Knowledge Portal

This report by FARA identifies barriers to scaling up/out climate smart agriculture (CSA) practices and proposes strategies and practical actions to remove the barriers and enhance adoption of CSA in Africa. The publication highlights that Early Warning Systems (EWS) are critical for monitoring major uncertainties when making decisions regarding the bio-physical, management and ecological barriers to adoption of CSA. Successful CSA practices at farm, landscape and entire food system levels are essential to be up and out-scaled. »

This article elaborates on the importance of informal seed markets for African family farmers. Using a comprehensive data set with 9660 observations across six countries and covering 40 crops, the authors show that farmers access 90.2 % of their seed from informal systems with 50.9 % of that deriving from local markets. However, current investments are mostly geared towards formal markets instead of informal ones, while the informal sector remains the core for seed acquisition in Africa. »

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) & The International Labour Organizattion (ILO) prepared a background paper for the Feeding Africa conference of October 2015. The paper highlights several challenges and opportunities in involving youth in agribusiness. The authors stimulate the development of a special program to promote youth in agribusiness. »

This report provides guidance to authorities and municipal officers to establishing and strengthen policy dialogue between municipal governments and civil society. This is done as a strategy to integrate the obligations and principles of the right to food in rural municipalities related to food and nutrition security in Latin America. The report focuses on the implementation of two principles; participation and empowerment. »

This report elaborates on the changing patterns of food consumption and production between rural and urban areas and its impacts on food security. In the past, rural areas produced food primarily for cities. Urban residents often consumed more than they needed, while the poorest rural smallholders often went hungry. Today, rural areas still produce, but they are also consumers and poor city dwellers now also suffer from hunger. »

This article in the World Development Journal studies the effect of livestock gift program in Zambia on household food security. Smallholder livestock ownership has potential to enhance food security by raising incomes of the poor and by increasing the availability of nutrient-dense foods. »