arrangements that would avail mechanization to small and medium scale farmers. »

The first report provides an overview of how the Kenyan aquaculture sector performs in three analytical domains: the robustness of the supply chain, the reliability of institutional governance and the resilience of the innovation system. Another report compared the successful commercial aquaculture sector in Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana resulting in lessons for Kenya. »