This report intends to provide key elements for answering these questions. Before starting the analysis, it is necessary to introduce the factors that have fuelled the adoption of certification in the banana industry and the main categories of schemes used.

Climate variability poses a severe threat to subsistence farmers in southern Africa. Two different approaches have emerged in recent years to address these threats: the use of seasonal precipitation forecasts for risk reduction (for example, choosing seed varieties that can perform well for expected rainfall conditions), and the use of...

Food insecurity and income poverty are rampant in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thirty-one percent of children under the age of five are malnourished and some 72 percent of the population lives on less than US$2 day. Forty-one percent lives on less than US$1 day. The impoverished and hungry are concentrated disproportionately in...

The Conference on Ecological Agriculture: Mitigating Climate Change, Providing Food Security and Self-Reliance for Rural Livelihoods in Africa was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 26-28 November 2008. It was organised by the African Union (AU), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development...

This issue of Caravan describes some of ICARDA's work on climate change. It contains overviews of the key issues, and articles describing research in specific areas: for example, how genetic resources – landrace varieties, wild relatives, indigenous livestock breeds – can be used to make small-scale agriculture better adapted to...

Based on village surveys in diverse regions of Malawi, this paper explores the features of labor use in smallholder agricultural production in Malawi. Labor contracts found in the study villages were interrelated with the high risks in agricultural production and the problem of food deficit, and provided a means for...

 Agriculture is the basic economic activity of most African countries and the agriculture sector is essential for food and livelihood security and poverty alleviation. Over 75 percent of African population is rural composed of small scale holdings and family farming with a vast diversity of agroecosystems evolved over generations forming...

The Conference on Ecological Agriculture: Mitigating Climate Change, Providing Food Security and Self-Reliance for Rural Livelihoods in Africa was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 26-28 November 2008. It was organised by the African Union (AU), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development...

This case study presents the status of conservation agriculture in Ghana. It is one in a series of eight case studies about conservation agriculture in Africa, which were developed within the framework of collaboration between CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development), FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the...

The study was carried out in four divisions of Rungwe District of the Southern Highlands of Tanzania to investigate the effect of market access on market orientation of smallholder dairy farmers. Multistage and simple random sampling techniques were employed in selecting 120 dairy farmers in villages across four divisions of...

This policy briefs elaborates on how Conservation agriculture (CA) can contribute to sustainable agriculture and rural development (SARD) by improving input use efficiency, increasing farm income, sustaining or increasing yields, and protecting the natural resource base. Recognizing that farmers must realize tangible livelihood benefits, CA is characterized by three interlinked principles:...

West African countries are expecting major contributions from science and technology in the agricultural sector in order to meet the significant challenges of economic growth, food security, and overall poverty reduction. Although Research-Development in West Africa has experienced instability with regard to financing, much effort has been made over the...

Cette note descriptive tente d’illustrer les démarches successives dans le passage de la vulgarisation au conseil agricole au Bénin – conseils plus en lien avec les agriculteurs (l’agriculteur au centre du dispositif).

The agricultural sector in Malawi is vital to the economy for incomes and food security. The sector accounts for 35% of national income, generates 90% of foreign exchange, and provides paid and self-employment to 92% of the rural population. One constraint in achieving food security has been the small size...

Smallholders in Ghana, as elsewhere, are widely considered to be the largest as well as the most vulnerable component of the rural sector. Ghana professes national development objectives of reducing rural poverty through the increased productivity and commercialization of smallholder agriculture. As a starting point for more detailed discussion of...

The need to focus on women farmers' productivity, which can be an effective engine for social change, has become increasingly clear in sub-Saharan Africa. Women have a significant role in farming and post-harvest activities in most countries in the region. Nevertheless, a complex set of rights and obligations reflecting social...

This case study presents the status of conservation agriculture in Kenya. It is one in a series of eight case studies about conservation agriculture in Africa, which were developed within the framework of a collaboration between CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development), FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of...

In Kenya's drylands, drought has always been the greatest hazard faced by livestock herding families. Modern pressures are making this situation worse. This film tells the story of a research project started in 2007, which this year introduced a new form of insurance to remote herding peoples who had never...

This 13th edition of the newsletter provides an opportunity for Dimitra and its partners to inform you about their activities over the last six months. It will also present other issues, such as the situation and rights of rural women producers, the right and access to land, food and sustainable...

In this latest edition of the Dimitra Newsletter, as in previous editions, we highlight the importance of access by rural populations, and particularly women, to information and communication. The ability to access information and to share it through dissemination and networking is crucial in order to combat inequality, malnutrition and...