This report presents a summary and the presentations of the expert workshop "Developments in agricultural commodity markets: a special focus on Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan", organised by the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), in close cooperation with the European Commission's DG...

Farmers in semi-arid Zimbabwe prioritize climate variability as their major agricultural productivity-reducing problem. This paper raises the importance of considering local farmers’ perceptions on climate risk, as this greatly influences on-farm investments and decision-making in agricultural management and production in semiarid Zimbabwe. A study was conducted in two districts of...

Improving livelihoods in rural areas is important to progress of the developing world and it helps in the creation of the domestic demand for the productive sector. Private sector partnerships in rural areas have been the major driver to reduction of market uncertainties and management of risk and thus bring...

Through consultations with key fisheries-based stakeholders in four States of India, this study attempts to assess perceptions of fishing communities about the impact of climate change on their lives and livelihoods. It also evaluates the traditional knowledge, institutions, and practices of fishing communities that are relevant to climate-change preparedness. The...

This study is establishing recommendations for spacing, depth and layout of controlled drainage and sub-irrigation that could be practiced in dambos of Central Malawi by smallholder famers’ water user groups. To achieve this, soil physical and chemical properties and field investigations on hydraulic conductivity and topography have been accomplished for...

he video describes the promotion of community-based seed production farmer groups and the strengthening of individual and community level capacities to ensure continuous seed supply throughout the year while maintaining the seed quality in the region. By joining the farmers' group, members contribute to stocks and receive support and from...

 En Afrique centrale, les forêts périurbaines dégradées sont les principales pourvoyeuses de la demande toujours croissante des grandes villes en bois-énergie. En l'absence de plan de gestion, ces formations forestières aux enjeux multiples se dégradent de plus en plus.  Le Cirad et ses partenaires ont mené une réflexion autour de...

This document presents an assessment of small-scale fisheries of the Patos Lagoon estuary, Brazil, using a custom-designed fisheries census methodology. Complementary information was sourced from a literature review, secondary data and in-depth semi-structured interviews. The assessment provides a complete picture of the technical, environmental and socio-economic conditions of these fisheries, including information on the...

Collective actions through organised pasture user groups in Mongolia are a sustainable way to protect rangeland from desertification and to guarantee food security for the next herder generation

Strong rural organizations like producer groups and cooperatives are crucial to hunger and poverty reduction. They allow small producers toplay a greater role in meeting growing food demand on local, national and international markets, while improving their own economic, social and political opportunities. This thinking connects a series of case...

This book presents findings from a detailed study of how domestic staples value chains are structured and performing in Asia after the food price hike of 2007–2008. Three questions are asked in the study: (1) Are staples value chains transforming structurally? (2) Is the conduct of staples value chains’ actors...

The lacunae in fishing-community engagement in the management and governance of marine and coastal protected areas (MCPAs) were discussed in the 2009 Chennai Workshop organized by the ICSF.  The workshop reviewed existing legal and institutional mechanisms for creating, implementing and reporting MCPAs in India, and discussed their impact from the...

The initial project dates back to 2003 (in the context of Leader+), when 8 farmers developed a quality programme for growing, feeding and breeding the typical “Alpine Grey” cattle. Following the decline of the milk market, the local farmers'' cooperative had the idea of extending the quality programme to the...

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is defined as a production system in which crop, soil, nutrient, pest, water and energy management components and operations are based on a sustainable ecological foundation provided by three interlinked principles of: (1) minimum soil disturbance (no-till direct seeding); (2) maintenance of soil cover (mulch cover from...

Durante el período comprendido de marzo a abril de 2012 se distribuyó la colección hortícola de otoño-invierno del Programa Pro-Huerta en el área de influencia de la Agencia de Extensión (AER) INTA La Carlota, departamento Juárez Célman, Córdoba; la misma comprende cuatro localidades (La Carlota, Santa Eufemia, Alejandro Roca y...

This article traces multiple directions in the evolution of agroecology, from its early emphasis on ecological processes in agricultural systems, to its emergence as a multidimensional approach focusing on broader agro-food systems. This review is timely, as agroecology is being increasingly applied within a diversity of scientific-, policy-, and farmer-based...

Como parte de la campaña regional COME SANO, la FAO ha promocionado y coordinado la elaboración y la difusión de cuñas radiales que informan a los consumidores, principalmente a familias pobres de áreas rurales, de los cuidados básicos en la manipulación y preparación higiénica de los alimentos. La campaña radial es...

Strong rural organizations like producer groups and cooperatives are crucial to hunger and poverty reduction. They allow small producers toplay a greater role in meeting growing food demand on local, national and international markets, while improving their own economic, social and political opportunities. This thinking connects a series of case...

Agroecology today has a strong focus on bringing sustainability to food, feed, and fiber production. But there is also a larger focus on the social, economic, and political “drivers” that move food systems beyond the conditions that have created un-sustainability in modern industrial agriculture. With its ecosystem foundation, the science...

The pressure on biodiversity continues to increase. Habitat loss and degradation from agriculture and infrastructure development, overexploitation, pollution and invasive alien species remain the predominant threats. Climate change is increasing in importance and will have profound impacts, particularly in combination with other threats. Greater integration of policies and institutional responses,...