Access to land is at the heart of rural livelihoods. In sub-Saharan Africa, the pace and scale at which land is changing hands are increasing fast. Understanding these changes in land access is crucial if the systems of land governance, the practices of companies and organisations, and the initiatives seeking...

This technology describes the introduction of improved cattle breeds in Uganda. The improved breeds are more productive and resistant to diseases and are managed applying the zero grazing production system, a type of production system where the animals are kept in an enclosure to control input use and to reduce...

Dr Tamara Kaunda, 27, a medical doctor who studied in China, made a fairly dramatic career change when she switched from medicine to the farming of seedlings.

Malnutrition, including over- and under-nutrition and micro-nutrient deficiencies, is the top contributor to the global disease burden. Globally, 800 million people are under-nourished, 2 billion are overweight or obese and 2 billion are micronutrient deficient. The vast majority of the world’s hungry live in developing countries. Southern Asia faces the greatest...

The solution to these global challenges rests upon unlocking the full potential of women in the world of work. Did you know that 52% of Zimbabweans are women, and yet there are fewer women being represented in parliament (32%), local Authority (16.7%) and in managerial positions in the private sector...

Senegal is one of the poorest countries in the world but thanks to its political and social stability has experienced a higher economic growth compared to its neighboring countries. Senegalese population strongly relies on agriculture and livestock rearing activities: 46 percent of the workforce is employed in the agricultural sector,...

La conférence a pour objectif de Montrer l’importance de l’agriculture familiale dans un contexte d’émergence de l’agri- business en Afrique Centrale, en vue d’un soutien plus accru des gouvernements et des partenaires en faveur des organisations paysannes, en particulier des jeunes entrepreneurs agricoles. Analyser les politiques publiques nationales et régionales en matière...

Kenya is withholding approval for field trials of genetically modified (GM) maize because some officials argue that a ban on GM imports applies to controlled growing tests as well, according to a person familiar with the deliberations. Talks involving representatives from the health and environment ministries and the Kenya’s...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ethiopian Ministry for Livestock and Fishery to hold the first Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050 (ASL2050) Technical Consultation on the 21st and 23rd of February 2017 and the ASL2050...

Agriculture in Senegal is predominantly rain-fed and so erratic weather patterns present an everincreasing risk to smallholder farmers across the country. Late onset of rain can lead to a reduced growing season; unexpected torrential rain and flash-flooding can lead to farmers losing scarce resources of seed, other farm inputs and...

The socio-economic value of the role of small family farmers in developing countries is a long debated issue. Conventional thinking, points at the social role of small farmers mainly as absorbers of excess labor in rural areas and suppliers of food. In economic terms the relative production efficiency advantage, is...

In its final newsletter of 2016, FAO-Rwanda shares valuable updates and inspiring success stories from our One UN nutrition project to reduce stunting and our Rural Women's Economic Empowerment project. This issue also includes highlights from World Food Day and information on the emergency relief work FAO is supporting to...

Smallholder farmers in Gambia are increasingly facing climate related induced disasters and vulnerabilities affecting their lives and livelihoods. During 2010-2012, farmers faced flash floods, periods of drought, disease infestation, saline intrusion, deforestation and massive erosion of their farmlands resulting in crop failure and reduced food security. ActionAid has introduced agroecological...

This publication was initiated by the FAO Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa to identify, analyse and document existing watershed management practices in the Eastern Africa sub-region that contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation. There is opportunity to use this information to inform agriculture and watershed management-related policies, programmes and...

This issue of Farming Matters addresses the intersection of agroecology, food sovereignty and the climate crisis. Climate change is a political problem that highlights the need for systemic change to the way food is produced, processed and distributed. From agroecological practices that build resilience, to social movements that resist land grabbing,...

This one pager summarizes a study on the targeting system adopted in Senegal for implementing food purchases using procurement preferential treatment for small-scale family farming food outputs. The study provide a detailed description of the selection of farmers producing rice in the Kédougou region and discusses how it influenced the...

This issue coincides with a globally historic moment, namely the official launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs, which replace the Millen-nium Development Goals (MDGs), are part of an ambitious global sustainable de-velopment agenda focusing on economic growth, social inclusion and environ-mental protection. Having succeeded in reaching the...

Smoked and dried fish is a vital source of food and income for many African coastal communities. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, about 20-30 per cent of the local catch in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, or Ivory Coast, is consumed as smoked...

The publication contains success stories and describes a methodology that FAO and partners were using in Zimbabwe to manage climate-related risks to crop production and post-harvest handling. It features a description of the Learning Centre approach and captures the voices of farmers who benefited from the project.

Les modèles agricoles sont plus que jamais mis en débat, au Sud et dans les pays du Nord. Défis Sud poursuit son ambition d’éclairer les enjeux sous-jacents aux divers modèles agricoles en publiant un baromètre annuel des agricultures familiales. Approchées et interrogées tant dans leurs dimensions quantitatives que qualitatives, les...