This present guide is prepared from a compilation of many documents published by FAO in this domain and is a guide to the process of formulating an agricultural mechanization strategy. The aims are:
To raise awareness of the main constraints which hinder the development of agricultural mechanization and especially those...

Jeju island is a volcanic island located in the southernmost part of the Korean Peninsula. The topographic and geological characteristics of the volcanic island made Jeju, the barren island for farming. Jeju abundant with volcanic ash soil, rocks and winds. As farming started in Jeju, people utilized the stones in...

Este material incluye una breve referencia al marco jurídico que orienta la política de reforma agraria y distribución de tierras, una descripción de la política de tierras en los últimos años, el desempeño del organismo de aplicación de dicha política, el Instituto Nacional de Desarrollo Rural y de la Tierra...

Some may view indigenous communities as being conservative and backwards. However, the Kabekwa in Costa Rica show that such communities can be adaptable and innovative. In response to changing circumstances, this community has been adapting its farming practices constantly, benefiting from it in multiple ways.

This book distils lessons learned about integrating gender equality into agricultural development initiatives in Africa, with case studies of efforts at all levels, from households to national government. The authors start from the premise that empowered women and men are better, more successful farmers who can make the most of the...

Steven Kiranga Gichanga is a family farmer in Mugaari, a village in Kenya. He was trained in goat rearing but could not afford a goat to get started. He was also trained in bee keeping but could not afford a bee hive either. After a community reflection forum in 2012,...

Sustainable agriculture, a key aim of the Rio+20 Outcome Document “The Future We Want” (UN 2012a), has a significant role to play in encouraging a move to a greener economy. Paragraph 111 states: “We reaffirm the necessity to promote, enhance and support more sustainable agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries...

The projects reviewed in this paper were funded by the Italian Special Contribution to the Global Trust Fund for Food Security (GTFS). The Italian funded food security programme aimed to enhance food security by following a common strategy to improve the commercialization of agricultural value chains. The main objective was...

En el presente documento se sistematiza la experiencia de aplicación de políticas públicas que han iniciado el proceso de fomento de la agricultura ambiental en Nicaragua.

Access to agricultural information is vital for improving food security at the village level. This study accessed the agricultural information needs of women farmers in Nkonkobe Municipality of the Amathole District, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Data was obtained from 118 households. The women farmers were identified from four villages...

The Baltic EcoMussel project aims to accelerate the adoption of mussel farming in the Baltic Sea Region by providing information and tools to support investments. Recent research shows that commercial farming of mussels in the Baltic Sea Region can be viable and offers socio-economic and environmental benefits. Commercial farming of...

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...

Ce projet vise l’amélioration des conditions de vie de quatre cents  femmes rurales et de leurs familles, choisies parmi celles déjà actives dans la transformation de l’arachide en pâte et/ou huile et la transformation du riz en diverses brisures au niveau de différentes commissions féminines . Pour ce faire , l’action vise...

The Caribbean Farmers Network (CaFAN) presently represents over 500,000 small farmers spread across fifteen Caribbean countries; Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts/ Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago. CaFAN member farmers organisations are directly involved in...

El Pueblo Tacana mantiene tradiciones de uso de sus recursos y territorio que son compatibles con los objetivos de conservación de la biodiversidad. Su experiencia de gestión territorial incluye procesos de planificación técnica y espacial del territorio, de estructuración y aplicación de instrumentos de fortalecimiento institucional y de ejecución de...

Family farming matters. In Africa, 60 to 70% of producers live in rural areas and they produce most of what Africa’s people consume. However, despite this contribution, family farming is often sidelined in academic discussions and in agricultural policies.

La economía mundial enfrenta múltiples desafíos. Algunos son de más corto plazo, como la crisis financiera y económica centrada en los países desarrollados. Otros se relacionan con el manejo de mediano y largo plazo de los recursos naturales en el contexto del cambio climático. Todo esto tiene importantes impactos sobre...

The Government of Tanzania has formulated a number of policies, strategies, and programs guided by its Tanzania Development Vision 2025 (URT, Planning Commission 2005), which sets long-term development goals to turn Tanzania into a middle-income country by 2025 and make it competitive in the globalized world economy.. Because the Tanzanian...

Domestic and donor-driven development agendas for African agriculture are spurring smallholder family farming as a catalyst for food security and poverty reduction. Family farms are also the backbone of agriculture in the European Union, although the process of concentration has gone further than in Africa. European agricultural policy reforms now...

The study discusses various aspects of the functioning of small agricultural farms in Poland, especially in its southern part. Among the provinces (voivodeships) of southern Poland, where small farms with up to 5 ha of agricultural land dominate in terms of both number and area, the Małopolskie Voivodeship shows the...