Academic article

This paper in Oxford Review of Economic Policy, describes the ways in which changing consumption patterns and production technologies have altered the boundaries between agriculture and food. The authors argue that regulatory systems and policies still tend to equate food with farming, reflecting the realities of the last century more than the policy challenges of today. »

This article in the Experimental Agriculture Journal highlights ‘Innovation Platforms’ (IPs) as a promising vehicle to foster a paradigm shift in agricultural research for development (AR4D). By facilitating interaction, negotiation and collective action between farmers, researchers and other stakeholders, IPs can contribute to more integrated, systemic innovation that is essential for achieving agricultural development impacts. However, successful implementation of IPs requires institutional change within AR4D establishments. The objective of this paper is to reflect on the implementation and institutionalisation of IPs in present AR4D programmes. »

This study highlights the major practices and strategies deployed by pig farmers in response to feeding constraints in Uganda. While there is potential for the use of sweet potato and other root tubers as pig feed in the smallholder pig farming systems, their use is limited due to the lack of knowledge. »

This article argues that the relationship between riots, dietary patterns and the willingness to riot is not straightforward since the changes in consumption of different food groups influence the willingness to riot in different ways. After the widespread food riots in 2008, some authors argued that higher food prices cause political unrest, or food riots. Nevertheless, research has demonstrated that political, cultural, and economic factors confound the impact of price in determining whether a food riot occurs. »

This paper in the Food Policy Journal identifies four common misconceptions regarding the nature and importance of farmer seed networks today. (1) Farmer seed networks are inefficient for seed dissemination. (2) Farmer seed networks are closed, conservative systems. (3) Farmer seed networks provide ready, egalitarian access to seed. (4) Farmer seed networks are destined to weaken and disappear. »

This article in Food Policy Journal examined the relationship between household-specific producer–consumer food price differentials and rural household cropland allocation between food and high-value crops. The authors tested the hypothesis that cereal price bands induce a shift of resources away from high-value crop production, making smallholders appear unresponsive to price incentives. »