Knowledge Portal

This article discusses the effects of markets and trade on the global food system in a changing climate. The authors argue that food security in a changing climate can best be understood as a double exposure: the exposure of people and processes to both economic and climate-related shocks and stressors. »

This publication examines how current seed policies and laws in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda affect smallholder farmers’ practices. The investigation is based on three measures: the degree of recognition of the roles and rights of smallholder farmers; the degree to which policy and legal regulations facilitate smallholder-based seed management; and the level of support such regulations provide for smallholder-based seed management. »

This article measures farmlevel postharvest losses for three main crops—maize, soy, and groundnuts—among 1,200 households in Malawi. To optimally design interventions targeted at reducing losses, it is important to know where losses are concentrated between the farm and fork. Farmers answered a detailed questionnaire about losses during harvest and transport, processing, and storage. The findings indicate that fewer than half of households report suffering losses conditional on growing each crop. »

In this expert opinion Jess Davis argues that action on soil sustainability must move beyond the farm and into the boardroom. She argues that most businesses are unaware that their bottom lines depend on soil; nor are they aware of the risks they face from its degradation. »

Innovation platforms (IPs) form a popular vehicle in agricultural research for development (AR4D) to facilitate stakeholder interaction, agenda setting, and collective action toward sustainable agricultural development. This article in the Science and Public Policy Journal, aims to systematically research the dynamics of stakeholder composition throughout IPs and tries to analyze how seven ‘key functions’ of the innovation process are fulfilled. »

This article examines the post-harvest practices of small-scale fisheries in Nigeria and the contribution of these fisheries to food and nutrition security. Small-scale fisheries are the dominant source of local fish production in Nigeria but receive limited policy attention. »