Farming has been undergoing profound changes as not only agriculture, but also work patterns and family dynamics have evolved. The continuity of farm businesses depend not only on technical and economic performance, but also on the life conditions the system offers farmers and their families. Here we define the liveability...

The objectives of this study were, first, to examine the impacts of certified organic contract farming on the food security of the smallholder farm households participating in such arrangements, and second, to assess the role of gender relations in these dynamics. In particular, the study considered how the costs and...

Over 95% of pastoralist women in the North West Region of Cameroon depend exclusively on milk production for their income. The overall decline in pastoral resources in the past decades has affected milk productivity, drawing attention and technical support from public and non-governmental partners. However, this did not lead to...

Con el fin de contribuir a la popularización del conocimiento sobre las hortalizas nativas subutilizadas, de cuyo centro de origen forma parte nuestro país, se presenta éste catálogo que fue generado como producto de la recopilación de información existente en la literatura especializada y experiencias de investigación realizadas por el...

The Spanish NRN promotes the revitalisation of transhumance, a practice that is crucial to the preservation of Spain’s natural and cultural heritage, which after decades of decline and neglect is now designing its future in the ‘White Book on Transhumance’. As a result of the physical makeup of Spain, Europe’s...

En el establecimiento de sistemas agropecuarios eficientes es fundamental su caracterización en relación a dimensiones de nivel agronómico, ecológico, técnico, productivo y, socioeconómico.  Esta caracterización permite obtener información relevante en la identificación de las limitaciones del sistema de producción a fin de establecer medidas que permitan desarrollar la finca en...

Agriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy and an important driver of economic development and poverty reduction. Approximately 73% of Ugandans depend on agriculture. However, the sector currently faces many multifaceted challenges which include land degradation, inadequate market access, unreliable weather and civil strife. Agricultural growth is also affected by...

This technical report series captures and documents the work in progress of the Iraq Salinity Project, in its seven research themes, working at the regional, farm and irrigation system scales. Technical reports feed into the Iraq Salinity Assessment, a synthesis and solutions to solving the problem: Situation Analysis (Report 1);...

Short supply chains have existed in France for a long time, however, new and different forms have recently emerged delivered by new actors who are looking beyond the simple economic dimensions of local food. In particular, it is obvious that short supply chains have the potential to work as an...

This technical report series captures and documents the work in progress of the Iraq Salinity Project, in its seven research themes, working at the regional, farm and irrigation system scales. Technical reports feed into the Iraq Salinity Assessment, a synthesis and solutions to solving the problem: Situation Analysis (Report 1);...

Sustainability assessment oriented to improve current systems and practices is urgently needed, particularly in the context of small farmer natural resource management systems (NRMS). Unfortunately, social-ecological systems (SES) theory, sustainability evaluation frameworks, and assessment methods are still foreign not only to farmers but to many researchers, students, NGOs, policy makers/operators,...

The RECOFI Workshop on Social and Economic Aspects of Fisheries in the RECOFI region was held in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain from 22 to 24 April 2012, following the agreement at the sixth session of the Regional Commission for Fisheries held in Rome from 10 to 12 May 2011. The...

This paper synthesizes research findings on contemporary mountain pastoralism in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, based on a longer review characterizing mountain agropastoralism in Central Asia. The focus is here on the principal issues that have been emphasized over the past two decades in policy, programs, and projects regarding pastoralism in Central...

A fines de la década de 1980, en un estudio sobre la pobreza rural a nivel regional, la FAO advertía que la “crisis económica de años recientes ha intensificado los problemas relacionados con la pobreza de un gran número de personas en zonas urbanas y rurales” (…) “No solo ha...

The Green Revolution, the symbol of agricultural intensification not only failed to ensure safe and abundant food production for all people, but it was launched under the assumptions that abundant water and cheap energy to fuel modern agriculture would always be available and that climate would be stable and not...

This article analyzes the conceptual trajectory of rural - rurality, proposing the discussion on the approach towards new rurality. The present dynamics of the labor market, of global agri-food chains, of demographic processes impacting on the rural family structure, and the configuration of urban networks in rural areas raises new...

Agricultural productivity in Zimbabwe, like in many other countries in SSA has been declining over the years despite the numerous advancements made in agricultural technology development. Yield levels usually averaging below 1t ha-1 have resulted in persistent cereal deficits despite the large area put under production each year. Declining soil...

A central concept of the current agenda of public policies is sustainability. Achieving it requires actions favoring ecological balance that can counteract social uprooting which generates behaviors that do not consider environmental effects in the short / medium / long term. It is therefore important to incorporate social factors that...

This e-learning course explores key concepts present in the RuralInvest toolkit, such as the definition of what is an investment; why a participatory approach is important; the critical importance of sustainability and; the need to understand the priorities and capabilities of the beneficiaries.

This study reports on the land degradation minimizing effects of Conservation Agriculture (CA) as promoted among smallholder Zambian farmers. It found no evidence of CA associated improvements in soil fertility after five years of CA practice, most probably because crop residues were removed from the fields. The study reports high...