Knowledge Portal

This report published by Access to Seeds Foundation documents the farmers’ consultation of the Access to Seed Index 2016 with 35 farmers’ organizations from 26 countries. These four meetings marked the start of the development process towards the second Access to Seeds Index scheduled for Q1 2019. During this consultation farmers’ organizations gave more attention to the impact of climate change than during the previous farmers’ consultation in 2013. The meetings underlined the need to include farmer cooperatives, associations and community seed enterprises in the overall Index assessment. »

This book published describes the various concepts and approaches underlying soil and soil fertility management research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the last fifty years. It argues that knowledge on soil fertility management is crucial for sustainable crop production and food security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The book provides examples of important innovations and assesses the position of research within the research-to-development continuum, »

This factsheet describes two case studies of the community seedbank strategy in South Africa. The aim of this community seedbank strategy was to support smallholder communities to revive and improve their traditional seed-saving practices for the sake of food security and sustainable agriculture and conservation of the county’s agricultural biodiversity. It also emphasizes the importance of women farmers as active custodians of agricultural biodiversity, which can be seen in particular in the Gumbu case study, where women farmers show active interest and participation in the project. »

This briefing by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) highlights how small- and mediumscale farm models can outperform large-scale operations in terms of monetary return, food security, employment generation, local prosperity and avoiding land conflicts. With the right support, poorer households can develop market-oriented farming that contributes to local value chains at many levels. »

This paper by CIMMYT argues that successful agricultural interventions require social shifts, not just technological. Traditionally, agricultural research organizations measured impact by the number of technologies developed, with less attention given to whether or not these technologies were adopted by farmers and the impact they had in communities. Currently, research and extension approaches based on agricultural innovation systems are becoming more popular. »

This book examines the two nutritional challenges which Egypt faces in depth and their relationship to public policy. The first challenge is the “growth-nutrition disconnect.” High economic growth has not been accompanied by reduction in chronic child malnutrition. Instead, the prevalence of child stunting increased during this decade—an atypical trend for a country outside wartime. The second challenge is the simultaneous presence of chronic undernutrition and overnutrition. »