Knowledge Portal

This working paper has been prepared as background for the inclusive agribusiness work stream of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD). The paper outlines the concept of inclusive business and its application to the agrifood sector, it maps the current state of play and explores implications for donors and the GDPRD. The paper also highlights a weak and fragmented evidence base regarding impact, which risks undermining the case for the much needed investment to take promising example to scale. »

This article in the Agronomy for Sustainable Development Journal, conceptualizes scaling processes as an integral part of a systemic approach to innovation, to anticipate on the possible consequences of scaling efforts. The authors propose a method that connects the heuristic framework of the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions (MLP) to a philosophical ‘modal aspects’ framework, with the objective of elucidating the connectedness between technologies, processes and practices. »

This report by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) shows that the introduction of improved forage varieties of the Brachiaria genus is a climate-friendly way to close the gap in the availability of livestock and dairy products in Sub-Saharan Africa. The authors assess the potential economic impact of the development and release of such varieties in six East African countries is using an economic surplus model. »

This book, published by Wageningen Academic, presents a set of case studies on food quality improvement and innovation in food chains, with cases from South Africa, Ethiopia, Benin, Uganda and Senegal. This publication shows how a co-innovation perspective can be developed and applied. Co-innovation entails the combination of technical, organisational and institutional changes, the involvement of various chain actors, and the introduction of complementary innovations at different levels of the food chain. »

This report provides detailed information on who is buying up farmland in which regions of the world and how this land is being used. It also elaborates on differences in food security impacts of land deals in different countries. Food crops continue to play the major role in land deals. The report explains that food security impact is distinct in two group of countries. »

This paper by the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACBIO) reviews the farm input subsidy programmes (FISPs) within countries belonging to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), to ascertain whether input subsidies have benefited small-scale farmers, have increased food security at the household and national levels, and have improved the incomes of small-scale farmers. »