Knowledge Portal

This briefing investigates the rapidly changing power dynamics and structures related to land governance in sub-Saharan Africa. The authors argue that understanding the changing dynamics of land access in rural Africa will be crucial if systems of land governance, companies and organisations, and rural development initiatives are to adapt and make a positive impact. »

Land governance and water governance tend to address similar challenge with regard to the equitable distribution of resources. This handbook focuses on water governance and provides practical guidance on aquaculture spatial planning and management. »

This report by Fairfood and CNV Internationaal identifies a host of interventions that will improve the situation of farmers in the vanilla value chain in Madagascar. The report examines the riches that vanilla production delivers, and the abject poverty many vanilla farmers experience. Vanilla is one of the most expensive and widely exported spices in the world, yet the large majority of the 80,000 smallholder vanilla farmers do not see this reflected in their income and are often even unable to provide food for themselves and their families. »

This paper by IIED presents the reflections of more than 160 Chinese agronomists who have spent time implementing Chinese agricultural technologies in Africa. Chinese actors are increasingly engaging in African agriculture. This research, conducted by the newly constituted research division of the Foreign Economic Cooperation Centre (FECC) of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, can be seen as a first step to gain insight into their experiences, in order to allow a more productive dialogue with a range of stakeholders in China-Africa agriculture engagement. »

This article scrutinizes the link between farm size and farmland distribution and its contribution to food security, reduction of poverty and decreasing inequality. Many advocates emphasize the importance of “smallholder farming” or “family farming”, however there is a lack of data. »

This paper aims to improve our understanding of the impact of rural-urban transition from a micro-level perspective, using evidence from Tanzania. This study will be the first to assess the impact of urbanization on food consumption through comparing individuals’ food consumption patterns before and after they have migrated from rural to urban areas. »