This book aims to contribute to filling an existing gap in the literature on food value chains in West Africa. It identifies good practices in value chain development and provides policy guidance to agricultural and rural development stakeholders. It is intended to be a sourcebook for decision makers, especially at...

This book documents a unique series of 19 case studies where agricultural biotechnologies were used to serve the needs of smallholders in developing countries. They cover different regions, production systems, species and underlying socio-economic conditions in the crop (seven case studies), livestock (seven) and aquaculture/fisheries (five) sectors. Most of the...

The study on the use of cassava as animal feed in Ghana was commissioned as part of FAO’s initiative supporting poverty reduction in northern part of the country. Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is one of the main staple food crops grown by almost all farming families in Ghana, contributing to large...

In northern Ghana, where the climatic conditions do not allow for an all-year-around rain-fed agriculture, irrigation is a necessary complement to enhance livelihoods security and poverty reduction. The knowledge gap regarding the contribution of existing irrigation facilities to poverty reduction occasioned the case study of the Tono irrigation scheme located...

Over the last fifty years food production per person in Africa has grown disappointingly slowly at little more than 10%. The population of Africa is growing rapidly at an average annual rate of 2.5% and is expected to almost double by 2050 to close to two billion people. Chronic hunger...

In line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) this study defines climate change as any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity. The study report is based on case studies from Bangladesh (Sulaiman, 2010), Bolivia (Pafumi and Ulloa, 2010),...

Without financial access and sufficient yearly earnings, many farmers also lose up to 50 percent of their annual potential income because they must gain quick access to cash to afford household expenses all year. In the time leading up to harvest, farmers often experience a “hungry season” in which they...

The Government of Ghana (GoG) since 2007 has been providing subsidized agricultural machines to individual farmers and private enterprises established as specialized Agricultural Mechanization Services Enterprise Centers (AMSECs) to offer tractor-hire services to small-scale farmers across the country. Current demand in the country is primarily focused on land preparation services,...

Supported by Sida, the World Agroforestry centre (ICRAF) and the African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT) launched the Conservation Agriculture with Trees (CAWT) pilot project in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. The countries were selected as among those in Africa where there was strong evidence of CA up-scaling taking place. The...

Because developing good programs requires good data, SNV has conducted research to further explore the linkages between smallholder farmers (SHF) and government-led school feeding programs. This report takes a closer look at these linkages in several parts of three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa where SNV is implementing pilots for the...

This issue of Nature & Faune aims at highlighting the complexity of the interface between forest and agriculture in Africa. The editorial presents agroforestry, as a useful linkage between forestry and agriculture for increased productivity in agriculture and forestry. It recognizes the limitations of agroforestry at the current stage of...

This document provides a global overview of beach seine fisheries and identifies key issues relevant for the responsible use of beach seines and the sustainable livelihoods of beach seine fishers. It also gives guidelines for fisheries managers and other stakeholders on how best to address the issues of management processes...

The year 2011 has been proclaimed the International Year of Forests (in brief “Forests 2011”) and it is being celebrated under the theme “Forests for People”. This is truly a remarkable theme. One cannot come close to covering all of it in a single edition of Nature & Faune as...

This edition of Nature & Faune magazine explores climate change implications for agricultural development and natural resources conservation in Africa. It provides a rich menu spanning many dimensions of climate change as it relates to the African rural farmer, fisher-folk and herdsman who are on the frontline of managing and...

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As population density increases and available natural resources diminish, tensions and competition increase among stakeholders for access to land for farming and animal husbandry as well as access to forest, fishery and wildlife resources. The scramble for resources involves communities, economic interest groups, governments and the private sector as they...

Producer organisations are widely heralded as leading contributors to poverty reduction and the achievement of food security. Following the withdrawal of state support as part of measures for liberalization, producer organizations in Africa have been in a process of transition, attempting to define appropriate strategies in a competitive open market...

Pineapple is by far the most important crop within the horticultural sub-sector of the Ghanaian economy. The crop employs over 15,000 individuals out of which 40% are women and generates rural incomes of over 6 million USD. Large and medium commercial farms account for about 70% of production with the...

Based on the premise that smallholders often get excluded as markets become more commercial, this paper draws lessons from the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) Project by exploring the main issues and challenges facing extension service partners in five African countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi). These lessons...

Despite the achievements of smallholders in Asia during the green revolution, there is scepticism that Africa’s smallholders — who dominate the farm area in most countries — can imitate this model and deliver agricultural growth. This paper assesses whether such pessimism is justified. Given the high transactions costs of hiring...