Five years after the catastrophic Cyclone Idai hit Chimanimani District in Zimbabwe, claiming over 500 lives and causing extensive destruction, the community's journey towards recovery and resilience offers a beacon of hope. This article by John Willson delves into the heart of Chimanimani's efforts, showcasing how the district is confronting...

The African Union is in the process of finalizing a draft protocol on intellectual property rights under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), sparking concerns among civil society organizations about the potential impacts on seed systems and the rights of smallholder farmers. While the AfCFTA, enacted in May 2019,...

FAO developed this manual, in collaboration with Solidaridad West Africa, to support trainers in preparing and delivering the training on empowering rural women to engage in responsible agricultural investments (RAI). The design of this training programme is based upon a specific methodology that meets the learning needs of rural women...

The World Wide Fund for Nature defines a food system as “the complete set of people, institutions, activities, processes, and infrastructure involved in producing and consuming food for a given population.” (WWF, 2017). The food system has a bearing on human capital development, provision of jobs, industrial growth, structural transformation...

African forest are increasingly in decline as a result of land-use conversion due to human activities. However, a consistent and detailed characterization and mapping of land-use change that results in forest loss is not available at the spatial-temporal resolution and thematic levels suitable for decision-making at the local and regional...

Grâce aux données satellites et aux méthodes d’apprentissage machine, les chercheurs ont identifié et localisé 15 formes d’utilisation des terres – de la culture de divers végétaux utiles tels que le caféier, le cacaoyer et l’hévéa, aux pâturages et à l’exploitation minière. C’est ce que démontre une étude publiée dans...

This document sheds light on the ongoing efforts in Eastern and Southern Africa to develop National Agroecology Strategies (NASs), aiming to transform agri-food systems through the promotion of agroecological production practices, and the development of markets, value chains, and consumer demand. The brief offers an unique insight into policy advancements...

Le sol n’est pas qu’un simple support : il doit être en bonne santé pour que les activités agricoles puissent s’installer et perdurer. En Côte d’Ivoire, le ministère de l’agriculture a rassemblé agriculteurs, décideurs politiques et scientifiques autour d’actions pratiques pour assurer la durabilité des sols des paysages forestiers en...

New African Society (NAS), a youth-led Sierra Leone-based organization, is working for the development of self-sufficient communities to alleviate generations of poverty within the country. The organization offers services that promote the advancement of agricultural projects within the region, seeking to remedy a lack of opportunity for socioeconomic mobility and...

Du 16 au 17 mai 2023, s’est tenu à l’Ivotel Hôtel Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), le séminaire international sur la préservation et la restauration des sols forestiers en Afrique de l’Ouest. L’organisation de ce séminaire est une initiative du Ministère d’État, Ministère de l’Agriculture et de Développement Rural (MEMINADER) de Côte...

La production de biopesticides pour l’agriculture est une innovation agroécologique qui répond à la nécessité de réduire, d’une part, les externalités négatives de l’utilisation des pesticides chimiques sur la santé et l’environnement, et d’autre part, la dépendance aux aléas du commerce international, surtout dans les pays en développement. Dans ce...

La faible productivité de l’agriculture en Afrique subsaharienne est due en grande partie à la dégradation de la fertilité des sols. Les agricultures familiales, pilier de la sécurité alimentaire de cette grande région, doivent relever le défi de la restauration et du maintien de la capacité productive des terres. Les...

Après quatre transitions technologiques et organisationnelles en 400 000 ans, l’humanité est en quête d’une sécurité alimentaire durable et partagée. En effet, les lourdes externalités négatives du système agro-industriel devenu hégémonique en 150 ans incitent à reconstruire les systèmes alimentaires dans une perspective socio-écologique. Sur la base d’une synthèse de diverses prospectives, les...

Burkina Faso faces accelerated degradation of its natural resources as a result of the combined effects of natural and human-caused factors (inappropriate farming practices, bush fires, wood cutting, extension of agricultural areas, etc.). The province of Passoré, in the Nord Region of thecountry, is in an arid zone and regularly...

Forests harbour a large proportion of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity, which continues to be lost at an alarming rate. Deforestation is the single most important driver of forest biodiversity loss with 10 million ha of forest converted every year to other land uses, primarily for agriculture. Up to 30 percent...

In this 6th factsheet in the series on ultra-processed food (UPF) in Africa, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) briefly discuss how UPF is impacting ecological health and functioning, and driving the interconnected biodiversity, climate, and pollution crises on the continent. Over the last two decades, food systems have undergone massive transformations. It...

In this series focusing on ultra-processed food (UPF) on the African continent, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) explore the impacts of shifting dietary patterns, with increasing reliance on low-cost, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) globally, and in Africa in particular, in the context of an urgent call for a just, agroecological...

Seed embodies life, power, and culture. From Africa’s deserts and drylands to its mighty river systems and tropical forests, from those growing a multiplicity of grains, legumes, and vegetables, to others struggling to produce enough to feed their families, seed provides the mainstay for the continent’s 500 million small-scale farmers...

Five teams of Entrepreneurs for Rural Access (ERA) in Uganda are all set to hit the road on their new Buffalo Bicycles carrying their smart projectors to promote videos on agroecology and organic farming in remote villages, thanks to an innovative partnership agreement between the World Bicycle Relief and Access...

Quel avenir et quelles perspectives pour l’agriculture sénégalaise ? La 29ème édition des traditionnelles « Mardi du BAME » tenue ce mardi 16 avril 2024 à l’Institut sénégalais de recherches agricoles (ISRA) à Dakar a été l’occasion pour des experts  de se pencher sur des projections de l’agriculture sénégalaise d’ici à 2050. Répondre aux...